Ingrain Magazine Issue 4 - Summer 2018

A GOOSE ISLAND BEER COMPANY PUBLICATION

ISSUE 04 / SUMMER 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

THIS SU MMER WE EXPLORE THE REA L C HICAGO A ND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BORN + RA ISED HERE

WEINER ROUND UP

CO O K KO R EAN

P R ETTY CO O L POPS

HOUSE OF VANS

M U S I C . A R T. S K AT E

113 N ELIZABETH ST

HOUSEOFVANS.COM

ISSUE 04 / SUMMER 2019

PUBL I S H ER GOOSE ISLAND BEER COMPANY EDITOR IN CHIEF / Christina Perozzi EXECUTIVE MANAGING EDITOR / Jenn Garbee

BEER & S PI R I TS EDITOR / Christina Perozzi COCKTAIL EDITOR / Ken Hunnemeder SPIRITS COLUMNIST / Mike Smith CONTRIBUTORS / Beau Forbes, Ken Hunnemeder

FO O D EDITORS / Jenn Garbee, Christina Perozzi CHEESE COLUMNIST / Cara Condon MEAT COLUMNIST / Jesse Valenciana CONTRIBUTORS / Lisa Futterman, Debbie Yoon RECIPE DEVELOPERS / Jenn Garbee, Debbie Yoon

A RTS & CU LTUR E EDITOR / Jenn Garbee MUSIC EDITOR / Erika Wojno CONTRIBUTORS / Zac Connelly, Dana Driskill, Tim Faith, Sean McGrattan, Christina Perozzi, Marques Snead

T R AVEL EDITORS / Jenn Garbee, Christina Perozzi CONTRIBUTORS / Goose Staff, Sara Miller

PH OTO G R A PH Y EDITOR / Ken Hunnemeder PHOTOGRAPHERS / Seth Ekberg, Ken Hunnemeder, Staci Valentine STYLIST / Johanna Lowe

PR O DU CT I O N PRODUCTION DIRECTOR / Colleen Dunn Bates, Prospect Park Books CHIEF COPY EDITOR / Leilah Bernstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR / Mila Daraz SENIOR DESIGNER / Sam Alcarez ILLUSTRATOR / Sam Alcarez

ingrainmagazine.com Queries and corrections: info@ingrainmagazine.com INSTAGRAM @ingrainmagazine Copyright © 2019 Goose Island Beer Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

Goose Island Beer Company, 1800 West Fulton Street, Chicago, IL 60612 Printed in the United States

CA R A CO N DO N

S E T H E KB E R G

focuses on all things cheesy for the Education Department and is our inhouse Certified Cheese Professional.

She goes out of her way to pet every dog that crosses her path.

grew up on a farm down the road from a garbage dump, drinks beer, and makes movies for Goose Island.

He is better for it.

Z AC CO N N E L LY

T I M FA I T H

is Goose Island’s Experiential Marketing Manager. He whips up ideas for events, partnerships, and sponsorships. Sometimes his ideas aren’t bad.

is an R&D Brewer. He makes beer, runs a lot, and periodically enjoys a nice Porter. He’s the guy who’s always bicycling to faraway places or tending to an urban garden.

DA N A DR I S KI L L

B E AU FO R B E S

hails from Southern California and runs Goose Island’s social media.

When not drinking beer, you can find her riding her bike and attending more concerts than she can afford.

is an Advanced Cicerone, Brewery Experience Coordinator, Homebrewer/Cidermaker, and Handsome.

LISA F UT T ERMA N

SAR A M I LL E R

JE SS E VA LE N C I ANA

sells cheese to restaurants for a living and writes about cheese, beverages, and travel for fun. The former chef can often be found walking her dog, Pepita, in Noble Square.

works on the marketing team at Virtue Cider. She’s also a plant parent, cat mom, and dog dad.

is the resident meat guru and grill whisperer at Goose Island. He fears no beer and laughs in the face of gout.

KEN HUNNEMEDER

MIKE SM I T H

ER I KA WOJN O

is behind the lens at Goose Island.

When his camera is down, he’s concocting some far-out cocktails while impersonating just about everyone around the brewery.

works in the Education Department, focusing on our barrel-aging program. He can usually be found wandering around with a dad joke in mind.

is Goose Island’s Chicago Brand Manager. When not in her own city, she spends her free time wishing remarkable moments in new spots could last forever.

SEAN M C GRAT TA N

MA R Q UE S SN E A D

DE BBI E YO O N

puts to rest the myth of the dour

likes to get together for friendly video game matches when he’s not giving tours of the Fulton Street brewery as a Taproom Brand Ambassador.

is Goose Island’s Senior Brand Manager. The New York transplant is always curiously eating and drinking her way through Chicago.

Scotsman. The only thing more impressive than his Red Bull intake levels and Experiential Marketing

Logistics expertise is his incredible skill at carpentry.

SUMMER 2019 H O T L I S T // 8 I N F O C U S // 1 0 M U S I C // 2 4 S P O R T S // 2 6 G A M I N G // 4 2 U R B A N G A R D E N // 6 5 F O O D T A L K // 7 1 C H E E S E // 1 0 2 M E A T // 1 0 9 S P I R I T S // 1 2 1 C O C K T A I L S // 1 2 8 G O O D B Y E // 1 3 6

16 32 48 52 78 130 WON KIM

N AT E OT TO

VERTICAL GARDEN

CHICAGO

KOREAN COOKING

GIB TEST KITCHEN

ince the release of Born + Raised, a draught beer available only in Chicago, we’ve all been focused on our city here at the brewery. It’s made me think a lot about what it means to be born and raised in Chicago. Not having been so myself, it’s been an eye-opener. I was born in St. Louis, but I spent the majority of my life living in Los Angeles, which in my experience can only be described as being diametrically opposed to Chicago (even more so than New York City).

In particular, our discussion with Kimski chef Won Kim drove that home for me. We had a fantastic night with him and cursed and drank a lot, and talked about what being a Chicagoan means to him. The vision is about being down-to-earth, having pride in who you are, and no matter how high you climb in Chicago, being humble. The focus is on character vs. looks, work ethic vs. status, and having an infallible bullshit detector.

We have some other really interesting features for you in this issue. The appreciation for warm weather, after such a punishing winter, is so great that EVERYONE is outside as much as is humanly possible. Summer in Chicago is that the Green City Farmers’ Market (and the occasional fire hydrant) opens. People start digging in community gardens or creating a flower-pot menagerie on the fire escape—or they raise bees (with winter weatherproofing in the back of their minds). We go to music festivals, craft beer festivals, and neighborhood block parties every weekend. We head out to the beach, go sailing or fishing, or

just hang out and look at Lake Michigan.

It’s the time of year when tourists begin visiting the city again, and we want to show them places to go beyond the Willis Tower and the “Bean.” There’s nothing wrong with those places. But when brewery folks travel, we go to see the real places, where real people hang out and eat and drink beer and go to hear bands and shop. So this issue’s travel feature focuses on our own city, where we Goose Islanders spend our time. It’s a pretty cool list of places, where I discovered the true Chicago when I first moved here.

Now let’s get to the FOOD. We have a new transplant to our city in that regard. Our favorite content manager and Ingrain contributor Ken Hunnemeder married Debbie Yoon. They met in the beer world and, long story short, she now works at Goose Island, so we’re all stuck with her. (Got ’em!) Debbie is as obsessed with food as we all are; she not only introduced us to cooking Korean food at home, but also assuaged our intimidation in doing so! We hope you enjoy our feature on the joy of cooking Korean food. I think it’s amazing.

Have a great summer. Get outdoors. And please, if you have the time, come to our beautiful city of Chicago. Come enjoy the warm weather while it lasts. Have a drink at our taproom or brewhouse and let us show you a grand time.

Christina Perozzi, Editor-in-Chief

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SUMMER SNEAKS One thing you can be sure of in a brewery is that there won’t be too many people walking around in dress shoes.

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A DIDA S STA N SMITH

VA N S O LD SKO O L

If you get just one sneaker this season, this circa 1972 leather kick is the standard. Wear this chameleon with everything from jorts to a fancy suit or dress. White with colored heel trim or black (suede), $80 (men’s/ women’s), adidas.com

This classic skate shoe was the first design to sport the California company’s iconic side stripe. It’s a constant presence around the brewery. Multiple colors (suede), $60 (unisex), vans.com

CONVERSE C HUC K 70 LOW TO P

N I K E BL A Z E R M I D CU STO M

Low-top Converse sneakers, with their striped rubber sidewall and signature logo patch, have a timeless ’70s-era appeal, especially when rendered in classic canvas. Multiple colors (canvas), $80 (unisex), converse.com

Since its introduction in 1972, this basketball sneaker from Nike has transformed into the epitome of street style. Multiple colors (canvas, suede, or leather upper), price varies (men’s/women’s), nike.com

SUMMER 2019

N IKE FOR J. C REW K I LLSHOT 2

B UC K E T F E E T SLI P - O N

SAUCO N Y JA ZZ O R I G I N AL

A young pup in the world of vintage throwback sneaks (the Killshot was first introduced in the mid-1980s as a tennis shoe), the Nike Killshot 2 is your go-anywhere, do-everything shoe. It goes fast. Seasonal colors (leather upper), $90 (men’s), jcrew.com

Chicago-based Bucketfeet sells slip-ons printed with custom designs submitted by a network of artists; anyone can send in ideas. (Won Kim, you listening? p. 16.) We like this Chicago Dog pair (designed by local techie Gina Slesar). Why not? Multiple designs (canvas), $65 (men’s/ women’s), bucketfeet.com

We’re down with anything with “jazz” in the name, especially when comfy materials are involved. This iconic lace-up held the number one ranking for “best quality sneaker” throughout the ’80s, so it’s good enough for you. Multiple colors (suede and nylon uppers), $60 (men’s/women’s), saucony.com

In today’s neo adult contemporary culture (yacht rock, corny jokes), ugly is the hottest trend in shoe fashion. These “dad shoes” are something you’d expect to come right out of your pop’s closet, along with high-waisted Lee jeans and a sensible windbreaker. Even haute couture fashion houses have gotten into the game. Want to walk in your dad’s shoes? Here are a couple to try on in a more accessible price range. IF you can handle it.

RE EBO K A ZT R E K

F I L A DI S R UPTOR 2

These upgraded 1990s Reebok trainers are picking you up from piano and flipping burgers on the grill. Multiple colors and uppers, $80 to $120 (men’s/women’s), reebok.com

Remember Filas? Disruptor 2 takes the chunky thing to new levels, evolving the dad look. Just please don’t get the denim. Multiple colors (leather and denim uppers), $65 to $95 (men’s/women’s), fila.com

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STORY / BEAU FORBES

There is no beer that conjures feelings of romance more than Saison.

magine: You’re driving a vintage been a country beer.

VW Bug drop-top through the The flavor is explosive, Belgian countryside, savoring the with loads of peppery, smell of wild herbs in the air. Your spicy esters from yeast scarf is blowing in the wind behind and an occasional you on your way to the archetypal funky character from Saison brewery, Brasserie Dupont.

Brettanomyces .

Sitting down at the bar, you order an Saison is traditionally — Marc Rosier, former brewmaster/director, Saison Avec Les Bons Vœux. The bartender sold in Champagne Dupont (“A Seasonal Search for the Phantom of pulls out a dusty bottle, the cork bottles, the color varies Brewing,” by Michael Jackson, September 2, 1998, releasing with a vigorous POP! from pale to orange, beerhunter.com) The beer pours like a fine the clarity spans from mousseux, fluffy and snow white, brilliant to cloudy, as it fills into your chalice. Reveling in the clean herbal and the alcohol level ranges from 4.5% ABV all the way aroma, you feel as if you are inhaling the full essence up to 9% for special holiday bottlings. On the palate it is of the fields around you with every breath. The taste dry, like an Extra Brut Champagne with the exuberant cascades across your tongue. Herbal hops meet pure carbonation to match. Saison is a beer meant to refresh pilsner malt and the most aromatic, expressive yeast more than intoxicate. character you have ever had the Saison is more than just a beer; it is an IDEA. More pleasure to taste. This is beer with terroir. This is Saison. than any other beer, Saison is dependent upon expressive How dare such a thrilling beer continue to exist in yeast character, and the unique Saison yeast is how this age? So rustic, so bold, and so nearly stamped out this idea expresses itself in the world. For lager beer, a mere twenty years ago. Two centuries ago, industrial fermentation proceeds at an austere 45 to 55 degrees, the lager began an indomitable march from Central Europe chill temperature producing a product focused on elegant across the whole breadth of the world. Pilsner and its malt and hops character. Lager yeast is like a well-meaning lager brethren exterminated one indigenous ale style elderly relative who drops the house temperature at night after another, leaving few survivors on the European to bone-chilling levels while you shiver under multiple main. The great ales of Germany were almost wholly blankets. Saison yeast laughs at the restraint of lager and wiped out, and the rustic farmhouse ales of France also blows past the relative warmth of English ale strains and fell. But Belgium—tiny, little Belgium—endured. With her their 65- to 70-degree fermentations. Saison achieves its persistent commitment to quirky, characterful beer, most expressive excitement of character by fermenting at Belgian ales survived. In an industrial-beer landscape 70 to 75 degrees, but it’s unafraid to go up to 80 degrees that threatened to become a monoculture, Saison or, in the case of the legendary Dupont strain, all the way tenaciously clung on for life in the countryside and, as to 90 degrees! with most of the great, neglected ale styles of Europe, The origin of Saison has it as a low-alcohol beer, a was brought to the United States by enthusiastic craft super-dry quaffer. Consuming the beer fresh was not brewers. From there began a renaissance that is ongoing optional but mandatory, as the beer would quickly turn today. acetic (the smell/taste of vinegar, nail polish, and similar) if it were not consumed within a few weeks of brewing.

SAISON: B EER WITH SO UL Saison was a “right now” kind of beer, meant to be chugged after a long sweaty day harvesting barley, At its base, Saison (meaning “season”) is a rustic country sugar beets, and Schaerbeek cherries (a sour variety ale, the flavor half wild. Originally brewed to refresh used to make Flemish-style kriek beer). But then the seasonal farm laborers (the saisonniers), it has always lager wave came, and the refreshing ale styles that had

“IT MUST BE A GOOD, HONEST BEER. IT SHOULD HAVE CHARACTER. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT IT HAS SOUL."

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been predominant were virtually exterminated. Witbier died and wasn’t revived for decades. Trappist monks had the sanctuary of their church walls to protect their ales, but many stopped brewing altogether. Lambic (including gueuze), Oud Bruin (Flanders Brown), Bière de Garde (French farmhouse ales)—all were on the edge of extinction as homogenization became the rule of the day.

Enter Vanberg & DeWulf, an importer of fine Belgian beer. On a tip from Michael Jackson (not that Michael Jackson; rather, the famous British beer writer), it began importing beers from Brasserie Dupont in the late 1980s.

The charming style took off in the United States, and the nascent craft movement was smitten. What began as a crush begat a full-fledged obsession among American craft brewers. Today beeradvocate.com lists more than 11,000 examples of Saison; thirty years ago you would have been hard-pressed to find five.

Note: If you want to learn more about Saison, please check out the book Farmhouse Ales by Phil Markowski or any of the works of the late, great beer writer Michael Jackson.

THE PERFECT PAIRING PARTNER So what is Saison today? It is a true family of beers. It is a style as much as it is a concept. It is traditional and experimental, wild yet classy all at once. Historically, Saison was (and is) made by farmhouse breweries. This isn’t sterile, cold lager brewing we’re talking about here; fermentation would literally take place in a barn. Brettanomyces yeast and its brethren Lactobacillus and Pediococcus would

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invite themselves over to play, adding funky notes and a quenching acidity to the beer. If Saison Dupont from Brasserie Dupont is the archetypal example of a modern, “clean” Saison, Fantôme Saison from Brasserie Fantôme would be its opposite—a wild and rambunctious ale from one of the most interesting personages in craft beer.

Now to the most important question: What to eat with Saison? For Saison is above all an extremely food-friendly beer, lending itself to a variety of dishes and cuisines. A lighter Saison is a delicate dance partner for salad with vinaigrette, while heavier-bodied amber Saisons can even manage to stand up to steak. There are two great pairings that rise above the rest, one firmly traditional and one brashly American. The traditional pairing is Belgian moules frites (mussels and French fries). The voluminous carbonation of the beer cuts through the oily fried potatoes, while the peppery, spicy yeast notes enliven the briny mussels (typically harvested that day from the North Sea).

Saison and mussels is a near-unassailable classic that must be experienced, a lovely example of “what grows together, goes together.”

But if you want to go all-out American, there's no better pairing than chicken and waffles. The golden brown chicken, doughy waffles, and even the maple syrup are all “cleansed” by the carbonation of the Saison, leaving the palate refreshed between bites. Even the crunchy coating on the chicken meets a peppery partner in the Saison yeast. Finally, the acidic prickle of the beer makes a wonderful contrast in the shatter of the crust and the sweetness of the syrup. It's a perfect pairing that could only be made in America.

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OLD WORLD

NEW WORLD

SAISON DUPONT

SOFIE

Brasserie Dupont Tourpes, Hainaut, Belgium The standard-bearer. When you think of Saison with a capital S, this is the beer. Dry, citrusy, herbal, peppery, dangerously drinkable, excellent with food— Dupont is everything a Saison should be. Don’t miss the holiday edition of this beer, the fabulous Avec Les Bons Vœux, where the alcohol content rises from 6.5% ABV to a very cheery 9.5%. Ring in the New Year with this beer. brasserie-dupont.com

Goose Island Beer Co. Chicago, IL This is one of the earliest “Americanized” versions of the Saison style. A portion of each batch of Sofie is aged in red wine barrels with freshly zested orange peel to give a citrus kick and a kiss of creamy vanilla from the oak.

Refreshing, exuberant, and bright, Sofie is bottled with Brettanomyces to allow the beer to evolve in the bottle over time. It’s good now but great when it turns three, which allows the Brett time to introduce some pleasant funk and boost the carbonation to Champagne-like levels.

