Cicada-Infused Malört? 'We Were Just Winging It,' Brewery Says

LOMBARD, IL — Maligned as Malört already is, one suburban brewpub has made the notorious wormwood liqueur even more questionable by adding a limited-time-only ingredient: cicadas. To celebrate the historic double cicada emergence, Noon Whistle Brewing is serving up shots of Malört infused with the "lobster-like" essence of cicadas that are locally sourced from a nearby park.

The idea first...emerged...when the brewery's creative and marketing director, who uses the pseudonym Joey Giardinera, brought it up during a card-playing night. That seems on brand.

"Someone suggested cicada beer," Giardinera told Patch. To which he replied, "I definitely want to do cicada Malört."

"Oh, that makes too much sense," one friend quipped. After they dared Giardinera to put his insects where his liqueur is, he rolled up his sleeves, put on some gloves, and plucked two cicadas from the soil out back. Thus, cicada-infused Malört was born...er...spawned.

This isn't the first time Noon Whistle has played with inventive Malört flavors, so the brewery knew they'd have to follow a meticulous process, especially to make sure the live-caught insects were safe for consumption. NOTE: Cicadas are not safe to consume if you've got a shellfish allergy, as they're relatives of shrimp and lobster.

Each batch begins with a thorough cleaning of the cicadas, who are gently patted dry before they meet their untimely demise by being frozen. Once deceased and frozen, the cicadas are soaked in a high-alcohol vodka, but Noon Whistle doesn't stop there. To ensure sanitization, the brewery then bakes, er, cooks...heats...the cicadas at 225 degrees, before the insects make their final descent into a bottle of Jeppson's Malört.

Mr. Giardinera ensured me that a nondenominational prayer is performed to celebrate the soul of each carefully selected cicada. He also said each insect is blindfolded and given a cigarette before they die, so I'm not sure if I really believe him.

Giardinera also added that someone had suggested blending the cicadas, a step he's grateful they omitted.

When asked to describe the flavor of cicada-tinged Malört in "exhausting detail," Giardinera told Patch, “On the nose, it’s going to be like pine and herbal notes, and then the first sip is gonna kind of give you earthy, spicy, almost sort of yeasty sort of notes. Then, it’s gonna finish with that strong bitter wormwood sort of flavor" Malört is infamous for, he explained.

As if that weren't enough, Noon Whistle is encouraging patrons to BYOC: Bring. Your. Own. Cicada.

“If you want to bring your own and toss it in your shot, you’re more than welcome to," Giardinera said. “The shell will just sort of dissolve into the Malört if you let it sit in it.”

He added, "Hopefully it doesn’t get too out of hand. We don’t want like a million cicadas flying around the brewery."

“I think people are just kind of excited to try something new, and it’s the new shot to trick your friend," Giardinera said.

As long as that friend does not have any sort of shellfish allergy, of course.

He said cicada-infused Malört is just another of the many fun ways Noon Whistle hopes to entertain their customers. Each shot is $5 apiece. There's no upcharge for the cicada flavor. No extra fee to ingest a bit of insect history.

Of the buzz that's come from this most recent experiment, Giardinera humbly said, "We were just winging it."

Click the link to learn more about Noon Whistle Brewing's cicada Malört.

Also on Patch:

Billions Of Cicadas Could Squirt Pee At People When Insects Emerge In IL

They're Here: First Cicada Sightings Begin In Chicago Area