TAB LE
48 CHICAGO | SEPTEMBER 2019 Photography by JEFF MARINI
Malört
Comes
Home
THIS MONTH’S OBSESSIONChicken Liver Mousse
at Lost Larson VinBar
Q Even though I firmly believe the best chicken liver pâté in the entire world
is made by my grandmother during Passover, I will concede that the whipped,
airy mousse on Lost Larson’s Nordic charcuterie platter comes in a close sec-
ond. It’s the rare liver dish that manages to taste like more than just fat. Sweet,
mineral, and, yes, luscious as all get-out, it all but sparkles when spread on
a wedge of nutty housemade toast and drizzled with raw honey. Watch your
back, Grandma. $8.50. 5318 N. Clark St., Andersonville — C.S.Chicago’s notorious
liquor gets a local reboot.
By CARRIE SCHEDLER
A
SHOT OF JEPPSON’S
Malört may be a local rite
of passage, but for the past
30 years, the overpower-ingly pungent Chicago-born
wormwood liquor has been made in
Florida. That changed earlier this year,
when Pilsen-based CH Distillery
became the sole producer of the sto-
ried booze. The craft distillery has
updated the recipe, and while the tire-
fire flavor remains, the artificially
colored commodity grain alcohol has
been replaced by a clear, pure distil-
late made from rye and wheat grown
in Kane County. It’s almost drinkable.
For those who still haven’t acquired
a taste for the stuff on its own, CH
Distillery offers a softer option at its bar
in the West Loop: the Chicago Style, a
Malört cocktail gentled with caraway-
based kümmel and a hit of ginger. It’s
a perfect way to toast the spirit’s home-
coming. $13. 564 W. Randolph St.
The Chicago Style
at CH Distillery