Enjoy it with a mandarin orange salad. gooseisland.com

FANTÔME SA ISON Brasserie Fantôme Érezée, Belgium Completely unique and unlike anything else out there, Fantôme is hard to find and worth it when you do. Produced in small batches by hand, it embodies what Saison was 150 years ago. Slightly sweet, with big tropical fruit aromas (if it is younger) or more funky and redolent of dried fruit (if aged). Look for the bottle with the thirsty ghost. sheltonbrothers. com/breweries/fantome/

TA N K 7 Boulevard Brewing Co. Kansas City, MO Born from an experiment that came together (literally) in the brewery’s #7 tank in Kansas City, Tank 7 is a nearperfect rendition of a classic Saison, combining European elegance with American muscle at 8.5% ABV. Delicious, dangerously drinkable, and one of the defining American examples of what Saison can be. boulevard.com

BA M BI È R E SAIS O N STA NDO UTS This list is by no means meant to be inclusive, as there are hundreds of fabulous Saisons. These reflect the author’s personal preferences only, which skew heavily toward the Midwest.

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Detroit, MI The American version of what Belgian Saison would have tasted like in 1901. Dry, peppery, and spicy, the beer is bottle-conditioned to give a fine-textured and fluffy head upon opening. Left to its own devices, the wild yeast present in this beer will render it funky and delightful, and the beer will develop layer after layer of flavor over the years. jollypumpkin.com

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CP: What do you think their kids will be like? Half plastic centaur?

Yeah. I can’t even imagine.

ZC: I mean, people say that love is a form of insanity, right?

Yeah. And I think graffiti becomes an obsession. You do it as something juvenile at first, and then you become a narcissist about it. You’re like, “I just like seeing my name up everywhere, and I want to do it constantly.” And there’s this weird insecure thing that comes, like, “Well, I don’t want anyone to know who I am, but I want them to know my name, this moniker I picked for myself,” and no one will admit that. Some people will, but it does become an obsession, and it’s a very selfish kind of art form.

CP: So it’s hypocritical.

Yeah, it is hypocritical, because you don’t care if it’s lawless as well.

It’s partly a crime that fuels that passion as well, the lawlessness of it, because it is really easy to put your name out there. You could go out there right now and tag a pole, and you’ll get away with it.

CP: And is there a rush in creating that?

Yeah, absolutely. Every crime has a rush. Any time you do anything that you’re not supposed to do is fucking awesome. It feels great, if you get away with it. And then you offer something for the public to see. I’ve gotten away with other crimes, not just graffiti but, like, minor crimes, and it felt kind of like, “Hey, this is kind of fun.”

CP: Is there a guilt associated with graffiti?

Sometimes. I have my own set of rules. I don’t hit not-for-profits.

I don’t hit churches or schools or organizations that are doing good. I just try to hit, like, things that people don’t care about or something ugly. That’s why the train lines are always hit. And backs of buildings no one ever sees, except for commuters. It doesn’t really hurt anyone, necessarily.

CP: Have you ever maliciously tagged anyone?

No, I never hate-graffitied anything. I leave that for swastikas and fucking gangbangers.

ZC: Do you remember your first time?

Yeah. It was stupid. I think it was on a slide, at a park, with a Magnum marker. It was just like, “I want to try to write this name in bubble letters, so let’s see what it looks like on a slide.” I was, like, about eight. But it felt good, you know?

ZC: So now I want to ask you two questions, circling back to social media. One I already know the answer to, but I just want to ask it anyway. What are your thoughts on Yelp?

What’s the second question?

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ZC: The second question is, Do you think the Grubhubs and the DoorDashes are a good thing for food?

I think so. But you have to take it with a grain of salt. Consumers should know that it’s not going to be as good as going to the restaurant, obviously. I hate it when people Yelp about a delivery they got and it was a little cold. I’m like, “You’re a lazy fuck. That’s why it’s cold.” I think Yelp is an extraordinary tool for information, but once you give people a platform to speak on, it’s ruined.

ZC: Lowest common denominator.

Yeah. And the people that use Yelp to threaten a business, to get on their high horse, in a profession they have no idea about, is so aggravating to a small business owner. I have issues with it.

It’s giving them this platform where they become self-appointed experts about things that have nothing to do with the experience.

You can’t give a restaurant one star because you can’t find parking. You ever see the Yelp reviews about state parks? Yosemite got a one-star review because there were too many mosquitoes.

These motherfuckers are reviewing parks and nature. They’re going to start reviewing thunderstorms: “It’s too wet. I give nature one star.” We could post a rebuttal, but it only makes us look bad, because there’s this notion that the customer is right.

CP: They’re ten times more likely to complain about something than actually go on and write a good review, right?

I’ve had terrible meals in my lifetime, but then I’m just like, “Oh, this really sucks. Let’s just go somewhere else.” I don’t get to review their jobs, and they’re basically reviewing our jobs. It’s not the level of expertise you have; it’s the amount of power you have and the followers. People will buy a backpack because some influencer said to, and they just buy it because they’re like, “Oh, this person sounds cool.”

CP: People consider you an influencer. How do you feel about that?

I don’t like the title, but I will say, the more I find out about what influencers are actually supposed to be and what they do, yeah.

I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve connected with many people all across professions, and they’re all good friends, and they all work together now. And, you know, dude, I’ve linked chefs with artists, chefs with other chefs, restaurants, and I get things in motion.

Now they all call each other and hang out.

CP: So you’re saying that influencers connect people to create new things?

Isn’t that what they’re supposed to do and not hit up places for free shit? And to better the community as a whole. Like, there’s this bar I painted up north. They knew I DJ, and they needed DJs. I couldn’t do it, but just because I can’t do it doesn’t mean other

© Won Kim

friends should miss this opportunity, so I do the bookings for them.

ZC: Really?

Yeah. Whenever they ask me, I’m like, “Let me ask these three guys that could do it for you.” And now they can go to this place and DJ whenever they want.

ZC: And you don’t take 10%?

No. No. I should. But I just like seeing people work together, utilize each other’s talents and do something cool with it. I feel like we as creatives, that’s what we’re supposed to do, right, as decent people? I mean, you’re supposed to always look out for one another and not be culture vultures, which is another young person’s term.

CP: So almost like appropriation?

Yeah, in a way. That’s my issue with social networkers and influencers. Every single one I’ve ever met thinks they have something new. But they’re not creating shit. Remember presocial media? It was all word of mouth. It was awesome. You learned about something cool via talking to people. I’m guilty of playing into the game of reaching out to people, but I don’t want to exploit them or have any weird agenda. I just want to smash people together, in a nonsexual way, in a very creative field. This is also how a city functions. It’s a small big city, Chicago.

CP: So were you born here? You’re from here?

I was born in Korea, and we came here in 1980 when I was one.

Well, we lived in Cleveland first and then moved to Chicago. I went to high school in the burbs and then moved right back to the city.

ZC: You cooked a lot with your mom, right, as a kid?

I did. She’s probably my main influence in food. It’s funny, because I was just talking about this yesterday. I remember she was talking bad shit about some of the Korean restaurants that we went to when I was a kid. I was like, “I know you can make it better, but you don’t feel like doing dishes. I totally fucking get it.” She was the one that really was the streamliner for cooking and showing me shit and why you do certain things to make food taste good.

CP: What were your favorite meals of hers?

It was very simple shit. Rice, kimchi, eggs, and she always had a soup. I think that’s way more impressive, the fact that she worked, like, 50, 60 hours a week and still made dinner for the family.

That’s juggling. That’s gangster shit. That’s never sitting down.

CP: What did she do?

Like every other Korean in the ’80s, they worked at a dry cleaner.

My dad actually did embroidery by hand, on hats. He also worked in a flea market. He did well, because he was the only one that did it in the whole city. And that’s where I learned what graffiti

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STORY / ZAC CONNELLY & CHRISTINA PEROZZI

Warning: This article includes explicit language that may be offensive to some readers.

After a couple of rounds with Won Kim, you’re going to want to rethink that whole f-ing life plan thing.

on Kim is a phenom in Chicago. He’s one of the (if not the) leading graffiti artists in the city (his art has also been showcased in galleries). He’s an acclaimed chef who has redefined fusion cuisine by blending two large Chicago diaspora cuisines, Polish and Korean, at his Bridgeport neighborhood restaurant, K I M S K I. But that’s just a part of who Won Kim is. He DJs at major events, he’s a winner of the Food Network show Cutthroat Kitchen (2015), and he’s a champion of homebrewers (whom Kim describes as the “under-underdogs”).

He is a man of contradictions. He’s an obsessive who doesn’t give a shit, a loudmouthed introvert. He’s got a rebellious streak that runs deep, yet he is also deeply reverent of his family’s traditions and what it means to be a Chicagoan.

We met Kim pretty late one evening at the Sportsman’s Club (drinkingandgathering.com), and discussed how he got to be Won Kim over several very well-made classic cocktails.

a piece. I hate hearing the old “Oh, if I had the money.” I’m like, “Bitch, you have the fucking money. You have a goddamn roof over your head. We’re out in public socially, which means you have the money.” My house is full of art that I’ve bought.

Zac Connelly: So every time I come here, I have to order at least one whiskey sour.

I got food poisoning from an egg white whiskey sour before. It was just the worst fucking 24 hours. Thankfully, I shit it all out, all of it.

Food is so fucking dangerous. That’s why I always tell people to buy art. I’m like, “You know that extravagant dinner you just bought for your shitty girlfriend that you’re going to break up with in a month?

You could have saved all that money and had something tangible in your house that you could look at and be like, ‘Man, I’m really glad I spent $400 on this thing that’s still here, that I didn’t flush down.’

“That’s how you buy furniture, right? You save up, and you’re like, “Oh, I’m going to invest in this thing that I’m going to have to live with every day.” That’s how art should be considered. Because most of the time, artists are getting paid $6, $7 an hour to do

CP: So what is it about graffiti for you? You’re doing that for free.

Sometimes. But, see, that’s the passion thing, right? It’s something you want to do, something that you just don’t care if you get paid for. It’s not rational. Someone just told me about a woman that married a fucking carousel. It makes no—

Christina Perozzi: That’s great, because it just seems like the millennial focus is all on experiences, whether it’s vacation or going out for food, but you’re not really left with anything tangible.

Well, that’s where Instagram comes in, right? That’s when social media comes in. That’s the tangible thing now. They record their experiences, and they lie about their experience.

ZC: Yeah, make it shiny.

It’s that one fleeting moment of happiness that they captured, but they’re going back to their mom’s basement, and you’re like, “God, you’re a fucking loser.” That took a dark turn, but it’s kind of true.

CP: I’m sorry, what?

Legit, married a carousel ride. I know. In our minds, that’s so fucking ridiculous, right?

ZC: Good thing she’ll always have that carousel.

Yeah, she rode it once and fell in love with it. That is absolutely 1,000% insane.

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was. A lot of graffiti guys would get their names on their hats, embroidered, and my dad was like, “What does that mean?” I’m like, “I have no fucking clue.” Or gangbangers would come and get, like, their colors.

ZC: So your dad is embroidering gangbangers’ signs.

Yeah. He had no idea. I’m like, “Dad, stop ordering Pittsburgh Pirates hats. Stop ordering black and yellow.” So, yeah, we were on the edge of West Rogers Park, so we would get gangbangers, which is good, because we got exposed to all of them, so we knew all the colors.

ZC: Were they tagging the shop?

No, surprisingly, they didn’t. They gave my family some shit, but that’s where I learned that work was just normal. You work every fucking day, that’s just it. When I saw the kids going off to college in other towns, I’m like, “Well, I’ve got to stay to help my parents.”

CP: I read that you went to Le Cordon Bleu, but you did it just because your friends were doing it. When you were cooking with your mom, did you ever have that epiphany

ZC: Really?

Yeah. This was when Thai food was really popular and people didn’t know the benefits of Korean food. I was like, “If you open it, I will fucking quit school and work there.” My brother was like, “I’ll manage the numbers.” And she was like, “Oh, it’s too much of a gamble. I want to make sure you guys have money.” And then once I opened, she was like, “All right, now I can live vicariously through you and tell you your food sucks.”

ZC: So now I want to talk about beer a little bit. I met you back at Whole Foods, in the late 2000s, and you were doing Brewhaha (windycitybrewhaha.com) even back then, right?

Yeah, I was doing home-brew events a while ago, and it was just another weird, creative, illegal way to showcase my friends.

I had their beer, and I was like, “How do we get this beer to my other beer-nerd friends? This is when craft beer was on the brink of explosion. Brewhaha started off with one brewery, Lodi (loditaphouse.com), and we did it in my friend’s backyard. No one else was highlighting these guys that work super hard. Again, we go back to no payment, just passion, right? I was like, “Because you guys are doing it out of pocket, I’ll make some food for it,

I THINK THAT’S WAY MORE IMPRESSIVE, THE FACT THAT SHE WORKED, LIKE, 50, 60 HOURS A WEEK AND STILL MADE DINNER FOR THE FAMILY. THAT’S JUGGLING. THAT’S GANGSTER SHIT. THAT’S NEVER SITTING DOWN. of like, “Oh, I want to do this,” or was it one of those things that just happened?

You know, it’s funny, because I have another weird memory of how we grew up on government cheese and— ZC: What?

Government-issued food, which is, in my opinion, fucking delicious, and I will to this day defend the cheese. I would pretend I was a short-order cook and make grilled cheeses. But I never, ever wanted to open a restaurant, or if I did, I was like, “I just want to open something that has four seats so I don’t have to deal with that bullshit.” Like the little stand my mom used to have in Korea.

CP: Oh, what did she cook?

Street foods, snacks, stuff like that. And then when she moved here, she was like, “That’s not going to make it here.” She actually had an opportunity to open a Korean restaurant back in the early ’90s—in Wrigleyville, of all places.

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and we’ll invite our friends and see where it goes.” We did the first party, and a lot of people came out, because I think they were tired of drinking crap beer like blueberry-maple stout with, like, a duck’s dick in it. They just want a good fucking beer. And all of a sudden I became this weird unofficial curator for home-brewed beers. And then it blew the fuck up. It got too big for this guy’s house in Humboldt Park, so I found art galleries to host these illegal parties. Greg Koch from Stone Brewing (stonebrewing.com) was like, “This is the best beer rave I’ve been to.” Living my best influencer life again, I held a home-brewing competition, and the winner brewed a beer with Stone and Two Brothers (twobrothersbrewing.com). That’s how the Dayman IPA came about, and it’s insane that we went from, like, fifty attendees to, like, 400, and it was still an underground event. And then what’s unfortunate and fortunate is all these homebrewers started working with each other, and now they’re all fucking co-brewers—Spiteful (spitefulbrewing.com), 18th Street Brewery (18thstreetbrewery.com), Aleman (alemanchicago.com). Brewers went to Revolution (revbrew.com), some went to Goose Island

(gooseisland.com), some went to fucking Half Acre (halfacrebeer. com), and these are all guys that used to do my events.

That led to a lot of pop-ups, and the idea was to put it out there to showcase this weird hybrid.

CP: My husband is Latvian, Eastern European, and we have a lot of Polish friends. You’re not Polish at all. So how did Kimski gel?

It really was easy, as my business partner is Korean-Polish. Maria’s (community-bar.com/kimski) had these Monday things where they cooked packaged Polish sausages, and if you bought a PBR, you’d get a free Polish. Other cooks would come in and be like, “I can make my own kimchi, or I can make mustard for you,” blah, blah. They ran with the idea, and then I jokingly “deconstructed” a Polish sausage dish for them, because there were freeloading assholes who were taking three or four sausages. I’d plate it for them, and that would be the only thing they’d get until they bought another drink. I regulated that shit, and they were like, “We’re opening a spot and we need a chef.” I was like, “Hell no.”

And then I went back, and they were like, “You know, we’re still opening this thing.” I’m like, “I have no desire to open a restaurant.”

Then I got fucking hammered, and they asked me again, and I was like, “Yeah, okay, fine. I have nothing going on. Sure, let’s do it.”

CP: To me it’s not super weird. Russia borders Korea, and the food—the pickled carrots with a little bit of spice that is Korean influenced—is quintessentially Russian.

That’s what I thought, too. I mean, every core culture has a dumpling, has rotting vegetables that are salty and vinegary, and they utilize everything they can. That’s how creative food is, you know? I think it’s great what Korean food has become. It’s like fucking upscale. I remember a Polish friend was like, “Man, thank you for making Polish food popular again,” because, as you know, we’re the second-largest Polish population outside of probably Warsaw. But all these Polish restaurants have been around for decades but never get highlighted.

[Ordering another round of drinks.]

ZC: What’s the most gratifying part and the least gratifying part of Kimski?

Knowing that people can live off of working there. I’m an advocate for fair wages and good quality of life, and I think I provide that for them, hopefully. And I love feeding friends. The least gratifying is—I don’t think there’s anything really that bad. Well, I hate customers still—I mean, the general public. They’re the fucking worst.

[Drinks are delivered.]

ZC: Were you guys popular immediately?

There was a lot of hype built around this. There was an onslaught of fusion restaurants. Then we presented this weird concept.

People really bought into it, because they loved Maria’s already.

No one knew who the fuck I was. I was the help. I was never in the forefront. I never wanted to be. You know, the graffiti mentality, where it’s, like, you know, you do baller shit but don’t let anyone know who you are.

CP: It’s so strange to think that graffiti mentality and the chef mentality are exactly the same.

I don’t like being in the spotlight.

CP: Up-and-coming chef/restaurants in Chicago that you’re a fan of?

Bayan Ko (bayankochicago.com). Lawrence is definitely not an upand-coming chef, but he opened up a Filipino-Cuban restaurant, which is fantastic. I like S.K.Y. (skyrestaurantchicago.com) and Entente (ententechicago.com)—fucking awesome restaurant, Brian Fisher. I worked with him a lot as well.

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CP: Your favorite cocktail in Chicago. Where, and what is it?

Can I give you a couple? The Old-Fashioned in Maria’s.

Sportsman’s—best cocktails, I would say. Victor Bar (thevictorbarchicago.com) up north. Delicious.

ZC: What’s the best fast-food restaurant, and what’s your standard order?

Redhot Ranch, half pound of fried shrimp and Chicago dog, everything.

CP: Your thoughts on hot dogs in general?

I’ve softened up over the years about people that aren’t from here that put ketchup on hot dogs, but if you’re from here and you rep Chicago hard as fuck, you can’t put ketchup on it. I’m sorry.

ZC: Who do you really respect with what’s going on currently with craft beers in Chicago?

I do like Marz (marzbrewing.com). They’re the quintessential DIY success story, I feel, like, of getting the word out. And Middle Brow (middlebrowbeer.com). I fucking love Middle Brow.

ZC: And then what’s your go-to big beer? Don’t say Goose Island. Are you, like, a High Life guy? Are you a PBR guy?

