After an extra four months of legal forms and red tape (and just in time for another arctic blast) Chicago Distilling Company have finally opened their casks in Logan Square. From the drinks to the decorations, the place is as bare-bones as they come.
Aesthetically, Chicago Distilling Company is somewhere between a log cabin and a factory. Housed in a stone-floored flat with high wood ceilings, the bar is bisected by a glass wall through which drinkers can watch stainless steel stills churn out the very booze they're sipping.
The menu is just as simple. Because Chicago Distilling Company is licensed only as an alcohol producer, they're permitted to serve only booze distilled on-premises. Which means no beer. Or wine. Or syrupy liqueurs masking their hooch. "We want you to be able to taste the spirits," says co-owner Jay DiPrizio, who, along with wife Noelle and brother Vic, has crafted an eight-drink menu (four classic cocktails and four originals) based on the group's two inaugural distillations: Shorty's White Whiskey and the 90-proof Ceres Vodka (both available by the glass and bottle).
Though the DiPrizios plan to work beer, wine, and food into the mix eventually, a few fingers of their spirits is well worth the trip until then. The distillery is open Thursday through Sunday evenings, with tours starting this week.