It’s time to perfect your margarita. According to bartender Rachel Miller, focusing on summery cocktails is one of the best ways to get through Chicago’s harsh winter months. Want to lean into the season? She suggests classic cocktails that are dark and spirit forward or maybe investing in a bottle of bénédictine, which she describes as an audacious spiced liqueur. And as one of the co-owners of Kit: A Bar Supply Store in Irving Park, she is more than ready to provide the tools to help you make whatever cocktail you please.
At Kit, that’s definitely not the case. “I could talk to you for so long about a spoon,” Rachel says. As the professional bartender, her main role in the business is selecting the inventory and offering her expertise to customers. The store opened with the most basic items for a starter bar: jigger, shakers, strainers, and mixing glasses. From there they’ve slowly expanded to include a wider range of tools and styles of the basics, as well as bitters, syrups, recipe books, aprons, and more.
Sat-Tue 10 AM-6 PM, 4938 W. Irving Park, 708-967-2133, kitbarsupplychicago.com.