I don’t drink beer as often these days, but I fucking do love High Life. I do love a good sour. Sours are my go-to these days. Marz

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makes a lot of good sours, or Berliner Weisse. I like Berliners.

Anything that’s kind of tart and acidic is my favorite. They’re way more accessible.

CP: Who are your favorite purveyors in Chicago?

I like the small farms. I like guys that have that DIY spirit. Those are the guys you have to support. I mean, those are the guys that are really struggling, that really have a passion, you know? You can’t make a lot of money growing fucking arugula. But if you make good arugula, because we use a lot of arugula, I’ll buy it in that garbage bag. It looks weird, but hopefully the garbage bag isn’t used. We’ll have to wash it. It’s not a big deal.

CP: Who has the best Korean barbecue?

Pro Samgyubsal in Northbrook.

CP: What’s your definition of a Chicagoan?

Over-prideful of their city, blue-collar. These are things that come to mind, rather than describing—blue-collar, overworked, always the hardest-working person, no matter where they are. Yeah, and just extremely prideful in general, and kind of thick-skinned, and sarcastic.

ZC: Back to the DJ thing. Tell me how that started.

I went to a lot of hip-hop parties when I was younger, and it was

one of those things that, as a youth, you find a niche and you roll with it, right? Punk rock kids go to punk rock shows. I went to break dancing things, did graffiti, hung out with a lot of black kids and Latinos, and they all made fun of me for being Chinese. That’s what they thought I was. Talk about being thick-skinned, man.

And my friends were all DJs when I was doing graffiti. They didn’t break dance and shit. I chose to go that route.

CP: So how did you—why and how?

We threw a party at my apartment, as college kids do, and my friends left their turntable on the kitchen floor. My brother and I were looking at it like cavemen, just crouching and touching it. I was like, “Oh, my God, what is this?” We set up the speakers around it on the kitchen floor. We just didn’t know what it was.

And then my brother and I went out and bought records. (Long before that, by eighth grade, I was already working in my dad’s store to save up, and go to the next stall over, which sold mixtapes and graffiti mixtapes.) And I got obsessed. We set up the turntable in my brother’s bedroom, and I literally would buy a record almost every day, because at the time, singles were, like, $5.39 at Gramaphone. This whole other world opened up. It was a fake-ituntil-you-make-it type thing.

My first real DJ gig was a loft party that my brother threw. I DJ’d on Gemini turntables and a Gemini mixer, on a washer and

dryer, and luckily no one was doing laundry. That was a fucking train wreck. I didn’t know how to blend records but I already loved music and the joy it brought people.

ZC: So one thing informed the other.

A little bit of effort, a little bit of dedication and obsession, led to gigs and being like, “How do I get to the point where I might die from not sleeping and just constantly mixing?” It was an epiphany when I actually blended two records together. That’s when everything I ever made money-wise was like records, records, records, records, records, records, records.

ZC: Where do you think hip-hop is now?

It’s honestly just, like, having fun. I mean, they look a little weird, but I don’t want to be that old guy that’s like, “Yeah, music these days sucks.” Commercial music and pop music has always been the same to me. It’s always been shit. It’s always been for the masses. But these days, at least it’s a little catchier. Even as an older person, I appreciate Drake.

CP: So what are you going to do next?

I don’t know what’s next, honestly. I think these days I’m just living by the opportunity, and if something presents itself, that’s awesome. I just take it, you know, as it comes.

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pitchfork STORY / ERIKA WOJNO

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Music editor Erika Wojno gives the word on this year’s must-see/ must-hear list.

(Don’t even think about leaving home without protective ear gear.)

PITC HFO RK MUSIC FE ST IVA L Friday, July 19 through Sunday, July 21 Goose Island beers will be available at vendor locations throughout the festival; special releases, like the Parquet Courts collab, and other limited releases will only be available at the Goose Island booth. Union Park, 1501 West Randolph Street, pitchforkmusicfestival.com

PA R QUET CO URTS

LOW

R O BYN

Interested in both underground and a little more mainstream rock? This is by far the band I’m most excited to see at this year’s festival. Kinda punk, kinda twangy, and definitely scratchy, these guys rule.

Something about Parquet Courts’ unique style evokes sounds of another era.

I’ll be grabbing a beer when Low hits the stage and setting up my blanket (JK, I don’t do that, but you get my drift). Check them out while you take a moment to recharge.

Double Negative brings an almost eerie yet otherworldly sound with creepy rhythmic digital interludes, driving drums, an everpresent base, and the harmonious lyrics of Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk. Yes!

Maybe it’s ’90s nostalgia, maybe it’s the comeback, maybe it’s the relatable lyrics.

Whatever the reason, you know we’re all showing up for Robyn at Pitchfork. A welldeserved top ten contender on NPR’s Best Albums of 2018 (No. 7), Robyn’s Honey is sure to draw a people-watching-worthy crowd. And lots of neon.

Sound Check “Human Performance” and “Almost Had to Start a Fight/In and Out of Patience” are on my hope-to-hear list.

Pairing As we go to print, Goose Island brewers are working on a special collab beer with Parquet Courts that will be released at Pitchfork. Dank? Bitter? Citrusy? We’re guessing it will be as unique as the bands.

Sound Check I’ll be waiting for “Always Trying to Work It Out,” and maybe if we’re lucky, the band will perform one of their famed cover songs.

Pairing An homage to Chicago-based Twin Peaks’s (twinpeaksdudes.com) favorite beers (Modelo, Pacifico, and Sol), Natural Villain was the 2016 Goose band collab for Pitchfork.

The crisp lager, rereleased in 2019, is my pick for taking a (relatively) mellow moment with Low.

Sound Check Don’t let the heart-wrenching lyrics fool you—“Dancing on My Own” is sure to rev up some pretty neat dance moves.

Pairing A crisp and refreshing fruit ale with tangy passion fruit and sweet pineapple notes feels just like what this neon-infused crowd needs. SPF (Saison Passion Fruit) is a new release available nationwide.

M AVIS STAPL ES

KURT VI LE

WH I T N EY

Gotta show some love for this Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legend. I’ll be stopping by Mavis Staples’s performance to absorb her throaty, robust voice and gospel songs. And let’s admit it: This is as close as we’re getting to church this weekend…

Whether sitting in the grass or smoking it, please show up (at least physically) for the casual and nonchalant likes of Kurt Vile. The former lead guitarist for the rock band The War on Drugs, Vile is clearly influenced by Tom Petty in his solo works.

After the 2016 release of Light Upon the Lake, I was one of those who jumped on the Whitney bandwagon. They’re always a crowd-pleaser, with a sound that incorporates a touch of folk but clearly has been influenced by Chicago soul (as evident in their debut single, “No Woman”).

Sound Check Staples has had a long list of collaborators throughout her career, so maybe we’ll be graced with a Jeff Tweedy appearance, or I’d love to see another Chicago artist jump onstage with her for a joint tune or two.

Sound Check Let’s hope the singersongwriter plays “Pretty Pimpin” or “Bassackwards” OR does a version of one of the songs he recorded with Courtney Barnett for their album Lotta Sea Lice.

Pairing Swing by the VIrtue booth for Michigan Brut, a dry cider made with handpressed heirloom apples and aged in French oak barrels; it was also released nationwide earlier this year. The crisp, complex, and subtly tart cider feels like an apt toast to Ms. Staples.

Pairing A tribute to the new age of IPAs, Next Coast has plenty of hops character balanced by a noticeable malt middle and tropical notes. I’m taking this beer on my next PNW vacay with Kurt Vile.

Sound Check The big question: Will Whitney treat their hometown audience to some new tunes?

Pairing Our version of a summer ale, 312 Urban Wheat was inspired by Chicago.

And like the city that hosts Pitchfork, this riff on an English-style summer sipper is densely populated with hops, fruit-forward flavor, and a spicy character.

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STORY / JESSE VALENCIANA

We’re just here to do the shuffleboard shuffle…

From Chicago to Brooklyn, shuffleboard is leaving cruise ships and upstate summer camps for a hipster haven near you. What once was a punch line to a geriatric joke is becoming the sexy option for those looking to join weekday rec leagues fueled by chic cocktails and craft beers. (Fine.

“Sexy” might be a stretch, but it sounds sexier.)

DU E L I N G BOA R DS There’s no “chicken or egg” debate when it comes to shuffleboard. Table shuffleboard, that game you decide to play at taverns when you’re four beer/shot combos deep, wins the “who's first” game over the deck version.

Table shuffleboard was born in 15th-century England in public houses (local watering holes); the game later caught on in Colonial America with the arrival of British soldiers. It is played with coins that each player pushes with their hands into a scoring area at the opposite end of the table.

Deck shuffleboard first appeared in the 1840s on the ships of P&O Cruises, formerly known as Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O was a postal shipping company before offering the first vacation cruises). It is said that this version of the game was created by the ships’ recreation directors who were tasked with coming up with new (and exciting!) games for passengers.* Players used a long cue stick to slide weighted colored discs into scoring areas, which were delineated by markings on the ship’s deck or, today, the court. With an audience in hand, deck shuffleboard (also known as floor shuffleboard) was on its way to premier leisure-sport status.

*One can only imagine that any over-the-hill folks on Caribbean cruise ships rejoiced; finally a movement-based activity that required little to no movement! And it could be played by those closer to life’s grand exit sign, giving calisthenics and chair yoga a run for their money.

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COMING ASHORE By 1913, the craze for listless games had caught the eye of bored Floridians. Shuffleboard courts were built at Daytona Beach resorts and in retirement villages, kicking off a fad that swept across the country. Shuffleboard clubs included the aptly named St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club (creative names were at an all-time low during this time, apparently).

The largest and most successful amateur club had upwards of 5,000 members who played on 110 private courts.

Covered grandstands awaited spectators who came to watch the games. Although not as robust as it once was, the club still has 65 operable courts.

The St. Petersburg club was also responsible for establishing the rules that would become the standards for the game in 1924. Five years later, the National Shuffleboard Association was born; the first national tournament was held in 1931. Women didn’t wait to claim their court time. The first national women’s shuffleboard tournament took place in 1932.

CUE TIME’ S UP The 1950s were the absolute heyday for shuffleboard. The game mirrored the social environment of the nation, which led to an influx of shuffleboard-equipment manufacturers who, it seems, spent their marketing dollars supporting tournaments all over the country. The Beatles-loving 1960s sports crowd would prove to be the opposite of those 1950s Elvis Presley fans, and the popularity of the sport tanked. Shuffleboard league disputes and infighting aided the decline; but the advanced age of the players also likely played a role because, well, old people die and that’s a surefire way to lose a league member. For whatever reason, most shuffleboard leagues and associations completely overlooked the obvious solution: Develop a youth program!

Not to fear, disc-shooting fanatics. Shuffleboard was down but not out. In 1979, a group of enthusiasts founded the International Shuffleboard Association in (wait for it…)

Shuffleboard became so popular that the Works Project Administration (WPA), an employment and infrastructure program created by President Franklin Roosevelt during the bleakest years of the Great Depression, commissioned the construction of numerous shuffleboard courts at playgrounds throughout the country.

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St. Petersburg, Florida. Currently, six countries have national associations: the U.S., England, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and Japan. It stands to reason that unless you are a diehard shuffleboard fan or you’re getting a huge jump on your retirement activity schedule, you likely have never heard of any such leagues.

What is it about shuffleboard?

We asked an avid Chicago shuffleboarder why he is so enthralled with the game.

Probably how approachable it is.

It was really easy to learn, and it can be as competitive or as social as you want it to be. Another draw for me is that it’s only a one-hour commitment per week for nine weeks, whereas something like a bowling league requires three or more hours of game time for thirteen to thirty-two weeks, depending on the league.

—Ben Johnson

LEISURE TIME The game’s street cred would change in 2014, when Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club opened its doors in Brooklyn, New York, exposing the sport to a new generation of folks.

Four years later, a branch opened in Chicago; today, the Windy City’s Royal Palms leagues fill up as quickly as spots are made available. At games, there are guest food trucks (naturally) and plenty of good drinks.

New York and Chicago are not alone in their newfound leisure-sport love. You have places like Atlanta that are getting into the game at the Painted Duck nightclub (thepaintedduckatl.com). At the new Pins Mechanical Company (pinsbar.com) in Cincinnati, a bowling alley with a variety of other games, the basement boasts shuffleboard courts and booze-spiked shaved ice. If the great outdoors is more your style, check out the new generation of summer rec leagues, like the weeknight (cocktail-hour!) gatherings at St. Louis’s Steinberg Skating Rink in Forest Park (steinbergskatingrink.com/shuffleboard).

Whichever setting you choose, in this seriously fun game (and one that requires little physical exertion, a win-win when eating and drinking), you have a recipe for success that’s sure to keep the sport alive and well for generations of leisure-sports fans to come!

Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club

D I S C S

C U E

COURT & EQUIPMENT • •

•

•

Standard outdoor shuffleboard courts are rectangular shaped (52 feet long by 10 feet wide).

Both ends of the court have a baseline and a scoring triangle painted on the surface that is divided into five sections; each is marked with a set number of points.

Below the triangle is an area marked “10 Off” (see Scorecards section). Dead lines (discs that rest on a line are not scored) mark the 12-foot section in the middle.

The eight standard multicolored, weighted discs used during play are 6 inches in diameter and between 9/16and 1-inch thick. The traditional colors are yellow and black; other colors are acceptable. Four discs should be lighter in color; the other four, a darker color.

Each player uses a cue stick (a pole with two prongs at the end) to push the discs. The cue may be no longer than 6 feet, 3 inches.

HOW TO PL AY •

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Shuffleboard is played in half rounds, with two or more players alternating using the cue to slide discs from

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•

•

the 10 Off section of one end of the court toward the scoring triangle at the other end each half round.

Yellow plays first (teams should roshambo for it, but it’s not required).

Discs that don’t reach the far dead line or those that slide past the 10 Off section are removed from play, as are those that are played illegally. All other discs stay in play.

The goal is to score points with your own discs while knocking your opponent’s discs into the 10 Off area or keeping them from scoring.

SCO R ECA R DS •

• • •

Scores are tallied at the end of each half round. Players get the marked number of points for any disc fully within a section of the scoring triangle.

Discs that rest on a line are not scored. Any disc that sits within the 10 Off area has 10 points deducted.

The game continues until one player reaches 75 points.

Once that number is reached, play continues until the end of the half round. If another player also reaches or exceeds 75 points, the person with the highest score at the end of the half round wins.

MISE 2.0

The Knife Bag, Redefined. hedleyandbennett.com | @hedleyandbennett

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YOU OTTO KNOW STORY / ERIKA WOJNO

hen ideating about our upcoming launch of Born + Raised (our brewers’ take on a cream ale), we wanted to think of ways in which we could truly make this a beer from Chicago, for Chicago. Since there are more breweries here than in any other city in the U.S., we knew we had to do something that would make the project stand out; thus the idea of collaborating with local artists was born.

Nate Otto struck me as someone whose work reflects city life: His paintings and drawings are colorful, abstract, idiosyncratic (oh hi, Guilty! I stole that page from Nate’s book; check out nateotto.com). As an artist using wood as a canvas, Nate seemed like a rad fit. Plus, he is humble and easy to work with on projects, and his Ukrainian Village studio is a quick two-mile jaunt from our Fulton Street Brewery. He was the perfect artist to design the first run of tap handles for Born + Raised.

That being said, we’re all excited for both this project with Nate to come to life around town, as well as the beer itself. Over the course of the month while Nate was working on the tap handles, I met up with him to talk about his art— naturally, over a beer.

So, first, can you speak about your journey to becoming an artist now that you’re doing it full-time?

It’s been a long path. I have always been an artist, but I’ve been a full-time artist for only about seven years. It was a conscious decision on my part; I decided I wanted to put my efforts toward something that I really wanted to do, toward my calling. The only real secret I’ve found is just to make a lot of work and try really hard. Yeah, I’ve had some advantages in life, but when it comes to getting people to pay attention to your art, making a lot of work helps and is really the key.

When I see younger artists ask for advice, that’s really the main thing I want to impart. [You] just have to do it. That’s more important than anything else.

Just take the time and put the effort into it.

You’ve got to—like, you know, people want a shortcut.

And it’s not like I’m this all-successful person, but I’ve managed to make a living out of it. And you know, it just happened because I made the effort and I made work that was marketable. I know some artists who are really great

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artists, but their work is maybe a little bit harder for a broad audience. So that has to come, you have to consider all those things. I’m fortunate that what I naturally want to make is something that seems to appeal to a large audience.

It’s great.

Yeah. You know, urban living. I live in Chicago, and I’ve been in Chicago for my entire adult life, pretty much. That’s a conscious decision, and thus, everything. I think I’m a connoisseur of music and film and literature, and all that stuff plays a part.

Do you have any key artistic influences?

I’m going to go out of order, because my other question was “Do you listen to music while you paint?” But you’re listening to music right now. What’s on your playlist?

Some of my favorite artists go back to when I was a kid.

Basquiat, Paul Klee, you know. Then more recently, Barry McGee and Tony Fitzpatrick, my friend across the hall.

Yeah, I’ve always looked at a lot of art and been interested in art. I didn’t always know I was going to be able to make a career out of it, but it’s always been a central part of my life.

I’m influenced by people all the time. And when I hear that people are influenced by me, I’m flattered by it.

What inspires you besides other artists? Are you ever influenced by the city itself? Obviously, you have all these buildings in your work.

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I really listen to everything. I know that’s a stupid answer, but right now we’re listening to Car Seat Headrest. It’s the dumbest name for a band, but they’re really good.

They’re so good.

Yeah, I’ve just always been a music head. I’ll be listening to hip-hop really loud one minute and then, like, pop music the next and country music the next. I really listen to everything.

What’s your dream project?

I think I’m living my dream project, really. All I’ve ever wanted was to be able to make art all the time, and that’s what I’m doing. And I really don’t see any difference between doing stuff for a client, if it’s what I’d naturally be doing anyway, or just doing stuff on my own. It’s just like what I’m doing for you guys [at Goose Island].

I’m doing it for you and with you in mind, but it’s also what I want to be doing. I’m doing my own style, my own thing. And this is my office, and that’s fucking great. Just the fact that I can come in here and work on art all day, that’s a dream come true.

So, two more questions. First, do you drink beer?

I do drink beer. The first time I met you guys—you can delete this out—I was a little embarrassed because I thought I maybe came across way too enthusiastic about beer, like Brett Kavanaugh weirdo about beer. But, yes, I do like beer. I don’t think I’m a beer snob, really.

