Double A, the much-anticipated lounge beneath Mercadito, is set to open November 12 at 8pm. Last week, I spoke with the club’s cocktail consultants, Tad Carducci and Paul Tanguay—a.k.a. the Tippling Bros—to find out everything I could about the bar. Read the excerpts from the interview to find out what’s in store.

How the Tippling Bros assembled an all-star bartending staff—and why those mixologists aren’t (yet) designing their own drinks

JK: We have a pretty small cocktail community in Chicago. When you went about assembling the team of bartenders at Mercadito, you definitely took some of the best bartenders in the city.
Tad Carducci: Yes, we did.
Paul Tanguay: Absolutely.

JK: What was your thinking behind that?
TC: First and foremost, it wasn’t to try to poach anybody from anywhere. I had personal relationships with basically everybody on the team, and months and months and months ago, we started planting the seed, saying, we’d love for you to come and help us out. And when we let people know that we were finally ready and looking, everybody that we opened with came to us and said, “Yeah, we absolutely want to come and work with you.”

JK: Did the two of you come up with all of the cocktails at Mercadito, or was it a collaboration?
TC: We came up with the opening cocktails—that was all us. Part of the reason we hired the team that we did was so that we develop the opening list, kind of to establish the Mercadito culture on the drinks side, and then the idea being to slowly give ownership to the team, utilizing their creativity. Our next menu changes will have more contributions from the bartenders. We’ll always maintain probably at least half of the cocktails on the list, but then leaving probably the other half for the bartenders to play around with and really get creative.
PT: In terms of building a team, if bartenders contribute to the menu, they feel like they’re part of it—they take ownership of it a little bit more.

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Your where-to-go, what-to-eat daily.

Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap hosts its inaugural Battle of the Bhut: a contest to see who can eat the most hot wings from Jake’s. The twist: The wings are made with Bhut Jolokia pepper, considered, purportedly, the hottest in the world. Bill Kurtis will emcee the contest, and the winner takes home tix to a Bulls or Blackhawks game, plus a year’s supply of wings. The contest begins promptly at 6pm. 41 E Superior St (312-266-0400). No entry fee, no cover.

To celebrate the opening of its tenth downtown Chicago location (on Friday at 525 W Monroe St), Chipotle is hosting a pre-opening fund-raiser to benefit the American Brain Tumor Association. Order a burrito, burrito bowl, salad or taco along with a fountain drink for $5, of which all proceeds benefit the organization. 4–8pm. 525 W Monroe St (312-379-0247). $5.

Your where-to-go, what-to-eat daily.

Pets are too much like work. Adopt an herb tonight at Nacional 27—while enjoying cocktails and tapas in the bar. Herbs—from the N27 Mojito Garden—are free, but are available on a “first-come, first-adopted” basis. 5pm. 325 W Huron St (312-664-2727). Free to attend.

State and Lake and Goose Island brewmaster Greg Hall team up for a beer-pairing dinner featuring beer-cheese crostini, grilled-lobster salad, pan-roasted arctic char, slow-roasted pork belly—all paired with Goose brews. Dinner. 201 N State St (312-239-9400). $59.

Minibar has a new chef—Brian Merel—and a new menu, which calls for a celebration. Stop by tonight for Flights and Bites, featuring complimentary food from Merel’s Italian menu and Bombay Sapphire cocktails. 7:30–9:30pm. 3341 N Halsted St (773-871-6227). Free to attend.

Webster’s Wine Bar takes a look at What Time Does to Wine by tasting a host of diverse styles at different ages. Learn something. 7:30pm, reservation required: signup@websterwinebar.com or 773-868-0608. $40.

Wednesday means a three-course prix fixe at Browntrout: Tonight’s dishes include parsnip-and-pear soup and chicken breast with bacon-potato hash. Dinner. 4111 N Lincoln Ave (773-472-4111). $35, includes a wine pairing.

Your where-to-go, what-to-eat daily.

Andy Jenkins from Two Brothers Brewery will be sampling cask-conditioned Cane and Ebel, as well as other “Real Ales” tonight at Smoke Daddy. 7pm. 1804 W Division St (773-772-6656). Free to attend, live music at 9pm.

