Featured Cocktail of the Week: Cindy’s Evelina
This weeks cocktail of the week takes us to Michigan Avenue and Cindy’s ever so popular rooftop bar.
There’s nothing better than sipping a cocktail while taking in some sun and views while sitting on a rooftop bar. In the past few years, the Chicago rooftop bar scene has exploded, with numerous new additions opening every summer.
Earlier this summer, Cindy’s rooftop bar — perhaps Chicago’s most popular rooftop — added an outdoor terrace bar to further enhance the experience of patrons looking for quality cocktails.
Sitting atop the popular Chicago Athletic Association Hotel and featuring a new summer drink menu, Cindy’s seems to be taking it to a different level. This weeks featured cocktail, the Evelina, is one of the new summer additions.
Served in a textured rocks glass, the hue of the drink immediately reminds you of something similar to a hibiscus lemonade. Served over crushed ice, the cocktail is ensured to remain cold and keep you refreshed.
The Evelina is truly a craft cocktail, with an ingredients list that will have you furrowing your brow. The spirit used is a grape pomace leftover from Italian wine production, commonly known as Nardini grappa. The grappa is then paired with a tiki Thai syrup which is made from grilled pineapple, Thai basil, lemongrass, and Thai chile. Lemon citrus is added as well as pea flower and Peuychaud’s bitters. These bitters are comparable to the popular Angostura bitters except with a lighter body and slightly sweeter and more floral taste.
Although the hue of the drink gives off a light and and delicate vibe, it is surprisingly stiff. Grappa embodies a strong and slightly bitter taste with the Nardini doing the same for this cocktail. The syrup gives a needed thump of sweetness but not what you would imagine from the ingredients used to make the sweetener. Instead the citrus is used here to give a bit of sweetness as well as a sour bite. The pea flower is used here to give an element of earthiness, which pairs nicely with the other cocktails, especially the bitters which adds a floral taste.
The end result is a drink that remains easy to sip but not in the fashion of a margarita. It’s more like a Manhattan; strong, stiff, slightly bitter yet tasty to the last drop. A few of these will improve the view from Cindy’s terrace with each taste.
The self proclaimed crown jewel of the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, Cindy’d rooftop faces stiff competition with the popular bar, Game Room, and local restaurant, Cherry Circle Room, just a few floors below Cindy’s.
What sets Cindy’s apart from not only its counterparts on the lower levels but every other rooftop in the city is its stunning views. Featuring a panoramic view of Millenium Park, the Art Institute, the Planetarium as well as Lake Michigan, there may not be a better view in the city.
With the addition of the terrace bar, patrons are no longer required to go back inside for drinks, thus maximizing their time to gawk at the best Chicago has to offer. While you may come for the view, you’ll stay for the drinks and food.
One could easily spend twenty minutes looking over the entire drink menu and reading all the descriptions. Thats how big and extensive it is.
The spirit list alone features around 200 different selections, all available as neat pours, rock pours, or martinis. Patrons will have no problem finding something that works with their palette.
Its craft cocktail list consists of about ten cocktails including classics like the Old Fashioned with their own spin on it.
The draft beer list is made up of entirely local beers while the bottle beer list features some international choices such as sour cherry flemish ale, Kriek des Jacobins and golden sour ale, Une Anneé.
The wine list features about ten different selections for red, white, and rosé; not to mention the wine selection that is only available to purchase by the bottle.
Not in the mood for alcohol? Cindy’s has five “mocktails” available to patrons as well. These drinks are also available with liquor in them, adding to the craft cocktail list.
Lunch and dinner is served Monday through Friday with brunch available on Saturday and Sunday.
Patrons will be hard pressed not to be enticed by the drinks and entranced by the spectacular views offered by Cindy’s.
Cindy’s is located on 12 S. Michigan Ave.
