Weekly Planner: Liquor Events Edition
Letherbee Pop-up Dinners
There’s no better way to say to hell with resolutions than with a good boozy dinner. Letherbee is hosting a pop-up dinner series with founder Brent Engel’s pal Tai Spendly, chef/owner of Palm Springs’ Vietnamese restaurant Rooster and The Pig. For three nights, January 16-18, Spendly will serve a five-course meal of popular dishes from his restaurant, like crispy turmeric dill cod and braised beef with butternut squash and lotus root. Naturally, Engel has crafted drink pairings for each course, utilizing Letherbee gin and Fernet, plus Vietnamese beer. Dinners are to take place in a pop-up space in Logan Square and cost $65 per person. Snag your tix here.
Brew U Series at Dusek’s Board and Beer
In other booze news, Dusek’s Board and Beer is kicking off 2017 in style with their new beer education series, aptly dubbed Brew U. For each event, which kicks off January 18, the Pilsen restaurant has tapped different local beer experts to help spread their knowledge and expertise on brewing. Attendees will get to sip beer tastings and learn about different topics like barrel-aged beers. Tickets cost $80 and can be used to attend every event in the four-night series this winter. Forbidden Root is the first brewery on January 18, followed by Hopewell Brewing Co. on January 25, New Belgium February 1 and Moody Tongue on February 8. Tickets can be purchased here.
Chef’s Table Dinner Series at Raised
There’s another series kicking off in Chicago this month as well, this time at the Loop’s perpetually hot rooftop terrace Raised. On January 19, the year-round rooftop launches its new Chef’s Table dinner series, starting with a five-course affair themed on Scotch and pork. It all starts with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m., featuring the “Pig’s Tail” cocktail with Scotch, sherry, allspice, lemon, sugar and nutmeg. At 6:00 p.m., guests sit down for dinner with dishes like sherry-braised endive with date jus and crispy pig’s ears; pork belly chowder with braised leeks, turnip and oyster cream; lobster with lardo-roasted carrots, carrot puree and black tea sabayon; vanilla-braised pork cheek with salt-baked celery root, coffee essence and black truffle; and candied house-cured ham with white chocolate mousse, crispy rice, passion fruit caramel and marigold. Courses are paired with various Scotches as well. The cost for the event is $100 per person, with tickets available here.
Whiskey Class at Jerry’s
In case you haven’t had enough to drink this week, there’s a whiskey class taking place at Jerry’s Lincoln Square location. On January 18 at 7:00 p.m., the tasting event features two certified Kentucky colonels, Trey Elder and Eric Q. Rosentreter, both of whom will guide attendees through the informative lesson of American whiskeys and various distilleries. The class will include ample tastings and light snacks. The cost is $25 per person and tickets are available here.