Mexican lagers are often my go-to.

Well, then, we should have brought some Natural Villain.

We’ll get you next time. Do you have a favorite spot in Chicago, like a hangout spot, restaurant, venue, any of that kind of stuff?

Yeah, fortunately for me, what I like to do best is draw, so the winter doesn’t really bother me that much. I can just stay home and draw. But I do get out. My wife loves Big Star (bigstarchicago. com) and we always go there. You know, I get around the city, but there isn’t one favorite spot of mine particularly.

Okay. I’m going to throw in an impromptu: You have tattoos of your art on your arm. Are you stick and poking those? Or who do you give your art to who then tattoos you?

These are all done by friends. I kind of feel like a jerk asking them to tattoo my own designs, but they’ve all been receptive to it. My friend Casey Sass (caseysass.com) has done a bunch of them. He’s down in Austin, Texas, but he used to live here. And my friends over at Brown Brothers (brownbrotherstattoo.com) have done a few of them.

Over on California Avenue?

Yes. And Max [Brown] was just in here the other day. So, yeah, I like to go to friends, but I do kind of feel like a jerk, because they’re all great artists in their own right. I kind of feel like a jerk asking them to do my designs, but that’s what I’m going with.

I like to stay close to home.

Well, you get commissioned to do things. You’re commissioning somebody else. All right, cool to chat.

Ukrainian Village is a great neighborhood, though.

Cool.

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© Nate Otto

© Nate Otto

BORN + RAISED In Chicago you hear the phrase “born and

raised” a lot; people around here are proud to be one of the cogs that make this city so great.

During the backbreaking years before the Prohibition era, local blue-collar workers headed out for a cream ale when they finished their shifts. The style was created by Midwestern and East Coast brewers to compete with increasingly popular American-style lagers. Our nod to the beer enjoyed by Chicagoans past is a clean and refreshing ale with a slightly sweet malt body and undertones of corn that complement our signature house yeast flavor.

© Nintendo

SMALL BUT SHINY: A Guide to Pokémon Shiny Hunting STORY / MARQUES SNEAD AKA TRAINER Q

Greetings and congratulations, trainer! So you have reached the endgame of Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu!/Eevee! for the Nintendo Switch, you have collected all eight gym badges, beaten the Elite Four and champion, completed your Pokédex, and received your Shiny Charm. Your adventure does not have to end here. You can now begin to hunt for a Shiny version of your favorite Pokémon!

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DR ES S FO R S U CC E S S

What’s a Shiny Pokémon, you ask? Shiny Pokémon are very rare and have a different color scheme than their standard counterparts. While they do not offer any stat boost, they show off your determination and dedication to being the very best player.

Before I get ahead of myself, introductions are in order. You can call me Shiny Hunter Q. I have been attempting to “catch ’em all” since the franchise was introduced in the mid-1990s.

If you are familiar with the franchise and the games of old, you know that it is a great time to be a Pokémon trainer. Gone are the days of 8-bit black-and-white sprites. We now have gorgeous full-color, 3-D models of our favorite Pocket Monsters. I have not always been a Shiny Hunter, but the reboot of the franchise makes it more fun than ever before to hunt the most elusive of the bunch.

CH AR M SCHOO L While every Pokémon that you encounter in the wild is very unlikely to appear Shiny, over the years new mechanics can increase your chances. Consider that in Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu!/Eevee! the base odds for finding a Shiny is 1/4,096. One hopes that over time and after embarking on a large number of encounters, a player would be lucky enough to find one. That is not quite how it works.

Assume you have a single dice that has 4,096 sides, and any time a Pokémon spawns that dice is rolled. The key is only one side determines whether your Pokémon will be Shiny. While this kind of “full-odds hunting” can be very satisfying, it requires a LOT of time and a LOT of luck. Would you like to learn how to use the mechanics in the game to take those 1/4,096 odds of finding a Pocket Monster all the way down to 1/273? All right, then, let’s get to it.

Before you head out there, make sure you know how to identify each Pokémon Shiny. While some Shiny species visually appear markedly different from their standard counterpart, with others the differences are more subtle. I recommend going online to find pictures of the Shiny variety you would like to seek. Besides color variations, you will be able to recognize a Shiny Pokémon by its “sparkling” quality.

Pro Tip — This should not be confused with the “size” effect, meaning the red sparkle effect given to larger Pokémon and the blue for smaller Pocket Monsters.

SH I N Y C H A R M This charm is an essential component in your Shiny Pokémon strategy. You do not need to complete the story line in order to receive your Shiny Charm; you need only complete your Pokédex.

That may be a tall order, as some Pokémon evolve via trades with other players, while other species are specific to each game. If you have Pokémon Go (2016) for mobile or either version of Let’s Go!, trading is easy. You can also trade via the internet with another trainer to help complete your Pokédex (membership with Nintendo Switch Online is required).

Pro Tip — Once your Pokédex is complete, head to the Game Freak headquarters in Celadon City and locate the game director.

Show him your completed Pokédex and he will give you the Shiny Charm. Remember those odds of 1/4,096? Now, with this little charm all of your wild encounters have a 1/1,365 chance of being a Shiny Pokémon.

LUR E O F T H E H U N T Similar to fishing, the Lure in Pokémon draws a greater number of both stronger and rare Pokémon for a predetermined number of steps. (Available at Poké Marts; the price and steps have three varieties: standard, super, and max.) When you are in an area where wild Pokémon can be caught, head to your inventory and select and use the Lure. When you have reached the maximum number of steps, you will be notified that the Lure has expired and prompted to use another if available.

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Pro Tip — You’ll want to keep both the Shiny charm and a Lure sprayed around you while searching. Your odds that your next encounter will be a Shiny Pokémon increase to 1/1,024.

C- C- COM BO BREA K ER Unlike in the 1990s arcade game Killer Instinct (Midway/ Nintendo), you will not want to break any Catch Combos while Shiny hunting. The Combo mechanic rewards you for consecutively catching the same species of Pocket Monster. In Let’s Go!, wild battles work differently than in previous games, which required battling wild Pokémon to weaken and capture them. Now you are simply armed with your Poké Balls and Berries, just like in Pokémon Go. Pro Tip — For every ten Pokémon of the same species that you catch, you receive an increased XP (experience points, or what you need to collect in order to level up your Pokémon) per catch, as well as increased Shiny odds (maxing out at a Combo of thirtyone). So, after you have acquired the Shiny Charm and Lure, AND consecutively catch eleven of the same Pokémon, your odds of catching a Shiny Pokémon increase to 1/585.

G R EAT BALLS O F FIRE The Poké Ball is also essential for capturing Pokémon Shiny. In fishing terms, you are far less likely to haul in a fish without a line or reel. In the game, you will be forced to run from a wild Pokémon you encounter if you do not have any Poké Balls in your inventory, so be sure to stock up. Like Lures, they can be purchased at Poke Marts and range in price and efficiency—from the standard Poké Ball to the coveted Master Ball. The latter cannot be purchased (the Master Ball is a “free” gift; look for it on the ground in the Cerulean Cave). An Ultra Ball, also useful, has the highest efficiency of any Ball you can purchase.

Pro Tip — For every purchase of ten or more of the same Ball type, you will receive one free Premier Ball. It has the same general benefits as a standard Poké Ball but looks a little cooler; it is my Ball of choice when I finally encounter the Shiny. Unlike the standard Poké Ball, the Premier Ball is all white (a little more aesthetically pleasing to me) but it also has the same odds as a standard Poké Ball and increases the difficulty and satisfaction of the catch.

three different berry types at various levels (standard, silver, and gold), each with unique benefits. Razz Berries are used to make Pokémon easier to catch (each Poké Ball becomes more effective).

Nanab Berries will reduce how much a wild Pokémon can move around and attack during encounters. Pinap Berries increase the likelihood that a wild Pokémon will be carrying Candies (treats fed to your Pocket Monster to increase their stats) and Berries when captured.

Pro Tip — Neither Berries nor Candies can be purchased.

Each can be found in a variety of ways, including by catching a wild Pokémon. Neither affects your Shiny odds.

LO CAT I O N , LO CAT I O N , LO CAT I O N As in real estate, location is everything when it comes to Shiny hunting. In Pokémon, you will travel across the lands, searching far and wide for Pocket Monsters, but make sure you choose a good place to begin hunting. I prefer those with high spawn areas, diversity, and resetting ease.

A high spawn area refers to how many Pokémon will likely appear within a given space. The more spawns, the more dice rolled, and thus the better odds of one being Shiny. In Poké-speak, diversity means how many different species and elemental family types (Fire, Rock, et al.) appear. Resetting ease is the ability to exit a location and enter a new one, which causes spawning.

PAT I EN C E I S A VI RTU E So you now have all the tools you need to complete your Shinydex. Go out there and catch your Shiny guys, because that’s your real test. And to train them is your cause!

Remember, while you can encounter a Shiny early in the game, it is highly unlikely that you will finish a hunt quickly. So set aside plenty of time, throw on some tunes, and grab your favorite beverage before embarking on your journey!

B E RRY NICE TO MEET YOU As your Combo grows, the strength of the Pokémon species you are trying to catch will simultaneously increase. A little sweet treat like Berries can help coax them back to you. There are

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T R A I N E R Q’ S G A M E - D AY P I C KS More Roy by Roy Kinsey Virtue Cider Michigan Cherry

COM BO TIPS As you increase your Combos, you will be rewarded with more perfect IVs (individual values), with a max of four perfect IVs at thirty-one or greater. All Pokémon have six stats, which vary slightly among Pokémon but are determined (you guessed it!) by each stats’ individual value. A higher IV means your Pokémon will have higher stats and be stronger than a counterpart of the same species with lower IVs. You will also earn a chance to find the species that you are trying to catch for the Combo with five or six perfect IVs. (IVs and battling are a lesson for the Battle Master Q, so we’ll save that for another day.) Maintaining this Combo is important. You can unintentionally break the Combo (and you will have to start over) in several ways.

1. Catching a different species. Keep in mind that even though it is tempting to catch a different species of Pokémon, you need to stick to the same species within the same evolutionary line. For example, combining Caterpies, then catching a Metapod or even a Butterfree, will break your Combo.

2. Consolation prize. If your Combo is broken because you caught another species, everything’s not lost if 1) you have found the target Shiny and encounter a new Shiny or 2) you encounter a different Shiny before finding your target. Some players subscribe to the school of thought that no Shiny should ever be left behind. If you are searching for a specific species but find a different Shiny before encountering your target, you must attempt to catch that Shiny (you can only flee if it appears unruly and likely to run).

3. Fleeing wild Pokémon. If any wild Pokémon you engage flees from you during an encounter, your Combo will be broken. But if

you run from an encounter, your Combo will remain intact. It will be necessary at times for you to flee, such as when you encounter a different species. It is also important to know when any species is about to flee. Most Pokémon have two animations—basically an “attack” response and a “screw you guys, I’m going home!” mode.

When you see the latter, you want to either lob one additional Ball at the wild Pokémon (for the chance to catch it) or run immediately in order to keep your Combo intact.

4. Turning off the software. Additionally, if you close or restart the software, turn off or restart your Switch, or close the software and start different software, your Combo will be broken. Putting your Switch in sleep mode will NOT break this Combo, so if you need or want a break from gaming, simply put your Switch in sleep mode so you can return later and pick up where you left off.

Now we can start to cook with fire (I choose you, Charizard!), and you will be rewarded with an increased rate in which the Pokémon you are Combo-ing will appear. (The exception is rare spawns, meaning only one of the species will spawn at a time.) You will see another bump in Pokémon appearances when twenty-one of the same species are caught, and the final bump when you have thirty-one; your chances of seeing a Shiny will now be 1/273.

Once you have reached thirty-one catches, ALL wild Pokémon that you encounter will have this Shiny rate, in essence giving you a “two-for-one” opportunity. Also, if you chain up to thirtyone species and subsequently catch a Shiny of the same species, your Combo will remain intact and you can continue to hunt for a different Shiny at this increased rate.

Pro Tip — A Combo chain greater than thirty-one does not increase your spawn, Shiny rate, or IV, so there is no need to catch more (unless you are hunting for a specific Nature or speciesspecific Candy).

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TRAINER Q’S FAVORITE HUNTING LOCATIONS

Viridian Forest You will encounter this lush mecca early in the game. It features nine different species—everything you would expect to find in a Pokémon forest: bugs, plants, birds, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur (the rare spawn). It also has the highest max spawn of any location in the game of twenty! Meaning, at any point there can be up to twenty different Pokémon walking around in Viridian.

Pro Tip — Because this forest is so large, it is simple to walk to a different area and force additional spawns to appear.

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Rock Tunnel This dark tunnel requires your Pokémon partner to know the secret technique Light Up (an illumination feature), but Rock Tunnel can still be navigated without it. (Shiny hunting in the dark is a fun twist, too.) It is a cavernous tunnel that features ten different species, including Rock, Ground, Fighting, Poison, Normal, and Charmander—one of my alltime-favorite rare spawns.

Pro Tip — Here you can accumulate up to ten Pokémon spawns at one time; like the forest, the tunnel is a large space with many rooms and ladders to help expedite the hunt by resetting your route.

Pokémon Road (Route 17) Another great spot for hanging out, this road features multiple encounter possibilities, with a spawn rate of eleven—eight on the ground and three in the sky—as the maximum. There are twenty different species in the wild, including Eevee, the incredibly lucky Chansey, and extremely rare spawns that appear in the sky. The three legendary birds—Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres—can spawn in the sky (as well as Charizard and Dragonite)!

Pro Tip — This is a very long road, so walking up and down from one patch of grass to the next is a great way to reset the spawns.

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STORY / CHRISTINA PEROZZI

S U PPL I ES • • •

In Chicago the biggest roadblock to our ability to grow more than a pot or two of rosemary is the lack of space. If you also live in a tight urban space, make a vertical herb garden. Problem solved. You can use almost anything that you might fish out of a community recycle bin: an old dresser, trellis, a piece of wood fencing. We made ours out of something we always have plenty of in the beer business: a wooden pallet.

•

1 Pallet 1 Roll landscape fabric 2 Large bags (2 cubic feet each) goodquality potting soil 14 to 16 Herb seedlings

TO O LS • • • • • • •

Sandpaper Protective gloves & eyewear Circular saw Garden or kitchen scissors Staple gun & staples Box cutter Optional: 4 mounting brackets, one for each corner of the pallet. Use brackets if you want to hang the pallet; I’ll be propping mine against a wall on my balcony.

F I N D A PALLE T Hit up your local craft brewery or any other small business with a shipping-and-receiving warehouse. Or post a request on a neighborhood social media site (nextdoor.com) or another online service to search for free pallets (1001pallets.com).

Pro Tip — Businesses often pay a service to haul off unused pallets. Let them know up front that you’re willing to pick them up.

B U ILD THAT B AD BOY STEP 1. Use the sandpaper to sand away any chipped wood.

Inspect for and remove stray nails, if needed.

Pro Tip — Pallets are built for industrial use. Wear those gloves!

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STEP 2. With a circular saw, cut the pallet vertically on the right or left side of the middle board to create one smaller pallet box. (Put on protective eyewear.)

Pro Tip — If you’d like a larger frame for your garden, use the whole pallet.

STEP 3. Lay the pallet on the ground with the back side (the side with the largest spaces between planks) facing upward.

Pro Tip — This will be the side attached to, or leaning against, the wall.

STEP 4. Pull the landscape fabric snugly across the surface of the pallet. Make sure it covers the entire inside of the front of the pallet. Use scissors to trim the fabric, but leave several excess inches at the top. (You will be filling the soil from here and closing this later.) Staple fabric in place around all edges except at the top.

Pro Tip — Make sure the fabric is tight enough to keep the soil from falling out.

STEP 5. Repeat, this time using a piece of fabric to cover the outside (the back) and the sides of the pallet; it should be completely enclosed (other than still at the top). Staple the sides, bottom, and corners securely. Staple some more, just to be sure. Attach the mounting brackets, if using.

Pro Tip — The more staples, the better! You will be piling in a lot of soil.

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STEP 6. Raise the pallet upright. Fill the opening at the top with potting soil (pack down the soil), making sure to tap the pallet on the ground to level the soil. Fold over the fabric to cover the top and staple shut with the remaining landscaping fabric.

Pro Tip — Before filling, move the pallet to—or close to—the location where you want to use it. The planter will be very heavy once filled with soil.

STEP 7. Place the pallet on the ground. Carefully make slits in the fabric with the box cutter.

The planter pockets should be just large enough for the seedlings to fit inside.

Pro Tip — With a pallet planter this size, you should be able to fit about 4 plants lengthwise in each row.

STEP 8. Transplant a seedling to each planter pocket and water liberally.

Pro Tip — Tuck the plants snugly into the pockets so they don’t fall out when the pallet is lifted.

STEP 9. Place the pallet upright in the desired location.

Pro Tip — Make sure that the pallet gets plenty of sun, and remember to water every day.

STEP 10. Congratulate yourself on a job well done! This project pairs perfectly with a 312 DryHopped or a Natural Villain (Goose Island). Both are refreshing and delicious.

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STORY / GOOSE STAFF

Think Chicagoans only eat deep dish and take selfies next to “The Bean ”? Think again.

you haven’t visited Chicago in a while, you’re in for a real surprise. The food and beer, the art and architecture, and the music are literally world-class. Last year, 58 million visitors took to our streets, making Chicago the secondmost-visited city in the nation (New York City still leads the pack).

Are you traveling to our fair city soon? Those of us at Goose Island want to take you beyond the giant reflecting legume, beyond the Magnificent Mile, beyond the Riverwalk, and beyond the buildings that scrape the sky. We want to make sure that visitors to our hometown actually get to the places where we live, eat, and work. Let us show you what we think you shouldn’t miss.

Let us take you inside the real Chicago.

CULTURAL GEMS A company town–turned–landmark district, Pullman Historic District (11141 South Cottage Grove, pullmanil.org) is lined with impressive row houses and surrounded by scenic Victorian architecture—perfect for an afternoon walking tour. Be sure to swing by Argus Brewery (11314 South Front Avenue, argusbrewery.com) and get yourself a beer because, well, why not? Pullman Historic District

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If you really want to get to know the history of the city we call home, you would be remiss to not pay a visit to the Chicago History Museum (1601 North Clark Street, chicagohistory.org). Formerly the Chicago Historical Society, the museum is an interactive house of Chicago wonderment. Walk through Chicago’s first passenger car to operate on the L system or take a picture of yourself as a Chicago hot dog (not kidding!). Lincoln Park Originally founded in 1857 as the Chicago Academy of Sciences, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (2430 North Cannon Drive, naturemuseum.org) was the city’s first private scientific museum; twelve years later, it became Chicago’s first public museum. At one point, the academy had one of the largest natural history museum collections in the nation (the collection was destroyed a few years later by the Great Chicago Fire).

