April 09--At Fox Bar, the newest addition to the multistory hotel and members club Soho House, all of the signature drinks are Chicago-themed. The gimmick is a natural fit for this pub's cozy vibe -- it's inside the late-night Chicken Farm Shop restaurant on the second floor and houses mismatched armchairs, a vintage phone booth and spinning vinyl through its swinging saloon doors -- and the cocktails exude an unfussy sophistication.
The Chelsea's Dagger ($10) is a fine example. Made of triple-distilled Control Pisco, Rhine Hall Cherry Brandy, grapefruit, lime, cinnamon simple syrup and a bar spoon of tart cherry preserves, this on-the-rocks cocktail is as stunning to look at it as it is heady, straightforward and sweet. Bartenders Ronnie Higgins and Rob Guevara are avid hockey fans, so they chose the name both as an ode to the Blackhawks' ear worm of a theme song by the Scottish band The Fratellis and as a nod to one of their best friends, Chelsea.
113-125 N. Green; 312-521-8000; www.sohohouse.com/restaurants/fox-bar.
Leah Pickett is a freelance writer.
