Independent Spirits Expo: Malört, Espresso Martinis and a Very Chicago Surprise

Independent Spirits Expo: Malört, Espresso Martinis and a Very Chicago Surprise

The Independent Spirits Expo returned to the Hilton Chicago, which sounds like exactly the kind of location that should get us excited.

Normally, it would.

But apparently nobody thought to check the Bears schedule.

Chicago is a little different from most cities when it comes to professional football. In New York, the Giants and Jets play across the state line in New Jersey. Boston claims the Patriots, but Gillette Stadium is about 30 miles outside the city. Las Vegas, on the other hand, basically looked at its famous Strip and said, “You know what this needs? A football stadium.”

Chicago put Soldier Field right downtown.

So when we got within a few blocks of the Hilton, we started looking for parking.

Sure, we could have paid full price for a garage, absorbed the game-day increase and written it off on our taxes. But sticker shock is a real thing. We’re still working day jobs while trying to turn FnAround into a successful experiment, and unfortunately the bills and expenses we’re paying today don’t care about our future plans.

Thankfully, we found a metered spot less than two blocks from the hotel.

And on the walk, it became pretty obvious why parking prices had gone through the roof.

Nearly every lot was packed with Bears fans tailgating. People were grilling, playing bags and setting up televisions. It looked like the Independent Spirits Expo had accidentally been scheduled in the middle of a giant pregame party.

Honestly, it probably wasn’t the worst place to pregame.

Back to the Spirits

Once inside, we were handed the standard branded tasting glasses and six tasting tickets to use wherever we wanted.

And for the second year in a row, we have to ask:

What exactly are these tickets for?

Not a single vendor asked us for one.

We’re not complaining. It just feels like eventually somebody should tell the vendors that the little tickets exist.

The event itself had a familiar feel compared with last year. In fact, the overall spread was basically the same, including the meats and cheeses.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We weren’t there because we needed a completely different event. We were there to drink things we probably wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to try, talk to people who know their spirits and see what catches our attention.

And, as always, one name immediately stands out.

Malört. Always Malört.

Malört is going to stick out at an event like this for one very simple reason:

It’s Malört.

Jeppson’s remains an independent giant, and if you ask us, a big part of its continued popularity has nothing to do with what’s actually inside the bottle.

It has everything to do with the people.

There is an IT factor possessed by veterans of the brand. They’re fun. They’re ridiculously fun. And in our humble opinion, those people have been a driving force behind Malört’s popularity explosion over the last decade.

Normally, we’d have to trick, bribe or otherwise manipulate us into taking a shot of Malört.

We’re not ashamed to admit it.

We personally doubt anyone drinks it because they genuinely think, “Damn, that tastes delicious.”

You drink it because somehow, a small piece of Chicago gets mixed into every vat.

And maybe that’s what gives us our big shoulders.

Maybe that’s what helps us confidently vocalize statements that are BOLD AF.

Either way, Malört remains Malört.

And Chicago wouldn’t be Chicago without it.

Some Other Standouts

There was plenty more to explore beyond the obvious Chicago favorite.

Humano Tequila, Kurvball, Holmes Cay Rum, Chicago Cane Cooperative, Judson & Moore, Thornton Distilling, St. George Spirits, Glen Breton and ImpEx Beverages all caught our attention for one reason or another.

We also came across several premixed espresso martinis.

We tried a few.

None stood out enough for us to crown one as the undisputed winner, but we were pleasantly surprised by how good the category was overall.

The espresso martini was probably the easiest crowd-pleaser of the day.

Personally, though, the infused rums were more our speed.

There was something about those that kept pulling us back.

And if we’re being completely honest, we’d rather discover an interesting rum we hadn’t heard of than pretend we’re suddenly sophisticated enough to become espresso martini snobs.

The Crowd Was Different

One noticeable difference this year was the number of people showing up early as VIPs and press.

The first hour seemed considerably busier than we remembered.

The Bears game may have had something to do with that.

There were plenty of people walking around in Bears gear, and it wouldn’t surprise us if a decent portion of the crowd had decided the Expo made for a pretty damn good pregame.

Why not?

You’ve got booze, food, football fans and a hotel downtown.

We’ve made worse decisions.

Then We Saw the Shirt

The highlight of the day didn’t actually come from one of the spirit vendors.

It came from an honored guest.

We noticed a guy wearing a Delilah’s shirt.

For anyone familiar with Chicago’s legendary bar scene, that tends to get your attention.

So we walked over, tapped him on the shoulder and discovered that it was Mike, the owner of Delilah’s.

And just like that, the Expo turned into a completely different kind of Chicago experience.

We started talking, sharing stories and eventually interviewed him.

That’s one of the things we love about events like this.

You can walk in thinking you’re going to spend a few hours sampling spirits, and then a shirt catches your eye and suddenly you’re standing there talking to one of the people behind one of Chicago’s most recognizable independent bars.

You can’t really plan for that.

And honestly, those are the moments we remember.

We’ll Be Back

The Independent Spirits Expo doesn’t need to reinvent itself every year for us to keep showing up.

The location works. The vendors are interesting. There’s plenty to taste. The crowd is fun. And somehow, no matter how many times we encounter it, Malört still manages to find its way into the conversation.

Add in the fact that we keep running into interesting people, and it’s an easy yes for another year.

We came looking for spirits.

We left with espresso martini opinions, an appreciation for infused rum, another reminder that Malört is apparently immortal, and a completely unexpected interview with the owner of Delilah’s.

That’s a pretty good day at an expo.

FnAround will be back.