7 Malört cocktails that prove Chicago’s notoriously bitter liqueur can actually taste good

I hear your collective shudder, Chicago, but hear me out: Malört cocktails are good.

Despite your protests, I know there are others out there like me: Those who have repeatedly held back sighs as folks use evermore noxious comparisons to our city’s most infamous Swedish liqueur — burnt tire rubber, “an abortion clinic in Iceland,” the Champagne of pain. Some of us truthfully don’t mind all that much when taunted with the most bitter of shots, in all its chartreuse-hued glory.

I know this because otherwise, Chicago bars wouldn’t keep cranking out these delightfully bright, fruity cocktails with a certain bitter finish that just whispers: “I’ll have another.”

[ Readers’ Choice Food Awards 2023: Vote for your favorite restaurants, bars and more ]

Over the past year or so, cocktails imbued with the bitter booze have been gracing Chicago bar menus with increasing frequency, said Tremaine Atkinson, CEO of CH Distillery, which acquired Malört in 2018 and began producing it in Chicago soon after.

“It’s actually a good cocktail ingredient,” Atkinson said. “It’s got a fairly straightforward flavor profile: a little citrus, a little herbal, and obviously very bitter. I think bartenders really like that it’s kind of a challenge.”

The novelty tipple’s star began to rise over the past five years, with early adopters like Tied House in Lakeview and Maria’s Bar in Bridgeport still tinkering with the city’s signature shot to this day. Malört has been incorporated into negronis, boozy slushies and Old-Fashioneds, and you’ll find it plays well with a wider range of base spirits than you’d expect.

Not convinced? Head out to one of these Chicagoland spots for some field research — and if you need another excuse, Friday is National Cocktail Day. Cheers.

Once you’ve been in Chicago for a certain amount of time, someone will offer you the city’s signature drink: A Chicago Handshake, featuring a short of Malört and a can of Old-Style. This North Side restaurant tames the no-frills greeting with the Lakeview Handshake, which softens bitterness with Campari, buoys with grapefruit and peach rhubarb bitters, and seals the deal with a 5-ounce sidecar of lager. 1300 W. Wellington Ave., 773-281-2599, farm-bar.com

[ Chicago’s 30 essential foods and drinks, from Rainbow Cone to Malört ]

It stands to reason that CH Distillery would have its own take to offer. You’ll find it at the West Loop distiller’s omakase restaurant, where bartenders are wont to include Malört in a number of their rotating cocktails. While past iterations have featured the likes of barrel-aged cherry brandy, the current offering, the Chi Tai, takes the Tiki bar staple and finishes it off with a Malört float. 564 W. Randolph St., 312-884-9602, jinseimotto.com

First dreamed up at Maria’s Packaged Goods in 2020 and now stocked at a number of bars, store shelves (including most Binny’s) and the Bridgeport brewery itself, Malört Spritz is the delightfully light sipper that’s perfect for a Chicago summer. Grapefruit soda, hibiscus and lime juice are tempered with a kiss of the wormwood liqueur, and it’s satisfying with every sip. 3630 S. Iron St., 773-579-1935, marz.beer

[ Malort Spritz is an accessible entry to Chicago’s most notorious spirit ]

This New York transplant doesn’t play it safe when it comes to both its cheeky drink names and the cocktails themselves, which came about in collaboration with Toby Maloney of The Violet Hour acclaim. The Tassels and Assels, for instance, starts off as a bourbon-spiked peach tea, but then gets creative with a floral passion fruit liqueur and a dose of Malört. 2943 N. Milwaukee Ave., 872-271-6834, mothersruinchi.com

A Logan Square favorite known for its laid-back dive bar vibes and whiskey selection, The Native features a pair of Malört cocktails with very different flavor profiles. CH CH Changes folds in CH Distillery rum and gin along with notes of ginger, lavender, lemon and almond. But if the weather’s nice and the patio beckons, consider the Chicago Weather slushie, which punches up gin and Malört with mango, lemonade and grapefruit. 2417 N. Milwaukee Ave., 872-206-5526, thenativechicago.com

This Little Village speakeasy-style bar opened in 2019, as Mike Moreno Jr. looked to carry on the legacy his family had established over two generations of business owners in the neighborhood.

[ A new speakeasy-style bar in Little Village aims to ‘show the potential of the community’ ]

Its cocktail menu boasts a variety of michelada flavors and mezcal-infused hot chocolate, as well as the Chicago Sling. The riff on the old-school classic incorporates tart Koval cranberry gin and Malört, adds a little heft with Grand Marnier, and finishes with the lilting sweetness of pineapple and lime. 2553 S. Ridgeway Ave., 773-277-8117, ositostap.com

A draft cocktail particularly popular with the industry crowd at this barbed-tongue hot dog institution, the Malört-spiked Hemingway’s Revenge is made with Ten To One rum, grapefruit juice and Fee Brothers grapefruit bitters, plus a squeeze of lime and maraschino. For a quick hit, you can order it as a $5, 3-ounce shot. 2622 N. Clark St., 773-477-7444, wienerscirclechicago.com

archeung@chicagotribune.com