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Event Mon Jul 19 2010
Green City Market Cocktail Party at Perennial
Located kitty-corner from the Green City Market at Clark and Lincoln, Perennial has first dibs on the freshest local fare all summer long. To show off this good fortune, the restaurant is hosting a free monthly event through September featuring cocktails made with ingredients purchased at the market.
I attended the July event last Wednesday, which set up a friendly competition between Benjamin Schiller, head mixologist at Boka Restaurant Group, and Danny Shapiro, head bartender at Perennial. Whose cocktail was the (market) freshest? Find out after the jump.
Whimsically named for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's infamous Ms. (Violet) Beauragarde, Schiller's cocktail used Bacardi as a base for a reduction of Seedling Orchard blueberries. Lemon, bitters and a spearmint garnish cut through the sweetness of the blueberries, while the absinthe used to rinse the glass gave the drink a wisp of anise - which my friends and I agreed is what made this cocktail special.
Shapiro's base was Ketel One Citron, which he mixed with local wildflower honey, apricot liqueur, grapefruit and lemon juices, and a drizzle of crème de violet. He used locally grown lemon balm as a garnish, which, along with the pronounced honey flavor, made this a perfect cocktail to mend a summer cold.
On the whole, I preferred Schiller's, and so did the crowd, who voted for the Ms Beauregarde to be added to Perennial's menu sometime this summer. Shapiro's drink was refreshing and herbaceous, and I bet he'd make it (or something close) for you if you ask nicely.
Check out Perennial's next Green City Market Cocktail Party on Wednesday, Aug. 18.
