As my first Sazerac of the night took effect I thought, “This is heaven’s cocktail bar on earth.”
The Violet Hour, in Chicago’s Wicker Park, invokes Bernard DeVoto’s The Hour (“This is the violet hour, the hour of hush and wonder…”) and is the newest, hottest, and best classic-cocktail revival bar anywhere. If you think those are fighting words, we’ll have to step outside.
Because inside, it’s all politesse. Floor-length, pale blue, velvet curtains drape candlelit rooms adorned with dimmed chandeliers. Narrow, impossibly high-backed wing chairs transform each intimate table into a semi-private room.
Of course you’ll need to pull up a comfy, padded stool at the bar to catch the mixologist in action shaking esoteric spirits with housemade bitters or fresh juices, and selecting ice from among eight different varieties. Among the clientele, vintage watches and old-school tattoos are almost de riguer.
You may know self-titled “Head Intoxologist” Toby Maloney from Manhattan’s Milk & Honey or Pegu Club. The other night, he made me a preview of his fall Sazerac, a glass rinsed with Berentzen Apfelkorn, then garnished with fresh apple (he said it’s meant to evoke apple pie). When I asked him when the drink would officially debut, he replied, “when you walk outside and smell burning leaves in the air.”
The Violet Hour serves beautiful bar food designed by Justin Large, Sous-Chef at Avec, Chicago’s acclaimed food bar. Pray that the fried peanut butter, banana, and bacon on brioche with wildflower honey for dipping will stay on Lange’s small seasonal food menu—because a night fueled by bacon, peanut butter, and Sazeracs will bring you closer to God.
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