Chicago: Tiki Drinks at Lost Lake

 

I’m on a tiki bar phase right now. Along with craft bars, dive bars, hotel bars, neighborhood bars, etc, I do love a good theme bar. Ever since I heard about Lost Lake in Chicago, I knew I had to go. While discussing my Chicago bar plan with a local Los Angeles bar owner who has Midwestern roots, he said since Chicago is so very cold in the winters, it’s nice to have a cheerful spot. It’s like a vacation.

And so we escaped the humid Chicago summer into a cool and refreshing vacation. Actually, it was raining quite heavily this summer night so it was nice to also escape that weather.

I was so happy to see an all-female bartender crew behind the stick. Later I would notice this at many bars I went to in Chicago. Very rad!

Lost Lake has a beautiful palm frond shaped menu. The drinks are illustrated so we knew which drinking vessel the drinks came in. I love tiki mugs (but really, who doesn’t?) and knew I had to get the cutesy parrot mug drink. I also love a good drink name and this Heaven Is The Place/ This is the Place name was fantastic. The drink matched both the name and the mug- it was delicious. It wasn’t rum but gin but that’s quite all right.

Heaven Is The Place/ This Is The Place – London dry gin, curacao, falernum, all spice, honey, lime, Angostura bitters

 

 

I also knew I wanted the drink with the banana dolphin. Lost Lake must go through a lot of these because there was a whole bowl of them and the bowl was replenished frequently. It was again kismet the drink tasted fantastic. I liked the creamy banana daiquiri.

My friend had the eponymous Lost Lake drink with the cool flag sticking out of it.

Bunny’s banana daiquiri– overproof Jamaican rum, overproof demerara rum, spiced rum, banana, coconut, lime

Lost Lake – aged Jamaican rum, Campari, maraschino, passion fruit, lime, pineapple

Everyone was having such a great time and I wished Lost Lake was in LA. I consoled myself that I do have the fabulous Lono in Hollywood.

 

Lost Lake

3154 W Diversey, Chicago, IL 60647  —  (773) 293-6048

 

© The Minty 2017