Nevertheless, the museum and academy are alive and thriving.

Be sure to check out the butterfly haven, with more than 1,000 butterflies of various species, as well as the exhibit of birds from the southern hemisphere. Lincoln Park Maybe you think art museums are “touristy” (you shouldn’t, btw).

Consider our many gems, including The Art Institute of Chicago (111 South Michigan Avenue, artic.edu), a world-class institution

The Green Mill

The Hideout

C.C. Ferns

The Music Box Theater

Garfield Park Conservatory

Lake Street

that is home to iconic works like Grant Wood’s American Gothic, Picasso’s Old Guitarist, and A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat (as featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ). This museum is definitely worth the wander. The Loop

you hear that these days?) top blues venue in the middle of one of Chicago’s uber-hip neighborhoods, but don’t let that fool you.

Rosa’s has been around long before the area was considered upand-coming. Near Northwest Side

Spooky and creepy your thing? At the International Museum of Surgical Science (1524 North Lake Shore Drive, imss.org) you will start your tour in the basement with the wax replica of an old pharmacy. Then as you work your way up, each floor takes you ever closer through the years to modern medicine. At the top, it’s so cramped that it looks like the museum ran out of room and couldn’t decide what to leave out. It’s charming in a B-movie budget kind of way. Gold Coast

T H E AT ER

Cleverly named, the Second Friday’s Pilsen Art Walk (1945 South Halsted Street, chicagoartsdistrict.org) goes down every second Friday (imagine that) of the month. Start at the Info Center, grab a map, and start wandering. The lineup and programming are always changing, so you’ll be sure to see some cool shit. Pilsen

L IVE MUSIC

The Music Box Theater (3733 North Southport Avenue, musicboxtheatre.com), one of the city’s best theaters, still brings in the crowds after ninety years. Film buffs: The theater focuses on independent and foreign films, with plenty of specialty screenings.

Cross your fingers that you’ll even run into the ghost of “Whitey,” the theater’s manager from opening night in 1929 until 1977, who supposedly still lingers in the aisles. Lakeview Some of the best comedians got their start at Second City (1616 North Wells Street, secondcity.com), a Chicago institution, and this place is still overflowing with talent. Go see a show, as you never know who will make it big and you never know who may drop in for a quick set. Old Town

From indie rock shows to live podcast recordings, The Hideout (1354 West Wabansia Avenue, hideoutchicago.com) is your textbook intimate venue. The former Prohibition-era speakeasy up front will remind you of the one in your Uncle Al’s basement, only without the booze and stage just beyond the walls (that would have been nice). Lincoln Park/Bucktown

Remember Shakespeare in the Park? Brave the tourists (but not you, you’re cool) and trek over to Navy Pier for Chicago Shakespeare Theater (800 East Grand Avenue, chicagoshakes. com), an indoor version of those park performances of old. With more than twenty productions a year, along with special events, there is plenty to see (some shows are free). If you’re there on a Wednesday or Saturday night, stay for the free fireworks at the Pier at nine o’clock all summer long! Navy Pier

Whether you wear skinny jeans or prefer to rock a pair of cowboy boots, Empty Bottle (1035 North Western Avenue, emptybottle. com) has been ready to impress since 1992 with honky-tonk happy hours, sludge metal shows, and dance-all-night soul spun on vinyl. Grab something to eat next door at the club’s sister grub station, Bite (1039 North Western Avenue, bitecafechicago.com), before a show. Bring cash; plastic ain’t accepted here. Ukrainian Village

Too Much Light Makes Baby Go Blind began in 1988 as a series of thirty plays performed in sixty minutes by the unconventional theater collective Neo-Futurists (5153 North Ashland Avenue, neofuturists.org). It became the longest-running show in Chicago.

While that production has been retired, the Neo-Futurists are still at it with The Infinite Wretch. Edgewater

No Chicago list is complete without at least one mention of Al Capone. The Green Mill (4802 North Broadway Avenue, greenmilljazz.com) is a jazz spot that Scarface used to frequent because the joint had access to an underground network of tunnels to aid his notorious getaways. Nowadays you can pop in for tasty craft cocktails or some live big-band tunes with some accompanying swing dancing. Cash only! Uptown When you want a REAL Chicago jazz experience, you’re doing it wrong if you’re downtown. Rosa’s Lounge (3420 West Armitage Avenue, rosaslounge.com) is an authentic, family-owned (when do

UR BA N O UT DO O R S In the 234-square-foot concrete jungle that is Chicago, the Garfield Park and Lincoln Park conservatories serve as lush botanical oases. The giant glass enclosure at the Garfield Park Conservatory (300 North Central Park Avenue, garfieldconservatory.org) includes plant species from around the world (tip: the tropical temperatures are a godsend when you’ve spent the day hitting the streets in freezing cold temps); explore the outdoor gardens as well. Going to the Lincoln Park Zoo (2001 North Clark Street, lpzoo.org)? Afterward, head over to the Lincoln Park Conservatory (2391 Stockton Drive,

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lincolnparkconservancy.org) to see the Victorian-era glass house (built between 1890 and 1895) and large formal gardens that actually predate the conservatory itself. Like the zoo (!), both conservatories are free. Garfield Park & Lincoln Park For cemetery types, the Rosehill and Graceland cemeteries on the North Side are sprawling Victorian-era burial grounds. Known as “sister cemeteries,” they include multiple architectural structures that are on the National Register of Historic Places. The grounds of each are meticulously landscaped parks dotted with memorial markers that read like a who’s who of historic Chicago figures.

If you’re on the North Side at Rosehill Cemetery (5800 North Ravenswood Avenue, dignitymemorial.com), walk over to the Fireside Restaurant (firesidechicago.com) across the street (the building that the tavern-style hangout occupies has also been around a while; it has housed a saloon or restaurant since 1904). If you’re at Graceland Cemetery & Arboretum (4001 North Clark Street, gracelandcemetery.org), walk a few blocks south to the Gman Tavern (gmantavern.com) for a beer and some lively times (this building has also been here since the early 1900s). North Side Rent a Divvy bike and ride around the fifteen-acre North Pond Nature Sanctuary (lincolnparkconservancy.org) that surrounds a 130-year-old pond along the Lakefront Trail (chicagoparkdistrict.

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com). It’s a great way to explore Lincoln Park. Just don’t sneak onto LSD (Lake Shore Drive). Lincoln Park/North Side Part of the Chicago park and boulevard system (a collection of historic parks connected by boulevards that extend through the north, west, and south sides), Humboldt Park (1440 North Humboldt Boulevard, West Side, chicagoparkdistrict.com) is the ideal place to have a picnic, rent a swan paddle boat, or take a stroll along a nature trail. At almost 200 acres, the enormous hangout also has plenty of spots to plop down a picnic basket and take in the skyline. The surrounding neighborhood of the same name is filled with fab restaurants and shops (see Best Intersection, p. 59). Humboldt Park/West Side Known by locals as “the point,” Promontory Point (5491 South Shore Drive, chicagoparkdistrict.com) is a man-made peninsula on Lake Michigan (south of downtown) that also offers amazing views of the city and skyline. A nice bike ride from the center of the city, it is just a skip across the road from the Museum of Science and Industry (5700 South Lake Shore Drive, msichicago.org). Hyde Park Just north of Chicago but totally worth the drive, Lighthouse Beach (2611 Sheridan Road, cityofevanston.org) in Evanston sits just beyond a gorgeous mansion that houses the Evanston Art Center (1717 Central Street, evanstonartcenter. org) and an adjacent lighthouse. It’s incredible to visit in the winter when the shore is covered with gigantic ice formations that you can climb. While you’re there, drive up a bit farther to the Baha’i House of Worship (100 Linden Avenue, bahai.us).

It’s one of only ten Baha’i temples in the world that for some reason ended up in Wilmette, Illinois. Regardless of your religious affiliation, take a relaxing stroll around the beautiful and peaceful outdoor gardens. Evanston

FOODIE TOUR Whether you’re here for a quick visit or hanging for a while, keep our “best of” list by your side.

I N T ER SECTION California and Augusta With plenty of shopping nearby, you could spend an entire weekend on this quintessentially Chicago block and never get bored. In between, refuel at Café Marie Jeanne (1001 North California Avenue, cafe-marie-jeanne.com), an all-day Frenchinspired bistro; Rootstock Wine & Beer Bar (954 North California Avenue, rootstockbar.com), a fun hangout with excellent small plates; Dante’s Pizza (2759 West Augusta Boulevard, danteschicago.com), a NYC slice spot with a dive-bar aesthetic; Spinning J Bakery & Soda Fountain (1000 North California Avenue, spinningj.com), a revitalized circa-1928 soda fountain with incredible pies (check out the online BYOB mixer suggestions for the sodas, floats, and shakes); or C.C. Ferns (2806 West Augusta Boulevard, ccferns.com), an adorable coffee and tea shop that stocks treats from sister hangout Doughnut Vault (401 North Franklin Street, doughnutvault.com). At night, check out the The California Clipper (1002 North California Avenue, californiaclipper.com) for live music and a cocktail. Humboldt Park

FARMERS’ MARKETS Green City Market (1817 North Clark, greencitymarket.org) is the largest farmers’ market in town. In winter, the indoor market is held at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (see p. 54).

Check the website for the market pop-up schedule, a familyfriendly museum with both live animal exhibits and natureinspired art and interactive exhibitions. During the warmer months, an outdoor market is hosted on the south end of Lincoln Park. Go early to rub elbows with chefs; this is where the best in the biz source their local ingredients. Keep an eye out for the produce from Mick Klug Farm, Mint Creek Farm, Green Acres Farm, and Nichols Farm & Orchard. Lincoln Park Summer Market: May through October, Wednesdays and Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Logan Square Farmers Market (Logan Boulevard between Milwaukee and Whipple, logansquarefarmersmarket.org) takes up a large section of Logan Boulevard on Sunday in the summer and early fall; go for the produce, stay for the people watching. In addition to typical vendors, there are plenty of restaurants slinging

prepared dishes. Bring a blanket, grab some grub, and listen to a rotating selection of live music. After the market, head to Lula Cafe (2537 North Kedzie Avenue, lulacafe.com) for the fantastic brunch (and dinner) dishes and an early cocktail, or wander north on Milwaukee to Hopewell Brewing (2760 North Milwaukee Avenue, hopewellbrewing.com) for a few beers. Logan Square Summer Market: May 12 through October 27, Sundays (rain or shine), 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

OTHER MARKETS Though not exclusive to Chicago, Eataly (43 East Ohio Street, eataly. com) is pretty much Disney World for people who love to eat and is worth a visit. Hit up the cheese counter and ask the cheesemongers for their most exciting recent finds. (Samples, samples!) River North Make the trek out to Hagen’s Fish Market (5635 West Montrose Avenue, hagensfishmarket.com) if you have the time; you won’t be sorry. The Hagen family has been operating this hidden gem since 1946. The shop features one of the last natural hardwood smokehouses still in operation in Chicago (as in many U.S. cities, new operations are illegal; only those grandfathered in still exist).

Order a sandwich and some smoked lake trout and pickled herring to take home. Portage Park One of the coolest concepts in Chicago, Plant Chicago (1400 West 46th Street, plantchicago.org) is an educational nonprofit housed inside The Plant, a former 93,500-square-foot pork-processing facility that is home to more than a dozen small businesses, including Whiner Beer (1400 West 46th Street, whinerbeer.com) and Pleasant House Bakery (2119 South Halsted Street #1, pleasanthousebakery. com). Each Saturday you can take tours of the site’s aquaponic farm (where fish are raised and plants are grown in water), and a community farmers’ market is held once a month. Be sure to pick up a pastry and beer afterward! Back of the Yards/New City Chicago has these magical places called slashies (when said out loud, it sounds slightly murder-y) that are part liquor store, part bar. Our world is a better place for them. So if you’re stopping in a liquor store to get some beer to go and decide that you’d like a cold one immediately, you can do that here. If you’re in Wicker Park, try Rite Liquors (1649 West Division Street); in Bridgeport, Maria’s Packaged Goods & Community Bar (960 West 31st Street, kimskichicago.com, see p. 17) is a must; and in Humboldt, head over to Ola’s Liquors (947 North Damen Avenue). At GO Tavern & Liquors (3219 West Armitage Avenue, gotavern.com), people are chasing their beers with endless shots of Malört, and if you’re stuck downtown, fear not. Rossi’s (412 North State Street), one of the world’s finest dive bars, is slashie enough to make it on this list. Multiple Hoods

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cruzblanca.com) for a tour wrap-up taco and a “ModMex” beer (stick around for the Aussie stories told by assistant brewer Todd White while downing one of head brewer Jacob Sembrano’s masterful creations). Near West Side

B E ER HANG S The Chicago Brewing District, as it’s affectionately known by locals, is a mecca for beer fans, as it has so many local breweries (many of which opened in the past two years) all within walking distance of one another. Start at our Fulton Street Brewery & Taproom (1800 West Fulton Street, gooseisland.com) for a taste of the new beers the innovation team is cranking out, then walk over to Great Central Brewing (221 North Wood Street, greatcentralbrewing.com) for a lager with brewmaster Andreas Miller. On Tour Brewing (1725 West Hubbard Street, ontourbrewing.com) always has a tasty selection of brews pouring (former homebrewer/founder Mark Legenza is a PGA pro), while All Rise Brewing Brewpub (235 North Ashland Avenue, handfamilycompanies.com) has that burger and other beer-worthy fare you’re craving. And don’t forget the new kid on the block, Burnt City Brewing (417 North Ashland Avenue, burntcitybrewing.com); the unfiltered pilsner is always a solid choice. Get your steps in by swinging by Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery (1746 West Chicago Avenue, forbiddenroot.com) for a nice botanical-inspired beer, then head to Cruz Blanca Brewery & Taquería (904 West Randolph Street,

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The North Side is also home to many top-notch breweries and taprooms. Get yourself some proper German beers at Dovetail Brewery (1800 West Belle Plaine Avenue, dovetailbrewery.com), play some SkeeBall at Begyle Brewing (1800 West Cuyler Avenue, begylebrewing.com), and then hit up Half Acre Beer (4257 North Lincoln Avenue, halfacrebeer.com) to refuel; try the house-made chips with smoked sea salt and one of the seasonal brews.

In need of a pint of hop heaven? Stop next door at Spiteful Brewing (2024 West Balmoral Avenue, spitefulbrewing.com) to taste the brewery’s flagship IPA, or if that’s not your thing, the God Damn Pigeon Porter (you may actually come to like annoying city pigeons).

And don’t forget Eris Brewery and Cider House (4240 West Irving Park Road, erischicago.com), where some damn fine ciders await.

Game for more? Lake Effect Brewing (4727 West Montrose Avenue C, lakeeffectbrewing.com) is known for its wild ales, while Alarmist Brewing & Taproom (4055 West Peterson Avenue, alarmistbrewing.com) offers its award-winning hazy IPA. End that side of your journey at Metropolitan Brewing (3057 North Rockwell Street, metrobrewing.com) for a German-style lager in a beautiful taproom that has one of the best river views in the city. North Side In the heart of Chicago, we suggest you grab a house-made pizza to pair with that Belgian-style wild ale at Middlebrow Beer (2840 West Armitage Avenue, middlebrowbeer.com), then visit the folks at The Hopewell Brewing Co. (2760 North Milwaukee Avenue, hopewellbrewing.com) for their extremely dank and cool creations. Keep the creativity train going at Off Color Brewing’s taproom, aka The Mousetrap (1460 North Kingsbury Street, offcolorbrewing.com), to see what barrel-aged deliciousness they’re pouring. When you make it over to the Southside, visit the nicest people in the local beer scene at Lo Rez Brewing (2101 South Carpenter Street, lorezbrewing.com) in Pilsen, then wash down some oysters and raclette with a “chef-driven” beer at the tasting room at Moody Tongue (2136 South Peoria Street, moodytongue. com). Put your traveling pants on and head down to Marz Community Brewing (3630 South Iron Street, marzbrewing. com) for an off-the-radar brew (made by a group of homebrewers and professionals) on your way to Whiner Beer (see p. 59) for some of the best beers in town. Central/Pilsen & Southside

SHOPPING How to shop like you live in the greatest city in the Midwest.

For a unique gift or take-home, look no further than Asrai Garden (1935 West North Avenue, asraigarden.com). Stocked full of artisanal jewelry, ornate flowers for custom bouquets, and distinguished home décor (current want: the hanging ceramic face planter by LA artist Rami Kim, $98), this is the place to find something with exquisite, sophisticated style. Afterward, check out Piece (1927 West North Avenue, piecechicago.com) next door and treat yourself to a beer and one of the city’s best pizzas.

If you can’t make it to Asrai Garden’s North Avenue location, the owners recently opened a second shop inside the Ace Hotel in Fulton Market. Wicker Park Adams & Son Gardens (1057 North California Avenue) has been our go-to when shopping for anything green. Tony Adams (the man, the myth, the legend, and “son”) is sure to help you find what you need—there’s a stellar selection of both perennials and annuals. The shop is open year-round but is especially lovely in the summer, when all the flowers are in bloom. Be sure to check out the façade by local artist Sick Fisher. Humboldt Park Located on the same block as Adams & Son Gardens, Humboldt House (1045 North California Avenue, humboldthouseco. com) has it all. Whether you’re searching for decorative wall art, “apothecary” bath/body treats, feminist-as-fuck jewelry, or a vintage rug, you’ll find it in this beautiful spot featuring locally made goods. Humboldt Park If you describe your style as classic and chock-full of staples but you like a touch of flair, swing by Penelope’s (1913 West Division Street, shoppenelopes.com). It’s the cute and bright little storefront.

