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Sipping in Season
Monday Oct 08, 2007.
By Dana Kavan
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 photo: Clifton Henri
The damage: $9.95
Thousands of bars in Chicago, why this one? No matter what Rick Steves tells you, don't do Italy on a budget. I went in my early twenties, armed with the delusional idea that I could survive for months on a checking account balance that wouldn’t cover my rent today. Broke and hungry, I walked past Tuscan cafes, mocking me with their prix-fixe feasts of doughy gnocchi in truffle sauce and white beans and chops, and moped into the market to buy my daily chunk of parmesan, loaf of bread and, if I felt like spoiling myself, a small bit of pesto. Sure, it was a remarkable time regardless, but years later, I felt like a quality, multi-course meal was long overdue. Ordering off Osteria Via Stato's Italian Dinner Party menu, with various antipasti, a pasta course and main entree, seemed like the perfect way to make amends. Still, its food was merely an afterthought; I went to try the cocktails. Yep, my days of pairing wine with pasta are over, provided OVS' beverage director Adam Seger gets behind the bar of every Italian spot in town.
How it went down: Seger has made a name for himself working at Nacional 27 and being one of the first mixologists in the city to cull fresh, seasonal ingredients for his cocktails. Having read about his Green City Market-inspired libations for ages, I was more than excited to finally get sipping. I sat down and took in the stone walls, wood ceiling and dim lighting, a setting that reminded me of the one time I splurged and bought a cup of minestrone at a wine bar in Cortona, Tuscany. Glancing at the drink list, I found the Honeycrisp Apple-Sage-Black Pepper Gastrotail, a seasonal combo that trumped the typical fall fare of a bag of candy corn and apple cider donuts.
For the drink, Seger took half-inch cubes of fresh Honeycrisp apples, roughly chopped, slightly bruised sage and a handful of peppercorns and topped it all with Skyy Vodka. The vodka sat, soaking up the flavors, for about 72 hours. He then mixed the infused vodka with fresh lime juice and house-made bianco vino syrup, reduced wine with sugar added. A perfectly round slice of apple rested on the edge of the martini glass, while a sage leaf floated on top of the straw-color liquid. It tasted crisp with a light peppery aftertaste, and unlike every other apple-flavored cocktail I've had, the sour punch died almost immediately, making it highly drinkable and not at all over-the-top. It paired perfectly with the first course's buttery, caramelized onions.
Would I want to become a regular? I honestly don't know how the Italians manage to put away so much food in one sitting, but I wish I did. It was all I could do not to inhale each perfectly crisped wedge of rosemary potato and my plate of tender scallops and vinegar-tinged mushrooms. But at the end of the meal, the drinks once again overshadowed the eats, when I savored a Faretti Sour, biscotti liquor mixed with fresh sour. The one area where I didn't cut corners on my Italy trip was on the booze end, and I never tasted a sweet almond drink like the Faretti. Way to blow it again, Rick Steves.
Dana Kavan scours the city for drink deals so good you'll offer to buy a round and creative libations that outshine your average on-the-rocks concoctions. Want to give Dana tips on where to rack up a bar tab? Share your finds before her next night out.
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