Photo: Anna Knott

Bartender Celina Dzyacky and How Bazaar

There was no doubt that the street food at Mott St, the Ruxbin crew’s second venture, would be worth the trip to a bleak stretch of Ashland Avenue. But when the 64-seater opened this summer, the booze was the big question mark. After all, the closest that BYO Ruxbin came to a drink program was housemade soda.

To the delight of avid imbibers, the bar manager Chad Hauge (Longman & Eagle) creates playful craft cocktails that incorporate whimsical ingredients such as pickled watermelon and tapioca balls. Cocktails are augmented by sakes, beers, and wines, and the drinks are divvied up into year-round staples, seasonal specials, and daily picks.

Thankfully, How Bazaar ($8)—a surprisingly nuanced ocher elixir combining, among other things, bourbon and Malört—is a menu fixture. Its slow burn becomes even more appealing with cooler days ahead. And it makes Ruxbin’s tipsy younger sibling a bona fide drinking destination. 1401 N. Ashland Ave., 773-687-9977, mottstreetchicago.com.