Go to Texas for barbeque and Seattle for coffee berry , but descend to Chicago for cocktails . Here in the Windy City , we ’re not in the casual - drinking patronage ; we ’re in the boozing business , and cousin , business organisation is a - booming . The scene owes its success to the mixologist setting the stripe for drinking standards exceptionally eminent , from Zea mays everta - infuse bourbon at Broken Shaker to roses freeze in methamphetamine cubes at The Sixth . So , without further ado , we present the 10 bartenders who not only crush it , but also shook it , stirred it , and occasionally swizzled it in 2016 .
Matty Eggleston
Spilt Milk
Matty Eggleston ’s bartending career began in Los Angeles . Then , he take his California - cool cocktails – that means seasonal green groceries , reinvigorated juices , and vivacious flavors – to Chicago to superintend potable programs at Perennial Virant and Nico Osteria . Recently , he hung up his fancy gasp to open a laid - back lounge on the nook of California and Fullerton . At Spilt Milk , he ’ll welcome you with the house - tincture vermouth blastoff of the twenty-four hours , followed by a craft beer or Sarsaparilla Zazerac ( Old Forester bonded Bourbon dynasty , sarsaparilla marsala , almond , and absinthe ) , thus proving you’re able to take the bartender out of the fancy Browning automatic rifle , but you ca n’t take the fancy out of this bartender .
Matt “Peaches” Frederick
EZ Inn
Laura Kelton
Bad Hunter
Laura Kelton – former Queen Mary and Bordel bartender , who started her bartending career in battle of Chattanooga , Tennessee and recently ingest the reign at Bad Hunter along with her gig atSportsman ’s Club– has a favorite saying when it come to create cocktails : “ A cocktail should always be dandy than the sum of its constituent . " Case in point , Mermaid Water ( Dolin Blanc , Jack Rudy tonic syrup , snare , rhubarb , and Nardini Acqua du Cedro ) is an iridescent pink cocktail that deepen feel as it sits , from a promising and citrusy to a more laid-back rhubarb- and vermouth - forward drink . It ’s garnish with a ribbon foliage that is shaped into a mermaid fin , because , according to Kelton , “ Just because we are serious about cocktail does n’t mean we ’re not fun . ”
Nandini Khaund
Cindy’s
Spirit guide Nandini Khaund will take you on a journeying with her mystical concoctions served at the rooftop barroom of the Chicago Athletic Association . Set canvass on the Aegean Sea ( Plymouth gin , Salers Gentaine , dry vermouth , rhum agricole , Mugolio pine sap , and trick leafage ) and follow by a stroll through the Grey Garden ( vodka , Dolin Blanc , crème de violette , emperor ’s jasmine pearl teatime , and lemon ) . Just as the booze hit and the railway line of Cindy ’s arched spyglass ceiling set about to glaze over , retrieve We ’ll Always Have Paris ( Beefeater gin , Cocchi Americano , impudent strawberry mark , house - made pistachio tree milk , day of the month sirup , cardamum , maize , and climb up petal ) .
Jess Lambert
Boleo
“ The name get from an expression often heard in my household after long bring hours during peak time of brain fog , and because there ’s cereal milk in it , ” Jess Lambert says . She ’s talking about Adulting is Hard ( Dictador 12 - year rum , Mistral Extra Anejo pisco , Lustau Oloroso pisco , chai - spiced cereal Milk River , and black lime ) , one of the many cocktail adding to the excitement of The Kimpton Gray Hotel ’s rooftop restaurant and waiting area . The Latin dancing jams and squawk tenderness skewer also help . Jess Lambert get her bartending offset in Phoenix , but it was n’t until she run across Kimpton ’s director of bar , Mike Ryan , who encouraged her to participate in the Tales of the Cocktail learner political platform , that she truly earned her grade insignia , presently at Boleo andVol . 39 .
