OPENINGS mw
JUNE 2019 | MARKETWATCHMAG.COM | MARKET WATCH 13Chicago: Hotel Essex Adds
Bi-Level Club And Lounge Space
Drinking, dancing, and dining converge at Chicago’s
SX Sky Bar, a bi-level nightclub, lounge, and restaurant
that opened adjacent to the Hotel Essex in the city’s
South Loop neighborhood in April. The large space,
located on the fifth and sixth floors of the building’s
residential tower, is operated by the hotel and offers a
varied drinks program that includes craft cocktails, spir-
its bottle service, upscale wines, and beer. Signature
drinks ($14-$15) include The Big Heat, made with
Casamigos Blanco Tequila, Scrappy’s Firewater Tincture
bitters, passion fruit purée, and lime juice, and the Agent
Provocateur, blending Rémy Martin VSOP Cognac,
Belle de Brillet Pear liqueur, and lime juice. These join
the Dominatrix ($669), a large-format punch mixing
Clase Azul Reposado Tequila, Grand Marnier, agave
syrup, and lime juice, topped with a full bottle of Dom
Pérignon Brut Champagne. SX Sky Bar’s wine menu
highlights several high-end Champagnes (from $575 a
750-ml. of Dom Pérignon Brut to $7,000 a 4.5-liter of Dom Pérignon Rosé) and its bottle service menu spans vodkas, Cognacs,
Tequilas, and whiskies ($325-$4,500 a 750-ml.). Still wines ($10-$16 a glass; $40-$120 a 750-ml.) and bottled beer ($7-$8)
are also available. The venue’s food offerings are equally varied, ranging from sushi to shareable plates to tacos ($12-$22). The
lounge at SX Sky bar features retractable windows that can create an open-air terrace.Washington, D.C.: South American Flavors Shine
At Seven Reasons
Latin and tropical flavors get top billing at Seven Reasons, a restaurant and
bar from chef Enrique Limardo that opened on Washington, D.C.’s 14th Street
Corridor in April. The concept’s food and drink offerings highlight ingredi-
ents from Latin America and the Caribbean. The beverage program incorpo-
rates rum, cachaça, Pisco, sake, shochu, Tequila, and mezcal in a variety of
drinks. Standout cocktails include the Noche Morada, mixing Ilegal Joven
mezcal, cilantro-infused Macchu Pisco, house-made chicha morada, and pine-
apple and lemon juices, and The Star of Venezuela, blending Santa Teresa
1796 rum, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, house-made star fruit syrup, and lime
juice (cocktails are $14-$16). Wine and beer are also available.Oxford, Mississippi: Renowned Italian Restaurant
Saint Leo Adds Creative Drinks Den
Artisanal cocktails take center stage at Saint Leo Lounge, a drinks-focused venue
that opened in Oxford, Mississippi in late March. Located in the town square, the
lounge serves classic and creative cocktails. Specialty drinks include the Out Of
Sorts, made with Cruzan Light rum, Aperol aperitif, Cocchi Americano vermouth,
and grapefruit and lemon juices, and the Boozy Spritz Pop, a frozen ice pop of
Aperol, orange juice, and lemonade, served in a glass of Deligeroy Crémant de
Loire Rosé (mixed drinks are $9-$10; pops are $13). A variety of whiskies and
amari ($6-$14 a 1½-ounce pour), wines ($6-$14 a glass; $24-$208 a 750-ml.),
and beers ($4-$6 a draft pour or bottle) are also available.
Laura PelnerLocated next to Chicago’s Hotel Essex, SX Sky Bar (interior pictured) is a
bi-level nightclub, lounge, and restaurant that offers a varied drinks program.Latin American ingredients are a focus at restaurant
Seven Reasons (bar pictured) in Washington, D.C.Saint Leo Lounge (bar pictured) in Oxford, Missis-
PH sippi serves artisanal cocktails and upscale snacks.
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