Expect affordable, everyday wears for men, women, and children mixed with pieces from small design houses. West Town

A N TIQUE/SALVAGE

spent too much cash on some antique tin ceiling tiles at Salvage One a couple of weeks ago. The robin’s egg (yes, probably lead) paint had us hypnotized. Near West Side (Salvage One) & Lakeview (Architectural Artifacts) North-siders should check out Edgewater Antique Mall (6314 North Broadway, edgewaterantiquemall.com). In Chicago, we put the most amount of shopping pressure on this joint, bar none, and their staff is the absolute sweetest. Watch for their winter holiday sale. It’s legit. Edgewater

VI N TAG E / T H R I F T Village Discount Outlet has storefronts all over Chicagoland.

They rule if you’re a picker-on-a-budget type. They can be super scummy, but that’s part of the fun. Pack hand sanitizer. villagediscountoutlet.com Strangelovely (2511 West North Avenue, strangelovely.com) is a cool spot on North, at Western, that’s filled with vintage furniture and clothing. They just sold two stunning green-crushedvelvet chairs that we wanted, and it broke our broke-ass hearts.

Humboldt Park Farther south, Pilsen Vintage & Thrift (1430 West 18th Street) is also a proper stop for digs from the 1920s through the ’90s.

Records, too. Lower West Side/Pilsen

O DDI T I E S If you’re looking for something in the vein of taxidermy, circus, and/or weird baby-creatures-in-a-jar, then Woolly Mammoth (1513 West Foster Avenue, woollymammothchicago.com) is a must. There’s a ton of really odd shit here, which we mean in the most complimentary way. And if your place doesn’t have a piece or two of taxidermy, it’s suspect. Go during lunch and eat one door down at Taste of Lebanon (1509 West Foster Avenue; cash only).

We’re not kidding when we say it’s one of our favorite hole-in-thewall spots in Chicago. The staff will treat you like family. Order the lamb kefta, lentil soup, and baklava. Andersonville

Two top-tier locations are Salvage One (1840 West Hubbard Street, salvageone.com), two blocks from our brewery (Get hitched! They even host events), and Architectural Artifacts (4325 North Ravenswood Avenue, architecturalartifacts.com) in Lakeview (Stuart Grannen, the owner, is an architectural-salvage encyclopedia in human form with a fantastic head of hair).

You can get lost in both places. You’d better bring all of your credit cards; trust that you’ll be enticed to use them. In fact, we

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Summer is prime pollinating season. Time to check beekeeping off your must-do list.

Photo by Staci Valentine

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S E T UP Take a moment to consider the bees’ future habitat.

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Read a book, go to a beekeeping class, and watch entirely too many YouTube videos.

Is it kosher to keep bees? Fines for illegal beekeeping can be stiff. Renter?

Ask the landlord.

Don’t presume anything, even on your own property. Cities have different regulations, such as how far a hive must be from neighboring properties.

Find the right location for the hive. As in the wild, bees need a readily available water source and thrive in shady nooks (this is why hives are often found in trees or tucked under a roof gable).

Considering a penthouse view for your queen? Tar and other blacktopped roofs can reach scorching temperatures that are hardly bee friendly.

What’s your area’s general weather report? If winter storms are on the horizon, consider weatherproofing your hives. (Check out the tips from Goose Island’s R&D Brewer and resident urban garden master Tim Faith on p. 68).

Be a good neighbor. Tell anyone nearby about your bee enterprise and promise sticky honey rewards. Do find out if anyone nearby is allergic to bees; a reaction can be severe and you may need to reconsider your hive location.

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Community groups like the Chicago Honey Co-Op (chicagohoneycoop.com) often offer beekeeping classes. For online classes, check out those by San Diego– based urban beekeeper Hilary Kearney (girlnextdoorhoney.com), who tends more than seventy-five beehives in her area. (Her new book, QueenSpotting [Storey Publishing, April 2019], documents her hive and queenspotting journey.) Our go-to guidebooks for beekeeping are The Beekeeper’s Handbook (Comstock Publishing Associates, 1973) and The Beekeeper’s Bible (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2011). The latter is as much an anthology and beautiful tribute to beekeeping as it is a guidebook, plus it includes recipes.

H IVE BODY

BUYI N G VE R S U S FO R AG I N G

The box into which frames and bees are installed will be the swarm’s new homestead.

How adventurous are you?

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Choose your bee’s housing. Go with either a ten-frame deep, medium, or shallow box OR an eight-frame medium box.

Ten-frame boxes are considered the industry standard; if you go with this over an eight-frame, our preference for urban beekeeping, choose a medium-size box, as it can make handling the box easier (bees and honey weigh a lot; larger boxes can be heavy to move).

Don’t purchase or pass down used housing. Diseases and chemicals may be present that can harm or kill your bees.

Don’t mix ten- and eight-frame equipment; the two are not compatible.

Purchase good-quality natural-wood boxes. Pine, a naturally porous wood, is standard.

Handy? Make your own. Look around at the spaces beehives often occupy in the wild. Cement blocks, packing crates, or anything with a nook for the queen can work.

Eight-Frame Boxes • More hives fit in a tighter outdoor space.

• Weigh substantially less than ten-frame boxes when filled with bees and honey.

• Honey is more compact inside the hive and easier for bees to access in cold weather.

B E ES Cultivated or wild?

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Buy bees or try to catch a swarm. Good luck with the latter.

Spring and summer are good times to catch swarms.

(Stealing bees from your neighbor does not count as a fair “catch.”)

Choose your packaging. Bees are typically sold in packages or nucs. A three-pound package of bees (approximately 10,000 bees) arrives via the postal service in an unobtrusive box and contains insects typically collected from mixed hives.

(What we prefer.) You will need to transfer these bees, along with the queen, immediately to your box. A nuc, or nucleus colony, arrives in a small hive-like box. It contains bees that are already drawing comb and tending to eggs and larvae, and a freed queen who is also busy at work. You can keep the nuc in its packaging for a few days.

BUY • Buy a bee colony from a reputable supplier in a local or nearby area so the bees are already familiar with your climate.

• Find a reputable colony vendor through your local garden or beekeeping association or resources like beesource.com. A good supplier will provide healthy, disease-free bees.

• Know shipping policies (if a signature is required, make sure you are home) and queen condition (what if she is DOA?), and read reviews on the vendor’s general hive quality.

• Be prepared upon the package’s arrival to move your hive to its new home. Bee packages do not contain pollen, honey, or other resources for the bees.

FIND • Use a good-quality swarm lure. A few sprays of Swarm Commander Swarm Lure (swarmcommander.com) will help bait your hive.

• Call a swarm catcher. Professionals often focus on removal of nuisance hives and can be expensive. Try neighborhood communities like NextDoor to find a bee lover/swarm transfer expert.

MOVE • Moving is disruptive. Do it thoughtfully. Bees fly up to five miles in search of nectar and release pheromones to communicate with one another. But you can move a hive a short or longer distance successfully.

• Close up the hive entrance. Do this at night, when the bees are back in the hive, and use mesh or another material that allows them to breathe.

• For short distances, place items (twigs, for instance) near the entrance of the hive a day before moving it; this often gives them an incentive to get reoriented. If some of your bees have not reoriented, place a nuc in the old location to “capture” the remaining bees and move them. Or try moving the hive VERY gradually (12 to 18 inches at a time); do this at night over several evenings.

• For longer moves, close up the hive at night. (If you purchased bees by mail, this will already be done for you.)

Try not to shake the hive; treat it like your most expensive ceramic vase. If you are transporting the bees more than three miles (or beyond their foraging radius), they should be reoriented easily upon arrival.

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G E A R & OTHER STUFF

WI N T ER PR EP WO R K

Special equipment isn’t technically required, but it helps you manage your brood.

Two of the biggest mistakes a beginning beekeeper can make as winter approaches is to over-harvest the honey and/or over-insulate or incorrectly insulate the beehive.

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Some hive kits contain everything you need, including protective gear, like those from Kelley Bees. For a beginner, this route can be one of the most economical. $195 to $475, kelleybees.com Buy protective gear. A jacket or full bee suit with a builtin hood and veil both work well. As beekeeping season gets underway in the spring and summer, most are made of lightweight materials for warmer weather. $50 to $250, various vendors (widely available) Sting-resistant gloves are a must. Leather or other sturdy gloves should be pliable enough for your hands to move freely. $20, Mannlake economy vented leather gloves, mannlakeltd.com Are you an avid gardener? Bees will find a food source, but if you want to take advantage of the free labor, consider planting flowering bushes (rosemary, lavender) and trees (citrus, apple) that attract bees.

Consider more than one hive. (Wait, what?) With two, you have a comparison metric. When you have only one, it can be difficult to judge the health of your bees, like whether they might be infested with a disease or whether an environmental condition caused harm (a particularly frigid winter or hot summer).

Try again next summer when all else fails (and sometimes it will; these are living creatures not decorative art). Once you get the beekeeping bug, it’s nearly impossible to resist the lure of fresh honeycomb—and the busy bees that made it.

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Honey Reserves Let’s dig deeper. Bees, like all living things, need food. They’ve worked hard all spring and summer to grow the colony and make that sweet golden ambrosia that we all love. On average, a single healthy hive can deliver a surplus (harvestable) of about thirty pounds of honey per year. This assumes that the hive is healthy and free of disease and parasites.

Now, just because there may be thirty pounds of honey in the hive, it doesn’t mean that honey is for you. If the colony has flourished and generated an abundance of honey, it will need a solid food reserve for the coming winter. When in doubt, take less honey when it comes time to harvest.

If you feel that a hive does NOT have the honey reserves needed to survive the winter, either because you took too much or there wasn’t enough to begin with for a variety of reasons, you may supplement the food supply with a simple syrup made from natural sugars (beet, cane, HIGHER BEE or corn) or even your cupboard honey stock POPULATION = MORE from the previous year’s HONEY IS PRODUCED = harvest. Obviously, this MORE HONEY IS NEEDED is a last resort.

DURING WINTER

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Warmth One of the biggest challenges with beekeeping (anywhere, not just in an urban setting) is preparing your hive for winter. Bees have an incredible ability to generate heat, and in fact it is an evolutionary defense against foreign invaders of the hive. However, generating heat is not the same as retaining it in extreme circumstances. And even though hives are made of wood (which is a great substance for thermal retention), high winds and really cold winters can easily strip even the largest hives of their heat. In an effort to preserve the hive, there are several ways to increase the colonies’ chances of surviving winter.

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1. Hive placement is probably the most important.

You’ve probably considered this from a flight-pattern perspective, and to make your neighbors happy, but one must take into account the patterns of wind and cold. Avoid open areas where the wind cross is unobstructed and try to

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avoid placing the hives where snow drifts are likely to occur.

One of the best options is to have a semi-permanent shed or other shelter covering the hive. It will help block the wind and snow, but also help the hive retain heat.

2. Don’t insulate the hive with plastic. Even though plastic can block the wind, it doesn’t allow moisture to escape—bad news when the weather is fluctuating. Moisture buildup not only means the hive refreezes internally, it can also encourage mildew and other moisture-friendly bacteria and molds to grow. Cloth, Styrofoam, roofing felt, and really anything that has a decent R-value (insulating power) can be used to help protect the hive.

3. Leave part of the entrance to the hive open and include an upper exit to allow moisture to escape. This will help maintain proper ventilation and give the bees the opportunity to experience daylight when (in the odd event) the winter temperatures in Chicago are suitable.

– Tim

We’ve made several great honey beers here at Goose Island over the years. Most recently, we made two beers with the National Honey Board: a Honey Brown Ale with radish honey and a Honey Chamomile Lager with watermelon honey.

Our most popular honey brew is the limitedrelease Gillian, a wine barrel–aged, Belgian-style farmhouse ale that marries white pepper, strawberry, and honey into a harmoniously tart and sweet beer.

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Workwear made from the best ingredients.

www.stockmfgco.com

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OR ST

When pastry ace Dana Salls Cree chills things down, things get fantastically stick-y.

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eople usually don’t remember their first bite of ice cream. It’s just something that’s around your entire life,” says Dana Salls Cree, the founder of Pretty Cool in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood.

Salls Cree, one of the city’s top pastry chefs, opened the boutique shop last summer. The whimsical, bright pink storefront has quickly become a neighborhood favorite.

The staff sling a variety of treats in an almost overwhelming range of flavors and styles, from classics like chocolatedipped cookies and cream ice cream “pops” to inventive combos like a peanut butter potato chip version. The juice and other nondairy-based pop flavors also sound like they’ve come straight off a high-end restaurant dessert menu: Pineapple Punch, Litchi (Lychee) Lemon Tea, Concord Grape, and similar combos.

F R OZ E N DR E A M S Before opening Pretty Cool, the Seattle native was racking up acclaim at some of Chicago’s best restaurants, most recently as the pastry chef for several of Paul Kahan’s restaurants (Publican, Avec, and Blackbird) and earlier in her career, Alinea. Salls Cree has also clocked in the dessert hours with A-list pastry chefs like Sherry Yard (Spago Beverly Hills) and studied the art of patisserie during stages at Noma, The Fat Duck, and WD-50. But after working in fine dining for more than a decade, the two-time James Beard Award nominee was eager to go out on her own in search of a higher creative ceiling.

“Within the pastry-chef realm, [we] all have a special pet project that’s close to our hearts,” Salls Cree says. “We’re the jack-of-all-trades, but there are certain things that really capture our hearts and minds. For some, it’s bread; for others, it’s becoming a chocolatier. For me, it’s always been ice cream.”

Salls Cree’s critically acclaimed cookbook, Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream (Clarkson Potter, 2017), shares secrets and tips on making fantastical flavors for people with all levels of expertise. In the book, she takes a deep dive into both the science and art behind making ice cream and other frozen treats, with detailed analysis of the process and final product, including the difference between custard, sherbet, frozen yogurt, and ice cream. The exacting recipes take you on a journey into the mind of a professional

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pastry chef for whom there is never one path to a sweet ending (for a mint ice cream recipe, see p. 76).

But when Salls Cree opened her own shop, she didn’t stick solely to the ice cream realm. “I saw an avenue for creativity that hadn’t been expanded,” she explains. “I [found] the format of the frozen novelty/Popsicle to be nostalgic in a way that brought together more diverse, urban communities. Whereas scoop shops reign supreme in rural areas, small towns, and suburban areas, [and] little Popsicle pushcarts or trucks run around big cities like Chicago, I wanted to create something that connected with everyone inside this great city.”

A POP G ENERATION Since opening her own shop, Salls Cree and her team have been a force of creativity. The milk-based treats include chocolate-dipped custard bars made with a custard-style ice cream base; the milk is sourced from small Wisconsin dairy farms (flavors include Cookies and Cream and Peanut Butter Potato Chip). Candycoated party pops (Green Apple, Orange “Creamsicle”) are a nod to cafeteria culture; like Philadelphia-style ice cream, the base is made without eggs (Salls Cree includes cream cheese for richness) and the candy shell is coated in sprinkles.

Sherbet-style buttermilk bars (Raspberry Lime, Passion Fruit) bring bright and tangy nostalgic flavors back to local streets.

Among Salls Cree’s juice and other nondairy-based pops, the truck pops* are exactly as they sound: Popsicles you used to get as a kid from the ice cream truck playing Für Elise. Flavors include Pineapple Punch and Pink Lemonade;

Salls Cree even has her own version of a firecracker pop, sans the artificial food coloring (a lemon-ice base is flavored and colored with raspberries and blueberries to make each layer). The plant pops are plant or fruit-based frozen treats (Matcha Mint, Thai Tea); like many of the other pops, they are a vegan-friendly option.

For the kids, there are pony pops and, of course, “pupsicles” for the four-legged residents of the neighborhood.

Salls Cree co-owns Pretty Cool with Michael Ciapciak, the owner of Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits (bangbangpie.com), so a dessert collaboration was a natural fit.

“Most people were thinking along the lines of what type of ice cream scoop were we going to put on top of Bang Bang’s pie,” she recalls. “Instead, we made pie-inspired Popsicles called piecicles.”

Each week, several limited-edition flavors rotate in and out of the freezers; collaborations with local businesses, seasonal-ingredient availability, and Salls Cree and her staff’s personal whims are the driving forces behind the rainbow of flavors and combinations. Earlier this year, Salls Cree churned out two Popsicles for Super Bowl LII: a Honey Butter Fried Chicken bar (named after the eponymous Chicago restaurant) and a Puppy Chow bar created in honor of the pregame Puppy Bowl. The chocolate peanut butter ice cream bar was dipped in chocolate and coated with Corn Chex (the powdered sugar was MIA; it doesn’t freeze well).

At the shop, the pastry assistants use a special machine to create the pops in large batches, so a flavor idea can go from concept to finished product in just a couple of hours. (Comparatively, ice cream typically requires overnight or longer to fully freeze.) This allows Salls

Cree to invent a constantly changing array of flavors—a breath of creative fresh air compared with the rigid, menu-driven restaurant pastry world.

*According to Salls Cree, the Litchi Lemon Tea is the standout truck pop.

It was originally named after a famous golfer who liked to mix lemonade and iced tea, but the name had to be changed due to trademark issues. Oops!

Apologies, Mr. Palmer.

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The term “frozen treats” takes on a whole new meaning when a top chef is doing the mixing.

Salls Cree gave us the breakdown of the types of goodies in her shop, examples of the rotating flavors, and the crowd favorites at Pretty Cool.

BLUE M O O N

Vegan ice cream bars made with plant milks and enriched with coconut instead of milk. Not at all like a Popsicle, these are very creamy and often dipped in vegan chocolate shells. Thai Tea, Dark Chocolate, Toasted Coconut, Blue Moon

Plant Pop The biggest hit of the plant pops is Blue Moon. It’s this really sunny Midwestern invention, essentially blue ice cream, and it tastes just like Fruit Loops. It’s 100% a kid’s flavor. We make it with coconut and citrus oils, which pair together really well, and the blue color is so whimsical.

TRUC K PO PS Water-based, just like the Popsicles you’d find on a Popsicle truck. Pink Lemonade, Concord Grape, Passion Fruit Hibiscus

PO N Y PO PS Miniature versions of some of our most kid-friendly flavors. Apple Cider, Strawberry, Vanilla Custard

BARS + POP TYPES

F L AVO R S

B UT TER MILK B A RS

COF F EE PR E T Z E L TOFFE E

Good old-fashioned, American-style sherbets with a lot of fruit and a little cream. There are legal restraints around using the word sherbet; the product must be between 2% and 4% butterfat.

