Chicago Cocktails You Need to Know

Three Chicago-themed cocktails: the classic Chicago Fizz (a rum-and-port fizz dating to 1914), the classic Chicago Cocktail (cognac and Champagne), and Lower Wacker — an original rye-forward Manhattan-style cocktail with a Malört rinse, created as a tribute to Chicago.

smart_display Published 2026-04-03 download Extracted 2026-04-17

10m Prep

10m Total

1 Servings

cocktail american chicago rum cognac rye-whiskey port champagne fizz stirred shaken classic original multi-recipe

Ingredients

Lower Wacker

2 oz Rittenhouse 100 Proof Rye Whiskey
0.5 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torino (sweet vermouth)
0.5 oz Cynar
0.25 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur
1 dash Angostura bitters
rinse Jeppson's Malört (to rinse the glass)
for garnish lemon peel (expressed over top)
1 piece cocktail cherry

The Chicago Cocktail

1 oz Maison Rouge VSOP Cognac
0.25 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 oz dry Champagne or sparkling wine
for garnish orange peel (expressed over top) optional
for rim granulated sugar (for sugared rim) optional

The Chicago Fizz

1 oz Appleton Estate Signature Jamaican Rum
1 oz Fonseca Bin 27 Ruby Port
1 oz fresh lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
0.75 oz semi-rich simple syrup (1.5:1 sugar:water)
1 small egg white egg white (from one small egg or half a large egg)
1 oz soda water
for garnish lemon peel (expressed over top)

Steps

Lower Wacker

1

In a mixing glass, combine 2 oz rye whiskey, 1/2 oz sweet vermouth, 1/2 oz Cynar, 1/4 oz apricot liqueur, and 1 dash Angostura bitters. Add ice and stir until chilled and diluted.

Tip: The sweet vermouth and Cynar combination is a nod to the Bitter Giuseppe cocktail by Steven Cole.

~2 min
2

Rinse a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass with Jeppson's Malört — swirl and discard the excess.

Tip: Even just a rinse leaves a noticeable bright bitterness that hits the sides of the tongue at the finish — it's essential to the drink.

~1 min
3

Strain the cocktail into the Malört-rinsed glass. Express lemon oil across the top and garnish with a cocktail cherry.

Tip: The cherry provides a sweet counterpoint to the boldness and bitterness of the drink.

~1 min

The Chicago Cocktail

1

Optionally sugar the rim of a chilled glass. Place the prepared glass in the freezer while you prepare the cocktail.

Tip: Use granulated sugar rather than castor sugar — castor sugar turns to paste on the rim when it contacts the wet drink.

~1 min
2

In a shaking tin, combine 1 oz cognac, 1/4 oz dry Curaçao, and 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Shake with ice.

Tip: Even though there is no citrus, Anders still prefers this drink shaken.

~1 min
3

Single strain into the prepared chilled glass. Top with approximately 2 oz dry Champagne or sparkling wine. Optionally express orange oil across the top.

Tip: The bubbles die quickly after pouring, especially after expressing orange oil — this doesn't affect the flavor.

~1 min

The Chicago Fizz

1

In a shaking tin, combine 1 oz Jamaican rum, 1 oz Ruby Port, 1 oz fresh lemon juice, and 3/4 oz semi-rich simple syrup (1.5:1 sugar:water).

Tip: Tawny port also works but ruby port is preferred for its red fruitiness.

~1 min
2

In the cheater tin, add the egg white. Dry shake without ice for about 10 seconds to build foam.

Tip: Do the dry shake separately from the other ingredients for a better foam.

~1 min
3

Combine the egg white with the other ingredients, add ice, and wet shake until chilled.

~1 min
4

Double strain into a chilled highball glass. Top carefully with 1 oz soda water — it will foam up. Express lemon oil across the top. Optionally add a straw.

Tip: Add the soda water carefully; the foam rises quickly. Traditionalists drink it without a straw.

~1 min

Nutrition (per serving)

220

Calories

Protein

12g

Carbs

Cultural Context

The Chicago Fizz dates to 1914, first appearing in 'Drinks' by Jacques Strob. It is the ancestor of the Elks Own cocktail and shares its rum-and-port foundation. The Chicago Cocktail was documented by Harry Cretic and is sometimes also called the Ohio Cocktail; it bridges a champagne cocktail and a sidecar. Lower Wacker is an original creation by Anders Erickson named after Lower Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago — a multi-level underground roadway that is dark, fast, and labyrinthine. The Malört rinse is a nod to Jeppson's Malört, a notoriously bitter Chicago-born spirit considered a rite of passage for the city's bar culture. The drink honors Chicago bartender Steven Cole and the legendary bar Violet Hour, which helped spark Chicago's cocktail renaissance around 2007.