Chicago Watering Holes Make Esquire List Of Best Bars

CHICAGO, IL — Esquire magazine's "lead barflies" named two Chicago watering holes among their 24 "Best Bars In America" for 2017. Milk Room and Lost Lake — both spearheaded by Land and Sea Department Beverage Director Paul McGee — both snagged spots on the list, which was organized alphabetically by city.

Milk Room — "an exclusive, eight-seat micro bar focusing on classic, spirit-forward cocktails that utilize extremely rare, vintage spirits and hard to find ingredients" curated by McGee — also features a limited menu of shared plates.

"The Venetian Gothic woodwork in the Chicago Athletic Association hotel lobby sets up that they-don't-make-'em-like-they-used-to feeling," Esquire's Jeff Gordinier and Kevin Sintumuang said of the bar, tucked away behind a wall of stained-glass windows on the second floor of the Chicago Athletic Association, 12 S. Michigan Ave. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or other neighborhoods. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Lost Lake, 3154 W. Diversey Ave., on the other hand, is among the country's best tiki bars — and a great escape from the cold Chicago winter, according to Esquire: "There's just enough fantasy—Martinique wallpaper, staff in tropical shirts, a graphic, kitschy menu—but the real transportation happens in the glass, with the intricate play of a broad spectrum of rums and fresh juices."

See the full Esquire list here

Image via Shutterstock