Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/12827
cOVER STORY Maker’s 46 at Crimson Lounge, Chicago Maker’s 46 begins as Maker’s Mark but has a different wood finish and aging regime. They wanted to take the rich Maker’s Mark notes, amplify them and give a woodier nose without the burnt smoky flavor, to take the caramel Maker’s notes and add more alcohol for a longer finish. With the taste well in the tradition of the Samuels forward finish, the how had to be determined. “Bourbons with more rye have more spice. Maker’s, using wheat, has that more forward, sweet aroma and flavor. If you use wood, to bring out tannic flavor, all that is back palate. We wanted to focus on that forward finish,” Smith says. The first revelation of the how was that they would not change the mash; they would start with original Maker’s Mark. That in itself is groundbreaking. But as Samuels remembers asking: “Now what do we do?” The Wood Chef Smith knew they could not get their intended flavor without Independent Stave Company, Maker’s Mark’s cooperage since the beginning. Smith says Brad Boswell, President of Independent, was like a kid in a candy store when approached about the opportunity. “They had a very clear vision of what they wanted it to taste like,” Boswell says. To produce the longer finish with the caramel notes, he experimented with more than a hundred wood profiles. The winner The three-year-old spot, located inside Hotel Sax in Chicago (formerly the House of Blues Hotel), features antique furniture styles, rustic dark wood flooring and Old Europe–style portraits, giving it a look that’s interestingly chic, not stodgy. If ever there was a place that defines lounge, this is it. So it’s fitting that Crimson does a little bit of everything to keep its varied clients happy—serving as a classy lounge with jazz during the weekday and as a happening nightclub with DJs on weekends. The creativity extends to the cocktail program. “Cocktails and drinks are supposed to be fun,” says Crimson’s head mixologist, Todd Appel. “It’s not supposed to be snotty and snooty. You can enjoy something good, learn something about it and still have fun. And we do that in a nightclub setting. I mean, why can’t you have fresh- squeezed lemon juice at a nightclub?” Appel, now in his C third year at Crimson, adds his own personal touch to drinks by making his own cherries, syrups and fresh-squeezed juices. For him, a simple, honest cocktail is a winning combination. “A proper cocktail contains a limited number of elements that are just supposed to be harmonious and play together,” Appel says. “Too many ingredients can, more often than not, ruin your drink and overwhelm your spirits.” For example, Appel likes a simple Whiskey Sour—with a peach twist. He infuses a bottle of Maker’s Mark with chopped Georgia peaches. Then he takes the peaches out and makes a fresh peach-lemonade with fresh lemons. Appel is looking forward to making the same infusion with new Maker’s 46. “All of those are American flavors, especially with the bourbon Crimson Lounge head mixologist Todd Appel says simplicity is the key to a proper cocktail. whiskey,” Appel says. “Bourbon doesn’t have to be on the rocks; it can be a by-the-pool or beach drink as well. A lot of people don’t think of it that way, but it’s fantastic.” —Jim Kharouf july 2010 / the tasting panel / 39 rimson Lounge is one of those places that have found a way to be sophisticated without being pretentious. PHOTO: TORI SOPER