Crazy Cocktail Concoction

Foodie Destination.

Last week I was incredibly fortunate to have dinner at Next Restaurant in Chicago, the much-lauded new venture from the genius mind of Chef Grant Achatz. I won't go on too long about it because much has been written from those that are far more eloquent than I. But yes, it was absolutely amazing. And yes, the duck really is as good as everyone has said.

But what I am going to talk about is the attached cocktail lounge, The Aviary, where my hubby and I had some of the most mind-blowingly creative and delicious pre-dinner cocktails.

As all of the drinks are created in the cocktail kitchen instead of a traditional bar, your really aren't sure what you are going to get when you order one of their 18 in-house cocktails. So when we ordered "In the Rocks", whose description was very much like an upscale Old-Fashioned, we were a little surprised to be served this...



Yes. That is an egg of ice, whose center is my delicious Old Fashioned just waiting to be released. How do I get to my delicious drink, you ask?

With a custom-made sling-shot that fits perfectly over the glass to crack it just perfectly, of course. Like this:



* Enter the sound of me squealing with delight *

I wish that I could tell you how to do this at home and impress the hell out of your house guests, but that isn't going to happen. Instead, get your rear to the Windy City and wait in line at The Aviary like all the other foodies. It's worth it.

And if you were wondering how they did this. Here you go.