Pour Souls, a cocktail counter with mixers, to open in Wicker Park | Eater Chicago

"Opening in early March at 1740 W Division Street in Wicker Park, I learned that veteran bartender Tim Williams will unveil Pour Souls, his first brick-and-mortar: a beverage store offering cocktail classes and a private BYOB event space that intentionally does not sell alcohol. Rather than sliced meats, the deli-style counter lets you walk up and order a quart of fresh margarita or a quart of fresh Paloma mix like you would potato salad or a half pound of turkey; mixes will be made in roughly three-gallon batches, with some bottled, capped, and labeled on-site and a significant portion custom-portionable at the counter to each customer’s needs. Williams has operated a cocktail-education venture under the same name since 2011 after noticing Chicago diners knew far more about food than cocktails and wanted to arm people with the knowledge to be educated drinkers; until now Pour Souls hosted classes at restaurants, bars, and private homes. The shop will stock mixers and ingredients such as Topo Chico and spicy ginger beer but no liquor, and the private event space will be BYOB (though Pour Souls can purchase alcohol through its sister store Juice and have it delivered for events, with all such alcohol required to leave the premises at the conclusion). Pour Souls officially opens Friday, March 3, and will be open Fridays and Saturdays, with the rest of the week available by reservation." - Brandon Summers-Miller