Le Colonial’s new lounge special launches tonight, and it involves one of my very favorite things: beignets. Hang out in the upstairs bar on Tuesdays for Beer and Beignets for $10. Choose from beers like Singha and Tsing Tao and beignets stuffed with shrimp, chicken and vegetables. Dinner. 937 N Rush St (312-255-0088). $10.

Test Your Palate at BOKA’s wine challenge, where you can taste four unmarked wines and submit your best guess as to what each is, in hopes of winning a $100 gift card to the restaurant. Light appetizers will accompany the wines. 6:30pm. 1729 N Halsted St (312-337-6070). Free to attend.

R.J. Grunts honors National Sandwich Day with a game: A blackjack dealer will roam from table to table and diners can play a hand. If you have the winning hand, you score a sandwich from Grunts. One winner per table. Lunch, dinner. 2056 N Lincoln Park W (773-929-5363).

Your where-to-go, what-to-eat daily.

Zocalo celebrates Day of the Dead with a three-course prix fixe. Choose from appetizers like guacamole with fire-roasted corn or housemade tamales; main courses including braised beef short-ribs in black mole or pan-seared halibut over pasilla chile broth; and desserts such as pumpkin flan or churros. 5–10pm. 358 W Ontario St (312-302-9977). $20.

The first Monday of each month at one sixtyblue means Monday Night Flights, and tonight’s flight features Cru Beaujolais paired with small plates of roasted-pear salad, Alaskan king crab with Honeycrisp apples, pheasant, potato gnocchi and molasses cake. Seatings in the bar area at 6pm, 7pm and 8pm. Reservations required: 312-850-0303. $35.

Lisa Williams, the owner of Lisa Cooks Allergen Free, has thrown down a challenge to chef Giuseppe Tentori to create a multi-course, allergen-free dinner at BOKA. The menu will be gluten-, wheat-, egg-, soy-, dairy-, fish-, shellfish-, peanut- and tree-nut-free. Not kidding. How will Tentori take to the challenge? Find out at the Safe & Sound dinner tonight. Reservations still available, and some walk-ins can be accomodated. Call 773-665-0439. 6:30pm. 1729 N Halsted St. $50.

Mercadito fish tacos PHOTO: Martha Williams

If you’re holding your breath for our review of Mercadito, the month-old River North taco-and-tequila import, you have one of two options. Wait until Wednesday, when David Tamarkin’s review comes out, or go this weekend and make the decision for yourself. The way this brunch, which launches Sunday, is looking, I’m honestly thinking about the latter option.

The main feature is something called the Perfect Hangover Cure: You choose one entree (chilaquiles in tomatillo sauce, poached eggs in chipotle-hollandaise sauce, “Mexican French toast,” pancakes topped with Manchego cheese, etc.), add a cocktail (the cava-mango-green chile Mango Mimosita, the green-tea-infused-vodka Auntie Ox), throw down a $20 and…well, presumably, you’re cured.

The rest of the menu pulls from the lunch and dinner eats, featuring guacamoles (traditional, mango and “granada”), ceviches (bay scallop, shrimp or mahi mahi), and, of course, tacos (chile-ancho rubbed pork, rosemary-marinated skirt steak, beer-battered mahi mahi, tilpaia, herb-marinated chicken, huitlacoche).

Mercadito, 108 W Kinzie St (312-329-9555). Brunch served 11:30am–4pm. (My kind of brunch hours!)

Get Halloween going at Sheffield’s Annual Pumpkin Carving Night. You go and drink; the bar will provide the pumpkins and tools. 5pm–2am. 3258 N Sheffield Ave (773-281-4989). FREE.

Our freebie of the week—Cityscape Bar ’s Dewar’s Tasting—takes place tonight. 6–8pm. Holiday Inn Mart Plaza, 350 W Mart Center Dr, 15th floor (312-836-5000). FREE!