Flavors Mango Lassi, Passion Fruit, Black Raspberry, Strawberry

PI ECICLES Ice cream bars made with pie-flavored ice creams and dipped in a cinnamon graham cracker shell. Key Lime, Banana Cream, Spiced Blueberry Pie

CUSTAR D BARS Ice cream bars made with a custard-style ice cream base that contains egg. The bar is dipped in chocolate. Bourbon Vanilla, Coffee Pretzel Toffee, Peanut Butter Potato Chip

PARTY P OP S Philadelphia-style ice cream bars—that is, ice cream made without eggs. The pops are dipped in a fruit-flavored candy shell and covered in sprinkles. Red Cherry, Purple Grape, Yellow Lemon, Green Apple

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Custard Bar Hands-down the most popular Popsicle is this custard bar dipped in dark chocolate and made with gluten-free pretzels. It was inspired by a friend from Publican (thepublicanrestaurant.com) who was a warm source of inspiration. I’d always ask him what flavor of ice cream I should make. I don’t know—coffee, I guess?

Throw some pretzels in there, people like pretzels. And he was absolutely right.

It’s the best-selling flavor at the shop.

LI TC H I L E M O N T E A Truck Pop When people get the Litchi Lemon Tea pop and realize what it is, it’s so spectacular to watch. We source the tea for this pop from Rare Tea Cellar in North Center.

K EY LI M E Piecicle The first one we did was a pumpkin piecicle, which lasted us through December. A key lime piecicle was the next obvious choice because it’s Bang Bang’s biggest seller.

The bar is made with a gluten-free graham cracker shell made with white chocolate and cinnamon, and the inside is lime custard.

It’s the perfect Popsicle for breakfast!

— DANA SALLS CREE

DEF I N I T E LY CO O L Beyond the main shop, a second Pretty Cool is scheduled to open at the Time Out Market this fall. Also keep an eye out for Salls Cree’s creations at Chicago-area specialty markets and restaurants, including select Foxtrot Market locations, Aster Hall, Blackwood BBQ (all three), Kimski (for more on chef Won Kim, see p.16), Quiote, and soon, Bigstar and The Wing (a new membership workspace in Fulton Market).

Pretty Cool, 2353 North California Avenue, Logan Square, prettycoolicecream.com

Garden Mint Ice Cream Makes just over 1 quart of ice cream Milk powder (2%) 20g | 3 tablespoons

Mint ice cream is rarely eaten without chips of chocolate and a squeeze of green food dye. It’s really too bad, because the flavor of fresh mint leaves steeped in ice cream is light, fresh, and a far cry from the bracing green scoops. The flavor in conventional mint ice creams has little to do with the mint leaf and more to do with the menthol compounds that make peppermint flavoring.

If you have fresh peppermint leaves, lucky you! Use them in this recipe and omit the peppermint extract. However, for most of us there is no peppermint patch out the back door, and we must employ both the fresh spearmint leaves (aka standard grocery-store mint) and a touch of peppermint extract. (If you can find peppermint oil, use that instead! It’s cleaner flavored than the extract, which often combines peppermint oil and alcohol.)

I think a white mint ice cream is quite lovely, but if mint ice cream doesn’t taste like mint to you unless it’s green, you have options. Green food coloring is obvious, or you can follow the instructions for tinting ice cream green with spirulina (details provided in the book). Sam Mason at Oddfellows Ice Cream (oddfellowsnyc.com) in Brooklyn blends a portion of his mint ice cream base with fresh mint leaves moments before the ice cream is churned, capturing the chlorophyll from the green leaves before it oxidizes. (If you do this, be sure not to run the blender for more than a few seconds, or you may turn the cream to butter.)

Sugar (15%) 150g | ¾ cup Cream (38%) 380g | 2 cups Milk (40%) 400g | 2 cups Glucose (5%) 50g | ¼ cup Fresh mint, stems and leaves 25g | 1 ounce (about 1 handful) Peppermint oil or extract 1g | ¼ teaspoon Texture agent of your choice

TEXTUR E AGENTS 1 BEST TEXTURE Commercial stabilizer 3g | 1 teaspoon mixed with the sugar before it is added to the dairy.

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2 LEAST ICY Guar or xanthan gum 1g | 1/4 teaspoon whirled in a blender with the ice cream base after it is chilled in the ice bath.

3 EASIEST TO USE Tapioca starch 5g | 2 teaspoons mixed with 20g | 2 tablespoons of cold milk, whisked into the ice cream base after it is finished cooking.

4 MOST ACCESSIBLE Cornstarch 10g | 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon, mixed with 20g | 2 tablespoons of cold milk, whisked into the simmering ice cream base, then cooked for 1 minute.

Boil the dairy. Place the cream, milk, sugar, and glucose in a medium heavybottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, whisking occasionally to discourage the milk from scorching, until it comes to a full rolling boil.

Add and cook the milk powder.

Whisk the milk powder mixture into the pot. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue cooking for 2 minutes (texture agent 4, cook for 1 minute), whisking to prevent scorching (texture agent 3, whisk into ice cream base after it is finished cooking).

Infuse the mint. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the fresh mint, and allow it to infuse for 30 minutes.

Strain and chill. Strain the base through a fine-mesh sieve into a shallow metal or glass bowl, discarding the mint.

Working quickly, fill a large bowl twothirds of the way with very icy ice water.

Nest the hot bowl into this ice bath, stirring occasionally until it cools down (texture agent 2, whirl in a blender when ice cream base is cool).

Add the peppermint oil. When the base is cool to the touch (50°F or below), stir in the peppermint oil.

Cure. Transfer the ice cream base to the refrigerator to cure for 4 hours, or preferably overnight. (This step is optional, but the texture will be much improved with it.)

Churn. Place the base into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream is ready when it thickens into the texture of soft-serve ice cream and holds its shape, typically 20 to 30 minutes.

Reprinted from Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream© 2017 by Dana Cree. Published

by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Crown Publishing, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

This bright but rich and creamy mint ice cream pairs beautifully with C&LM Radler (Goose Island), a light, effervescent warm-weather ale brewed with cucumber, mint, and lime (available only in variety packs this summer).

Harden. To freeze your ice cream in the American hard-pack style, immediately transfer it to a container with an airtight lid. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming, cover, and store it in your freezer until it hardens completely, between 4 and 12 hours. Or, feel free to enjoy your ice cream immediately; the texture will be similar to soft-serve.

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STORY / DEBBIE YOON

Put on your big-boy pants and go explore your local Korean market.

Intimidated by the ingredients or the unfamiliarity of Korean food at your local mom-and-pop stop? Get over it. It’s time to cook Korean at home. Even if you didn’t grow up cooking on a tabletop grill, rest assured the learning curve is not as mountainous as that pile of LA Galbi.

Don’t be discouraged when you head to your local Korean market. Sure, the narrow aisles can feel slightly claustrophobic and a towering wall of fruit will likely have you navigating your way through a maze near the entrance. And yes, you’ll be able to smell the seafood section from halfway across the store. But that’s all part of the fun.

LA GALBI KOREAN BBQ SHORT RIBS SER VES 4 TO 6 When I was growing up, my stubborn Korean mother insisted on pulling out her small, rusted, charcoal-fired Weber grill, even as I envied all of the gorgeous propane grills in my friends’ backyards. It’s only now that I understand why my mom refused to use a grill that wasn’t fueled by charcoal. You just can’t get that deep, complex smoky character from propane. It’s integral to Korean BBQ. Galbi (aka kalbi) translates to “meat on the bone”; it typically refers to beef. The dish by the same name is marinated, grilled short ribs. You can purchase galbi marinade at any Korean market. Reach for the plastic bottle with a red top; it’s usually in the sauce aisle or on display near the meat section. (Galbi is different from bulgogi; see p. 83).

There are many theories as to how LA galbi got its name. One is that “LA” refers to the lateral axis because the meat is cut laterally (and why it is important to remove any loose shards of bone). Soaking the short ribs in cold water removes any blood (they should look pale). Remember to get some ssamjang (spicy dipping sauce, p.

94), perilla leaves (p. 92), and plenty of banchan (p. 89) choices for serving while you’re at the Korean market picking up the meat. We recommend pickled vegetable options for some acidity with this meaty dish.

These juicy marinated ribs pair amazingly with a nice pale ale. Try Old Man Grumpy (Goose Island) or another dry, hoppy American pale ale.

RINSE 2 pounds LA galbi well, then let soak in cold water for 20 minutes in the fridge. Once pale, drain water (do not pat meat dry). Pour marinade over meat, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

DR A I N Meat and preheat a charcoal grill over medium-high heat. When grill is hot, cook meat until charred, about 5 minutes; flip and grill until meat is well done, an additional 2 to 3 minutes. The ribs should be wellcharred, but keep an eye on them; they’re thin, so they cook quickly.

SER VE Ribs family-style with lettuce leaves (red or green leaf) + perilla leaves + ssamjang + plenty of banchan (p. 89).

M A R I N A DE Put ½ medium onion (diced) + ½ medium Asian pear (chopped) + ½-inch-piece ginger (peeled, finely grated) + 6 garlic cloves in a blender. Add ½ cup powdered honey (or sugar) + ½ cup soy sauce + 1 tablespoon (each) mirin + sesame oil + orange juice + 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Purée until creamy.

The preferred method of grilling Korean BBQ is over Korean wood charcoal (soot or sut) or coal, which lends a smoky quality to the meat. To make soot, oak wood is dried without any additives, so it burns very clean. Look for it in the home-goods section of a Korean market. You can also cook LA galbi, or any other grilled Korean dishes, on a standard stovetop or even a propane grill— just don’t tell my mom.

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BULGOGI Almost every home cook has his or her own version of bulgogi, or “fire meat”; the dish is a staple in Korean households. (The word gogi can refer to any meat that is off the bone.) Typically made with thinly sliced marinated beef (pork or chicken may also be used), it is grilled over high heat and then eaten with rice or, more often, wrapped in lettuce leaves. My family usually makes a mixture of beef and pork bulgogi; I like ribeye and pork tenderloin.

The standard bulgogi marinade consists of soy sauce, a sugar source (brown or white sugar, honey), sesame oil, scallions, garlic, and the most important ingredient: Asian pear. The fruit imparts a subtle sweetness and contains calpain, an enzyme that conveniently acts as a meat tenderizer.

(Pineapple or kiwi can be substituted, but the meat shouldn’t marinate for as long.) Probably the only challenge with making bulgogi is to slice the meat very thinly. It’s best to have your butcher do it, but if you need to be one, throw the meat in the freezer before slicing. It will be much easier to cut into thin, even pieces.

SERVES 6 TO 8 Like so many traditional dishes, bulgogi varies by both region and home cook. In the States, we generally see two forms: a souplike version (the marinated meat is simmered in a broth), and a charcoal-grilled style (also cooked indoors in skillets and on hot plates).

The latter is what Americans most associate with bulgogi.

MA RINA DE In a large bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons soy sauce + 2 tablespoons mirin + 3 tablespoons brown sugar + 1½ tablespoons sesame oil + 4 garlic cloves (minced) + 2 scallions (chopped; white and light green tops only) + ¼ Asian pear (puréed or smashed in a mortar and pestle) + 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper + 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted). If marinating pork, add a 2-inchpiece ginger (peeled, finely grated) and ⅓ cup gochujang.

312 Urban Wheat (Goose Island) is the perfect choice to cool the palate after the fire of the bulgogi.

FREEZE 3 pounds beef ribeye or pork tenderloin (trimmed) for about 1 hour and slice thinly against the grain (¼- to ⅛-inch is ideal). Place sliced meat in bowl with preferred marinade (beef or pork).

MIX Marinade and meat together well (if using the spicy pork marinade, use a rubber spatula or your hands to make sure each slice is covered with the Korean pepper paste mixture). Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

PR EPA R E Fresh toppings: 1 onion (thinly sliced) + 1 bunch scallions (sliced into 1-inch pieces) + 2-inchpiece ginger (peeled, diced, or julienned) + 6 garlic cloves (thinly sliced) + 3 to 4 Korean peppers (or serranos, thinly sliced).

R E M OVE Meat from marinade (do not pat dry). Preheat a charcoal grill over medium-high heat. When grill is hot, cook meat until charred, about 3 minutes; flip and grill until meat is well done, an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

S E R VE Bulgogi family-style with reserved lettuce leaves (red or green leaf, for wrapping meat) + fresh toppings + rice (optional) + assorted banchan (p. 89).

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MUL NAENGMYEON SER VES 6 TO 8

Traditionally served in winter, mul naengmyeon is more commonly found on summer menus these days. The icy cold noodle dish is so refreshing on a hot night.

It’s often served in a stainless steel bowl to keep the noodles cool throughout the meal.

You need to cook the broth ahead of time so it has time to chill (make a big batch to freeze for later); it should be the consistency of a slushy when you serve it.

If you don’t have the time to make your own broth, look for it ready-made in the refrigerated section of your Korean market.

Most stock several different types; the mul naengmyeon packet is what you need. When you add your own fresh toppings, it’s almost as good as homemade.

You can find dongchimi brine (radish water kimchi brine) in the kimchi aisle at a Korean market. The geoja (hot mustard paste), which also usually comes in the prepackaged versions of the soup, tastes like a cross between horseradish and wasabi; use it sparingly.

Pair these icy cold noodles with a clean, crisp, and refreshing lager like Natural Villain (Goose Island), or try a Czech or German pilsner.

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PL AC E ½ pound boneless beef brisket + 1 medium onion (quartered) + 4 scallions (dark green tops trimmed) + 6 garlic cloves + 2-inchpiece ginger (peeled, finely grated) + 10 black peppercorns + 12 cups water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and skim off any scum that forms at the surface. Cover and cook for about 2 hours, until meat is falling apart and broth has reduced.

ST R A I N Broth (reserve meat) and add 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or to taste).

Cool completely and refrigerate meat. Add 2 cups dongchimi brine (or to taste) + 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar + 1 tablespoon Asian pear juice (optional) + 1½ tablespoons sugar + pinch salt + geoja (hot mustard paste) to taste. Transfer to freezer for 2 to 3 hours until consistency is like a slushy. (Or freeze fully for later use.)

CO O K Approximately 1 small fistful (2 ounces) naengmyeon noodles per person (or substitute buckwheat soba noodles) according to the package directions. Drain and rinse under cold running water.

PR EPA R E Fresh toppings: Korean cucumber (julienned; or Persian) + Asian pear (sliced) + pickled radish (optional) + hard-boiled eggs (sliced in half).

PI LE A mound of noodles into each serving bowl and pour the icy, chilled naengmyeon broth over the noodles. (Use a fork to break up any large chunks of ice.) Arrange reserved sliced beef brisket (optional) alongside noodles and serve with fresh toppings.

BO SSAM RINSE 3 pounds pork belly well, and drain. In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, combine 1 large onion (quartered) + 2-inch-piece ginger (thinly sliced) + 1 head garlic (sliced in half) + 2 tablespoons doenjang (fermented soybean paste) + 1 tablespoon saeujeot (fermented salted shrimp) + 10 cups water (or enough to cover pork).

B RING Stock to a boil and use tongs to flip meat.

Reduce heat to a vigorous simmer, cover pot, and cook until pork is tender, about 1 hour.

SET A SIDE Pork belly until cool enough to handle.

(Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.) Slice pork across the grain and arrange on a large platter with shrimp sauce + gool moo saeng chae (oyster radish kimchi, p. 90) + pickled cabbage (leaves separated). Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Bo ssam, at its essence, is a boiled pork (pork belly or shoulder) dish. While some Americans may balk at the idea of boiling pork, ovens are not very common in Korean households. Believe me, the result is deliciously tender pork. The meat is boiled (vigorously) for 1 to 2 hours in a broth enriched with onion, ginger, garlic, soybean paste, salted shrimp, and in some cases, instant coffee (a recently discovered not-so-secret ingredient in online recipes).

Ssam (from the verb ssada) means “to wrap” and refers to a dish in Korean cooking where leafy vegetables (here, salted napa cabbage) are used to wrap a piece of meat and topped with a spicy dipping sauce. The spicy version here is made with fermented shrimp and is balanced by a divine oyster and daikon kimchi (p. 90).

Ssam is usually bite-size so it can be eaten in one delicious bite.

S H R I M P S AU C E In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons saeujeot (fermented salted shrimp) + 2 scallions (chopped; white and light green tops only) + 2 garlic cloves (minced) + 2 teaspoons gochugaru (red pepper flakes, or to taste) + 3 tablespoons water (more if needed) until mixture has a sauce-like consistency. Gently stir in 2 tablespoons sesame seeds. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

PI C K LE D CA BBAG E Place 1 napa cabbage (about 1 pound) in a bowl. Mix together ½ cup kosher salt + ¼ cup water. Pour salted water on top of cabbage and in between each leaf. Let cabbage rest, uncovered, for about 2 hours. Rinse cabbage in cold water, drain, and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Soju is the ideal traditional match, but a so-maek (p. 97) made from soju and 312 Dry Hopped (Goose Island) would also be delightful with Bo Ssam.

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BANCHAN The collective name for all those little dishes that you get when you go to a Korean restaurant, banchan usually arrive at the table just before the meal and are meant to be communal. Sometimes, when debating where to eat, Koreans will talk about the banchan that are offered as a final determining factor.

Don’t be intimidated by what to do with all these small dishes. You can eat any banchan dish with your main, and also at at any time during the meal. Some are enjoyed with a meat dish as a sort of condiment (the acidity helps balance the fattiness of the protein); others are served before and during the meal (still, these aren’t hard-andfast rules). At restaurants, banchan dishes are almost always FREE and ENDLESS! You can always ask for more.

Those listed here are among the banchan that work well with Korean BBQ. Go to ingrainmagazine.com/food for the recipes.

• • • • • • • • •

Sigumchi Namul (sautéed Korean spinach) Moomallaengi Muchim (seasoned dried radish strips) Mool Namool (radish and carrot kimchi) Kong Namool (marinated bean sprouts) Oi Kimchi (cucumber kimchi) Oi Muchim (marinated cucumbers) Gosari Namul (sautéed fiddleheads) Gool Moo Saeng Chae (oyster and radish kimchi, recipe follows) Fresh Sides: Perilla leaves, cucumbers, lettuce (red or green leaf), scallions

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GOOL MOO SAENG CHAE Oyster & Radish Kimchi A quick and delicious banchan (p. 89). You can find frozen oysters in the freezer aisle of most Korean markets. They are typically smaller than the large, fresh oysters in American seafood markets.

KIMCHI The most widely known banchan is obviously kimchi, the fermented Korean condiment made with vegetables and spices. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi.

