After stuffing myself with leftover turkey on Saturday evening, I embarked on the incredibly difficult task of helping judge Koval Distillery’s cocktail contest. Set up in Binny’s roomy South Loop location, the contest included a handful of local mixologists who created yummy cocktails with the local distillery’s spirits and liquors—unique concoctions like the vodka-like Raksi Millet and Chrysanthemum Honey Liqueur.
Judging was tough. Seriously. Everything tasted heavenly. I’ll be adding two of the winning cocktails—an orange millet drink by Sepia’s Josh Pearson and an earthy coffee-stout creation by Binny’s sommelier Clint Johnson—to my holiday cocktail-party repertoire. Koval and the mixologists kindly gave us the recipes to share with our readers. Enjoy!
Clint Johnson’s “Café Koval Imerial”
3 parts Oak Aged Imperial Stout
1 part Lustau East Indian Sherry
1 part KOVAL Coffee Liqueur
dashes Peychaud bitter
Combine Ingredients and serve at any temperature. Serve with shortbread cookies.
Josh Pearson’s “Long Summer”
2 oz KOVAL Raksi Millet
1.5 oz KOVAL Chrysanthemum Honey Liqueur
1 oz orange juice
Muddled rosemary
Dash of water
Top with ginger beer
The TOC Blog is for both our writers and readers to talk about what's going on in Chicago. We hope you'll take the opportunity to comment on posts here, with the following caveats:
If you have any questions about this policy, please e-mail John Dugan, our Web Editor, at jdugan@timeoutchicago.com.