Taste more than 60 seasonal craft beers at Freaktoberfest at Cigars & Stripes in Berwyn. Schmaltz Brewing proprietor Jeremy Cowan will be around to feature Coney Island craft lagers, including Freaktoberfest (pictured at right). Coney Island–style hot dogs will be available for purchase. (I have done some research and apparently this does not involve ketchup, so, purists, you’re safe.) Costumes encouraged. 7–10pm. 6715 W Ogden Ave (708-484-1043). $20.

Your where-to-go, what-to-eat daily

There are six seats left for tonight’s Swig and Pig Dinner at Osteria via Stato. The family-style dinner pairs chef David DiGregorio’s food—La Quercia prosciutto with burrata, pork belly, Slagel Farms suckling pig—with Two Brothers beers. 6:30pm. 620 N State St (312-642-8450). $60.

Carnivale’s mixologist will teach the history behind frat boys’ most beloved spirit, tequila, at Tequila 101, part of the restaurant’s ongoing “University.” Learn something, drink something and taste some of chef Mark Mendez’s appetizers. 6:30–8:30pm. 702 W Fulton St. Spaces still available; call 312-850-5005 to reserve. $25.

There are a lot of great wine shops in Chicago, but I’m partial to Red & White. Stop by tonight: winemaker Adam Mason from Klein Constantia Wines will be in the shop tasting 1999, 2001 and 2004 vintages of his dessert wines from South Africa. 6–8pm. 1861 N Milwaukee Ave, 773-486-4769.

Tonight’s three-course prix-fixe offered at Browntrout (on Wednesdays only) includes Living Waters greens tossed with pecans and cheddar, Slagel pork shoulder and sweet potato pie. It’s $35, including a beer pairing. Dinner. 4111 N Lincoln Ave (773-472-4111). $35.

Chef Krisine Subido at Wave has a street-food cart, and she’s bringing it to the dining room. On Wednesdays in October and November, she’s cooking the street foods of Vietnam. Choose three items and a cocktail (the Hoi An 42, a blend of vodka, lemongrass and mint) for $10. W Chicago Lakeshore, 644 N Lakeshore Drive (312-255-4460). $10.

Quartino’s monthly wine bash takes place tonight, featuring Water Color Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinor Noir and Merlot from France and passed appetizers like pizza and polenta fries. Bonus this month: Peroni beer. 7–9pm. 626 N State St (312-698-5000). Reservations not accepted. $20.

Pol Roger hosts a jazz party at Pops for Champagne, where $40 buys you unlimited Brut Reserve White Foil and passed hors d’oeuvres. 601 N State St (312-266-7677). 8–10pm. $40.

Brewer John Baker from Harpoon Brewery will discuss and sample Harpoon’s 28th session of the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series at Smoke Daddy. Meet the brewer and taste the Glacier Harvest Wet Hop, a pale ale made with Glacier hops. 1804 W Division St (773-772-66565). 7pm. Free, live music at 9pm.

Get in the Halloween spirit! Carve pumpkins at The Motel Bar. The pumpkins show up at 6pm and are available while supplies last. Bonus: the Titcomb cocktail is $6 and take $1 off all Goose Island products. 6pm. 600 W Chicago Ave (312-822-2900). No cover.

After closing for two weeks for renovations, West Town bar the Black Beetle has reopened under new ownership as the Beetle. Kitt Swan, a manager at Northside Bar & Grill for seven years, bought the bar from its former owners, who operate Northside and Logan Bar & Grill. Swan updated the look of the bar with new floors and artwork, but it will remain music-focused. “I’m going to let the neighborhood decide what kind of bar it will be,” Swan said over the phone. An all-new menu of “upscale bar food,” designed by Swan and her staff, is all priced under $9 and includes a handful of burgers, one of which is called the Elvis and topped with bacon, fried plantains and peanut butter. “It sounds scary,” Swan concedes, “but people really seem to enjoy it.” For the less gluttonous, Swan’s working on a house cocktail called Beetlejuice and planning a weekend brunch menu potentially to launch this weekend.

2532 W Chicago Ave (773-384-0701). Sun–Fri 4pm–2am; Sat 4pm–3am. Average beer: $5.