Scotty LoBianco
Broken Shaker at the Freehand
Ai n’t no party like a Broken Shaker party , and that party ca n’t start without the mezcal - loving Scotty LoBianco . A bit over a year ago , LoBianco traded in the buttoned - up , Bourbon dynasty - soaked vibes of The Berkshire Room for the tropical oasis next room access . The Chicago native hit his stride at the straight - out - of - South - Beach bar with cocktails such as Made that B!tch Famous ( orchard fruit - infused Cognac , green apple parsley shrub , lemon , and surd cider ) and Squash the Beet ( reposado tequila , Ancho Reyes , Mexican spiced pumpkin , roasted beet , citrus tree , and spicy pepita salt ) that take inspiration from Shaker ’s every bit impressive culinary offering .
Kristina Magro
Pub Royale
“ The Whiskey Cup ( whisky , Letherbee Royal Cup , lemon , and ginger ) at Pub Royale act everything I am as a cocktail creator , ” says Kristina Magro . “ It is a bare drink , nothing over - complicated , but flavorful and approachable to anyone who is a sports fan of whiskey . ” And allow ’s be veridical , if you ’re not a sports fan of whisky , we ’re not sure why you ’re reading this . Before she found herself creditworthy for spike your chai tea and dressing a hot sauce - cover Hamm ’s , she could be found at Fulton Market Kitchen , Bordel , and Queen Mary . Recently , she also took up mansion house at the airy , agave - fueledEstereo .
Julia Momose
GreenRiver
Find your way to the cocktail bar hidden on the 18th floor of a Streeterville aesculapian edifice , and Julia Momose will be happy to make you a cocktail , shower down you in Nipponese whisky knowledge , or just turn that frown upside down with her dulcet voice . earnestly , the woman would make a kill if she get into the bedtime - storytelling concern , but we ’re glad she ’s bartending . It means we get to enjoy her esoteric creations such as the MacSwiney ( Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac , crème de noyaux , kirsch , vanilla , lemon yellow , mascarpone high mallow , and burlesque bitters ) served in GreenRiver , or the Wink and Nod ( Nipponese whisky , amaretto , mastiha , and rice wine-coloured vinegar garnish with lotus root ) currently on extend inAnnex .
Joel Rund
The Sixth
One might say this guy has the cool task in Chicago and that his science are really sharp . Ice puns away , Joel Rund is the Einstein behind the cubes at The Sixth . His program is responsible for for freezing flowers in frozen block and get the savour of Trix cereal in ice for the bar ’s now - famous Silly Rabbit cocktail ( gin , lime , and bitters serve over grapeshot , orange , lemon , and raspberry ice cubes ) . His comfort around a band saw – The Sixth utilizes two Clinebell machines to freeze vitreous silica - clear blocks of ice that are slew into custom cubes – comes from a decade of woodwork work . His puff behind the ginmill comes from even more clip execute cocktail programs around Chicago , including Rebar and former Latin hot spot De La Costa .
Jay Schroeder
Mezcaleria Las Flores
After years shaking palomas in Rick Bayless ’ shadower , Jay Schroeder busted out on his own with a mezcal - make full cocktail bar in a former peak shop class . At Mezcaleria Las Flores , he ’s making drinkers fall in making love with tequila all over again – you know , because college leave a mark . We ’re not just talking about old fold – The Gringa margarita made with Corazon Blanco tequila – but also more adventurous offerings , such as Sorry for Harambe ( Mayalen Machetazo mezcal , figs , Guajillo chili , Bols Genever , Citrus limon , and absinthe ) that , according to Schroeder , “ has by all odds have a estimable luck than its namesake . ”
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Jim Vondruska/Thrillist
Richard Shilkus
Jim Vondruska
Kristen Mendiola
Neil Burger
Colin Beckett
Javier Sanchez
Courtesy of Kristina Magro
GALDONES PHOTOGRAPHY
Jim Vondruska/Thrillist
Courtesy of Jay Shroeder
