The Owners of Chinatown Megahit Nine Bar Unleash a New Logan Square Cocktail Lair | Eater Chicago

"I visited the bright, breezy cocktail bar that channels the effortless ease of the Italian coast — the sophomore venture from Chicago bar veterans Lily Wang and Joe Briglio that opened on June 15 — where amari and vermouths are pushed toward tropical flavors in a sunny corner space intentionally opposite the couple’s dark, moody Chinatown spot. The room has been transformed (Ninja Turtles posters removed) into one with Venetian-plaster–style walls, filmy curtains, framed vintage-style paintings and posters, a long 21-seat bar and tiered stadium seating, and music programmed by Antonio Robles with a focus on Italo disco, French house, and Neapolitan funk. The cocktail menu leans on clarified drinks and the interplay of bitter and tropical-fruit flavors — for example the Fortune Teller (Montenegro, pandan, sumac, orange, Thai coconut milk) and the rye-based St. Tropez (Cappeletti, Amaro Nonino, French cantaloupe, citrus) — alongside mix-and-match highballs (blackberry sherry with sparkling water; strawberry bitter with ginger beer) and a house-classics lineup that includes four versions each of negronis, Mahattans, martinis, and frizzantis built from blended vermouths. Wade Hall remains a partner in the venture, snacks debuted with conservas, cheese, and cured meats, and chef Jordan Ross plans to expand the food menu to crudos, burgers, and pressed sandwiches on bread from neighboring La Boulangerie." - Naomi Waxman