Miru

Best Rooftop Bars in Chicago, From Hotel Lounges to Beer Gardens | Condé Nast Traveler

"At the St. Regis Chicago, this Far Eastern eatery holds the widest selection of Japanese whisky in the city. But it’s not just the quantity of that superior liquid, it’s what the bar team is doing with all of it. The Miru Highball mixes whiskey with sake, vermouth, and a housemade Sancho pepper falernum to craft a tongue-tingling display of effervescence. The Old Fashioned No. 3 blends bold whiskey from Nikka with rum and dark amari for something boozy yet bittersweet. And the Plum Lucky is a whisky sour riff with unctuous stewed fruit undertones. If you prefer to sip something neat, the menu holds an eminently expansive array of sakes by the glass. You can also procure a pour of Hibiki 40 as this is one of only a handful of bars in the country holding the incredibly rare Japanese-blended expression. Sure, it’ll cost you a small fortune. But if you’re going to spend $2,500 on a single ounce of spirit, you might as well do so in a setting as stunning as this; the bar is perched 11 stories above the junction of Chicago River and Lake Michigan." - Nicole Schnitzler