Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur's second annual Espresso Martini Fest is back on Oct. 9-15.
Coffee and cocktail lovers can indulge in some of the most innovative espresso martini creations at their local bars. Participating Chicago venues are slated to include The Kerryman (664 N. Clark St.), Godfrey Hotel (127 W. Huron St.), Torali Bar at the Ritz-Carlton (160 E. Pearson St.), Armitage Ale House (1000 W. Armitage Ave.), Rizzos (3658 N. Clark St.) and The Dearborn (145 N. Dearborn St.), among others. In total, more than 220 bars in 14 U.S. cities are taking part.
See www.mrblack.co/us/espresso-martini-fest .
Bronzeville Winery owners Eric Williams and Cecilia Cuff announced a new series in collaboration with Chicago urban historian Dilla, featuring a biweekly Sunday tour of Bronzeville accompanied by a tasting of wine and spirits from the winery.
The two-hour Magic of the Metropolis tour coming up on Sunday, Oct. 15, will begin at Bronzeville Winery at 2:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy a selection of fine wine and spirits, most of them from minority- and female-owned producers. Next, Dilla will escort the group onto a charter for a unique historic tour of Bronzeville.
The tour will end with a celebratory closing cocktail or glass of wine at Bronzeville Winery. Also, guests will have the opportunity to add dinner on to their ticket purchases, which includes a three-course dinner from Chef Lamar Moore and Bronzeville's weekly Sunday LIVE Jazz music at 5 p.m.
Tickets are $55-$95 each at www.eventbrite.com/e/magic-of-the-metropolis-a-bronzeville-tour-wine-tasting-featuring-dilla-the-chicago-historian-tickets-719599089247 .
National Seafood Day is Thursday, Oct. 19.
To celebrate, the River North spot The Smith has the Royale seafood platter, featuring Shrimp cocktails, oysters and salmon tartare; and the Grand seafood platter, which includes oysters, chilled shrimp and spicy salmon tartare. And the main menu has roasted salmon, lobster rolls and even a pot of mussels.
See https://thesmithrestaurant.com/location/chicago/#menu_martini-hour.
Warming you up: With things cooling off (substantially) in Chicago, it might be a good time to try this drink recipe:
Hot Butter Chinola
Ingredients:
2 oz. Chinola butter batter
1 oz. Coconut Cartel Rum
2 dash Angostura Bitters
5 oz. hot water
Preparation:
Combine Chinola butter batter, rum and bitters in a heat-safe mug. Top with hot water and garnish with a slice of fruit and fresh grated nutmeg.
For Chinola butter batter:
In a saucepan on medium heat, melt two sticks of butter and one pint of vanilla ice cream. Add four cups powdered white sugar and whisk until smooth. Add one teaspoon allspice, one whole grated nutmeg and 12 ounces of Chinola passionfruit liqueur, and whisk until combined. There should be enough butter batter for 16 servings.
Suggested glass: Mug. Serving: 1
Note: Chinola cocktails are found locally at the bars Blind Barber (948 W. Fulton Market), Moneygun (660 W. Lake St.), Remedy Chicago (1910 N. Milwaukee Ave.) and The Broken Shaker (19 E. Ohio St.).
ALSO: Read out five not-so-great dining moments at SAVOR with Andrew (future3733.substack.com ).
