"Over the last dozen years or so Chicago’s cocktail culture has risen to become among the country’s best. But one of the city’s most influential cocktail bars — nearly reaching icon status despite its location in a neighborhood that’s more known for sports bars — sadly called it quits in 2019. The Barrelhouse Flat in Lincoln Park served some of the city’s best cocktails in a sophisticated environment and spawned many of Chicago’s top drink-makers, who would go on to open or work at other hotspots around the city and spread the bar’s influence. Its closure after more than seven years remains a mystery." - Daniel Gerzina
