3 of the Hottest Cocktails in Chicago... And How You Can Make Them at Home

After kicking off in New York, our bar-hopping travel series heads west for round two. Same deal as before: three standout drinks from the city’s newest bars, where to order them, and the recipes for making each one in your own kitchen. Our next stop: The Windy City.

Lost Lake From Paul McGee (aka Chicago’s Best Bartender for four of the last five years) comes the latest hotspot, Lost Lake. Paul’s been credited for sparking the city’s tiki revival during his time at Three Dots and a Dash, so it’s no surprise that his recent endeavor follows a similar theme. The location evokes both the “tropical escapism of 1930s Hollywood” and the “island aesthetic of the world’s first tiki bar.” Grab a seat alongside the banana leaf wallpaper and order the bar’s eponymous drink: a sweet, fruity, and bitter blend of rum, lime, passionfruit, pineapple, and Campari. See recipe

Prescription Sazerac Created by hospitality developer Daniel Alonso, Bordel is a hidden cocktail lounge inspired by the bohemian spirit of the first cabarets in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The goal of the bar’s staff is to “focus on elevating the craft of the cocktail … without arrogance or haughtiness.” We find it hard to believe the last part of that sentence, seeing as how we’d feel pretty elite sipping on libations like the Prescription Sazerac, a twist on the old classic made with cognac, rye, and Demerara syrup. See recipe

Sidecar Sno-Cone Want to really do summer up right? Take a cue from Chicago’s Expat, a seasonal, al fresco-only patio from the people behind Nellcôte and Old Town Social. We’re all about a raw bar and sparkling rosé, but what really brings us here are the boozy sno-cones. These childhood-inspired treats are nostalgically delightful… with an adult spin, naturally. See recipe

Want to take your sno-cone game up a notch? (Who doesn’t?) Hawaiian Shaved Ice has a pretty incredible party pack, complete with the machine and cups. We’ll forgo the pack’s non-alcoholic syrup and indulge in a boozy version instead. Photo credit: Lost Lake Tiki Bar

Chicago has always had a knack for embracing tiki culture alongside serious craft cocktail bars, giving the city one of the most eclectic drinking scenes in the country. Whether you’re chasing a sno-cone at an outdoor patio or sipping a cognac Sazerac in a candlelit lounge, you can find recipes for drinks like these at Cocktail Builder. Elsewhere in the series: Philadelphia’s hottest pours, recipes included.

Last modified on August 6, 2026