Each incorporates different ingredients (the majority feature napa cabbage, radishes, scallions, and/or cucumbers), has varying spice (heat) levels, and is fermented for various lengths of time. Baechu kimchi, the napa cabbage–and–radish version considered true “kimchi” in the States, is seasoned with garlic, gochugaru (red pepper flakes), salt, and sugar. The condiment is so versatile, Koreans typically eat kimchi at EVERY meal.

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SLIC E 1 medium daikon radish into matchsticks and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon kosher salt on top, toss to combine, and set aside for 10 minutes. Squeeze excess water out of radishes.

MIX Together 2 tablespoons eojang (fish sauce) + 2 teaspoons sugar (or to taste) + 2 garlic cloves (minced) + 1 scallion (chopped; white and light green tops only) + ¼ cup gochugaru (red pepper flakes; or to taste) in a small bowl.

FO LD Fish sauce mixture into radishes with your hands or a rubber spatula. Gently mix in 8 ounces frozen oyster meat (thawed, rinsed, and drained) and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

When my wife, Debbie, introduced me to the perilla leaf, the first thing I wondered was How would it work in a cocktail? Since she’s also a big bourbon fan, that’s where I started.

—KEN HUNNEMEDER

Often incorrectly labeled as “sesame leaves,” kkaennip or perilla leaves are not related to the sesame plant (perilla is in the mint family). They are also often mistaken for Japanese shiso leaves; the latter have a stronger minty flavor and are smaller than the flatter and larger perilla leaves. Whichever name is used, the leaves have a unique flavor, with notes of licorice and mint and wafts of cinnamon.

Koreans use raw perilla leaves as a wrap for meats or toss them in salads; stir-fried leaves are often marinated and served as a banchan.

Look around and you’ll see more and more of the leaves on the menus of non-Korean restaurants and even at cocktail bars. Our local claims to fame: Chicago chef Stephanie Izard of Girl & the Goat serves a dish with mussels in a marinated perilla vinaigrette.

We’ve also seen the leaves appear in the Vietnamese-inspired dishes at HaiSous (eggplant confit with perilla leaves and crushed peanuts) and in cocktails (tequila, perilla, pinot grigio, shochu, lemon juice) at Izakaya.

PERILLA SMASH CO M BI N E 2 ounces bourbon + ½ ounce simple syrup + ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice + 1 egg white + 4 perilla leaves in an ice-filled cocktail shaker.

SH A K E Vigorously (like you mean it) for 10 seconds or longer.

PO UR 2 ounces 312 Dry-Hopped into a rocks glass and strain shaker ingredients into glass. Serve immediately.

PANTRY The most difficult thing about Korean cooking (and it’s not difficult) is being unfamiliar with and/or not having some key Korean ingredients on hand. Don’t let the language barrier deter you; several of the packaged goods are identifiable simply by the color of the box. Once you have these goodies in your pantry, you’ll be ready to rock some delicious Korean dishes.

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Dangmyeon Glass noodles made with sweet potato starch Doenjang Miso paste (brown box) Eojang Fish sauce (typically fermented anchovies) Gochugaru Powdered or flaked red peppers.

Gochu refers to the Korean red pepper; garu is the powdered or flake form.

Gochujang Red pepper paste. Gochu means Korean red pepper; jang means paste or thick sauce (red box).

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Saeujeot Fermented tiny shrimp Sesame oil (toasted/dark brown) Sesame seeds (toasted or untoasted) Soy sauce With T.N. > 1.5 (Total Nitrogen level) Ssamjang Sauce used in ssam or lettuce wraps (green box); A mixture of of doenjang and gochujang; you can buy ssamjang or make your own.

FROM CHICAGO

FOR EVERYWHERE

MYULCHI BOKKEUM Stir-fried dried anchovies & peanuts Korean families make their own versions of this addictively salty anju to serve as a type of banchan with rice and to eat as a stand-alone snack. (There are also packaged versions available in what amounts to the chip aisle of a Korean market.)

The dried anchovies here are super tiny guys, usually no more than 1 inch long (often labeled small or medium size); look for them in your grocer’s dry-goods section.

RINSE 1½ cups small dried anchovies in a colander and drain well. Mince 2 garlic cloves.

COM BINE 1 tablespoon soy sauce + 1 tablespoon brown sugar + 2 teaspoons sesame oil in a small bowl.

H E AT 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add garlic, stir for a few seconds, then add ½ cup roasted peanuts (unsalted if available) + dried anchovies. Turn heat to medium-low and stir until both peanuts and anchovies are nicely toasted.

Remove from pan (do not wipe out skillet).

P OUR Soy sauce mixture into skillet until liquid begins to bubble vigorously, then add peanuts and anchovies. Stir to coat both well and remove from heat. Serve immediately, or cool and store (covered) at room temperature for up to 1 week.

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KOREAN DRINKS We often focus on the food side of the Korean table, but the culture has a strong drinking tradition as well. From bokbunja ju (a wine made from native blackberries) to rice liquors like makgeolli and soju, there are as many options to pour into your glass as there are free banchan to fill your plate.

S OJU Soju is a clear “spirit” from Korea and the top-selling liquor by volume in the world. When rice was banned as an alcohol grain source due to a shortage during the Korean War, distillers began using other grains and starches (sweet potatoes, tapioca, and wheat) to make soju. It has a mostly neutral yet slightly sweet flavor; the distillate is often compared to vodka, however it typically has a much lower ABV (around 20%) and is more vinous. And. like wine, soju is excellent paired with food and fantastic in cocktails.

A N JU One Korean cultural tradition is to always eat bar snacks, or anju, when imbibing. (It is considered courteous.) Anju can consist of many things, but it usually includes several kinds of cured and dried fish, Korean mart snacks (like shrimp and cuttlefish chips), and various banchan.

Why choose just soju or beer?

Drink them together! Koreans often drop soju into their maekju (beer); the cocktail is called so-maek.

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KOREAN SNACKS! 98

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1. Myulchi bokkeum (dried anchovies & peanuts)

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2. Mallin ojingeo (dried whole squid)

3. Kkotgae snack (crab chips)

4. Juipo 5. Ojingeo Snack (seasoned dried filefish) (cuttlefish chips)

6. Saewookkang 7. Ojingeochae (shrimp-flavored crackers) (shredded dried cuttlefish)

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Get fresh STORY / CARA CONDON

One of my favorite things in the whole world is the smell of freshly cut grass. With their clean flavors, these cheeses are as close as you can get to eating grass—without being a weirdo grass-eating person.

“Two weeks ago, this cheese was grass.” That’s how we actually often described fresh chèvre when I worked at a cheese shop. I think it caught many people off guard—that something that had already made it into the shop was completely inedible (unless you actually do eat grass) and unrecognizable only two weeks prior. Talk about a glow-up!

F R ESH F L AVO R When I go to a brewery, I usually order something simple to start so that I can get a read on the quality of the beer.

The same approach works with fresh cheese. With little to no aging, the quality of the milk is the star of the show, as there are few techniques and treatments to hide behind.

Not surprisingly, each milk type—cow, sheep, goat, water buffalo—has a totally unique flavor profile. Cow’s milk brings more grassy and buttery flavors to the game. Goat’s milk is typically tangy and yogurt-y (but most importantly should never remind you of a dirty farm). Sheep’s milk has a high solid (protein) and fat content, so it’s super rich and a little sweet (when the cheesemaker separates the curds and whey, there isn’t a lot of whey, the watery bullshit). Buffalo’s milk, common in Italy and other regions where water buffalo are prevalent, is basically liquid cheese (in the best way) and even richer than sheep’s milk but with a mildness.

Like that cheese-shop chèvre, pretty much all fresh cheeses have a very short life span. From the time the animal is milked to the time the cheese is made and is ready to be eaten is usually only a few days. And since these cheeses are itching to party right away, you also want to eat them as soon as possible. Especially within this family of cheeses, the most local option is usually best. If that isn’t available, look for a good-quality national brand.

(BelGioioso makes some pretty decent fresh cheeses.)

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Since the flavor profile is fairly straightforward, fresh cheeses are really fun to shake up with crazy pairings.

Highlight their simplicity with other unadorned but beautiful ingredients. That local single-varietal honey from the farmers’ market? Bingo. The cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil you brought back from Italy? You bet. First-of-the-season strawberries? I think you get the picture. Or go wild! Give a showstopping ingredient or dish a nice, milky backdrop.

The spicy pepper jelly your aunt canned last summer, or… honestly, I cannot think of a single thing that packs a flavor punch that would not work with the right fresh cheese.

A COTTAGE CHEESE AFFAIR Okay, let me tell you how much I love cottage cheese. I always have it in my fridge.

When I’m starving after work and can’t figure out what to make for dinner, I have a few spoonfuls of cottage cheese so I can think clearly and start cooking. When I come home late at night, it’s there for me to scoop up with chips. I plop it in salads, bake it into pasta, stir it into scrambled eggs. I mix cottage cheese together with an avocado to top my toast. When I’m craving caprese salads but don’t have fresh mozzarella, I fake my way through it with cottage cheese. Sunshine-warmed tomatoes off the vine, a couple cracks of fresh pepper, a pinch of salt, and a drizzle of olive oil—all sopped up with hearty bread. Now, tell me that ain't the life! Lately, cheesemakers and good cheese shops are also taking cottage cheese more seriously, and, obviously, I couldn’t be more thrilled.

MOZ ZAR ELL A

C L A BBE R ED C R E A M

Local!

Cowgirl Creamery Point Reyes Station, California

A standard, and for a good reason. Play around with milk types with this one. Cow’s milk mozzarella is easy to find, but if you can dig up a buffalo’s milk version, definitely give that a try. Always select a fresh mozzarella that is sold in brine, not the shrink-wrapped kind. There are a number of national brands, but, again, opt for the local option whenever possible (if you’ve got an Eataly nearby, they make their own mozzarella and burrata). Don’t snooze; once you buy the cheese, make sure to eat it within a few days. Price varies

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Have I mentioned that I LOVE COTTAGE CHEESE? Right. The standout is the clabbered cream from Cowgirl Creamery in California, but keep your eyes peeled for more producers to follow suit. If your local cheese shop doesn’t carry individual tubs, trust me on this one: It’s so worth it to pony up for the 6-pack online. $50 for six 12-ounce containers, cowgirlcreamery.com

D R IF TLESS

ST R ACC I AT E L L A

Hidden Springs Creamery Westby, Wisconsin

Local!

Everyone is familiar with fresh chèvre, which to a cheesemonger is a great thing! So now that you are comfortable trying fresh goat’s milk cheeses, I want you to try a fresh sheep’s milk cheese. Spread Driftless over some toast with a little honey for the perfect breakfast.

Bonus: The cheese comes in a ton of interesting flavors, so you’ll never get tired of it. The trick is finding it; ask your local cheese shop or check with the creamery (hiddenspringscreamery.com) for nearby retail locations. 5 ounces, price varies

This is a tricky one to track down. But if you find stracciatella (again, Eataly is a good place to look), stop what you are doing and change all your plans and taste it immediately! Stracciatella is the magical center of a ball of burrata, the torn mozzarella shreds that are tossed in heavy cream. Scoop it up with bread, eat it with a spoon—pure heaven. Price varies

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STORY / LISA FUTTERMAN

paneer Makes about 1 cup Make some saag, grab some naan. Or try pan-frying paneer in a spicy chickpea flour batter—you’ll forget every dive bar cheese curd you ever ate.

COM BINE 2 cups half-and-half + 2 cups whole milk + 2 tablespoons white vinegar in Instant Pot. Close lid and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes; release pressure. Meanwhile, line a strainer with damp cheesecloth (leave some cloth hanging over the sides of the strainer) and place over a bowl.

R EMOVE Pot lid; the contents should be separated into curds and whey. Add 1 teaspoon salt (kosher or sea), stir gently to loosen any curds stuck to the pot bottom/sides, and transfer to strainer.

DR AIN Paneer for a minute or two, fold the excess cloth over the cheese, and press down gently to remove excess whey.

Reserve whey for another use.

PL ACE Wrapped cheese in a small dish and place a weight (like a soup can) on top of cheese. Refrigerate cheese for 8 hours or overnight, unwrap, and crumble or cut into cubes. Keep refrigerated and use within 3 days.

Experts quarrel about how long it takes to form a habit before it sticks, but my Instant Pot habit isn’t going anywhere. Take, for example, my new fresh cheese infatuation. The dairy genius inside me began to understand: You don’t NEED an Instant Pot to make fresh yogurt, paneer, cottage cheese, or ricotta. But it sure makes it easy. Making yogurt, for instance, is ridiculously simple because the pot keeps the milk at a low, steady temperature, and it’s all self-contained. (Get the yogurt recipe at ingrainmagazine.com/food.)

Another favorite to make is paneer, the unaged farmer’s cheese (curdled and strained milk, in other words) that acts as the humble mediator between the dueling

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spices in many Indian dishes. The loaf is often cut into those delicious spongy cubes bobbing in your palak paneer.

If you’ve made yogurt, you’re halfway to paneer—only here, no thermometer is required and time is measured in minutes, not hours. I use a combo of milk (organic, if you’d like) and cream to match those rich, buttery Indian sauces.

You’ll also need some cheesecloth, which is like muslin that you use to drain the whey from the curds. Bonus: Save the whey. It’s a delicious, protein-rich liquid you can use in future smoothies, bread doughs, soups, biscuits, pancakes, marinades, and brines. Crazy versatile.

Once you try making fresh cheese in your Instant Pot, you may not be able to stop. I warned you.

Caveman Blue sweet caramel and mushroom notes pair with a Barleywine

Touvelle

tangy, sweet, mild pair with a Pilsner

Survival Stout Beer Cheddar

malty, nutty, complex pair with an Amber Ale

Tolman Blue

firm, approachable, and earthy - pair with a nutty Stout or Porter

RogueCreamery.com

Oregon Blue

fruity and buttery pair with an IPA

Oregonzola

creamy, savory, milder blue flavor - pair with a Belgian Tripel

STORY / JESSE VALENCIANA

They’ve stuck by your side throughout the toughest neon relish and chili moments. It’s time to get to know your dogs.

The best American foods and dishes are like a culinary phoenix that rises out of the ashes of deep conflict. These are the sort of disputes that have torn families apart and are overflowing with the lore of lost origins and sketchy memories, forever to be shared with enough conviction to make them fact. Rarely is a dish derived from a simple, linear moment in time or from a single location or creator. For every historical story you may have heard, there are a dozen more tales ready to be told.

But he behaved otherwise before the crowd. For sometimes when Sunday came, he took a string of sausages and wore them as a (deacon’s) stole. In his left hand he held a pot of mustard, and he dipped (the sausages in the mustard) and ate them from morning on. And he smeared mustard on the mouths of some of those who came to joke with him.

Those early sausages were only the first step in the future life of hot dogs. Thick, soft, and fatty pork sausages resembling modern-day hot dogs were supposedly served at the coronation of Maximilian II, the Holy Roman Emperor (1564) in Frankfurt.* Nearly 200 years later, one of Germany’s butcher’s guilds introduced a spicy, smoked sausage stuffed into a thin casing and called it a “frankfurter.” Many Germans insist that Frankfurt is the birthplace of the hot dog, even though a frank is technically sausage.

In Vienna, you’ll hear Austrians who claim that their forefathers were the real kings of this glorious meat creation. A local master sausage maker who received his early training in Frankfurt created a hybrid “wiener-frankfurter.” More commonly known around the globe as wienerwurst or simply wiener (wien is the German word for Vienna; wurst means sausage), the sausage is commonly called a frankfurter würstl in its birthplace.

So what’s the real difference between frankfurters and wieners? It’s what is inside the casing. Frankfurters are made entirely of pork, whereas wieners are a combination of beef and pork. Regardless of whether you side with frankfurter or wiener (amateur) historians, this encased meat goodness had to make it over to America to become a true hot dog. And thank goodness it did, thereby saving these meat links from a naked life without slathered sauces, colorful toppings, and warm bun hugs.

—Leontius of Neapolis, The Life of Symeon the Fool (7th century)

*Some works cite earlier 15th-century references to the first German franks.

TH E PR EQUEL In terms of meat taxonomy, hot dogs are a species under the sausage genus, which is part of the encased meat family; sausage dates to the 9th century BC. One of the earliest references on record is not a modest one; it appears in Homer’s Greek poem of adventure and heroism, Odyssey.

Fast-forward to the 1st century AD and sausage is again mentioned, this time by the chef of an emperor. A few centuries later, sausage gets more literary cred, now with mustard, henceforth sausage’s BFF/condiment of choice. (Can we make friendiment a real word?)

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ST R EET- CART FA RE Let’s not forget that encased meat without a bun or roll is simply a homeless tube steak. German immigrant and baker Charles Feltman is believed to be the first person to sell “hot dogs” (sausage franks and sauerkraut on milk rolls) from a pushcart on the streets of Coney Island in 1867. Before selling 3,684 “dachshund sausages” in his first year of operation, Feltman sold individual boiled sausages, milk rolls, and pies from his cart.

Supposedly the cart space was too tight, so to save room, he began serving the sausages tucked inside the milk rolls (more like a sandwich than a true TH E CASE FO R modern dog). BAM! The hot dog was born...sort of.

ST R UCTUR E “Traditional” hot dogs are made If we jump to the 1880s with and kept in natural casings, and travel to St. Louis, or animal intestines, while another German immigrant, “nontraditional” hot dogs use Antoine Feuchtwanger, was cellulose casings that are later peddling his own street-cart removed. sausages. Feuchtwanger was clearly no graduate of the Kellogg School of Management; he would give out little white gloves with every sausage in order to keep his customers’ hands from sizzling with second-degree burns. Humans being human, customers began walking away with the gloves. Luckily, Feuchtwanger’s wife had the common sense he lacked, and she suggested that they tuck the sausages into a bun that was split down the middle. They called their (really her, to set the history record straight) sausage-bun creation "red hots."

H OT DOG NATION So New York City’s Coney Island is what we consider the birthplace of the first hot dogs (sandwiched in a milk bun, at least), and it is also home to the televised hot dog–eating contest that is held every 4th of July on Coney Island. (If you don’t have a desire to watch one person consume more than seventy hot dogs in 10 minutes, I can only wish you the best in your future sad, hot dog–less life.) The contest is hosted by celebrated wiener maker Nathan's Famous, which was founded in 1916 by Nathan Handwerker, a Polish immigrant and former employee of Charles Feltman. This is not a like-father-like-son passing down a business to a respected colleague story. Handwerker defied and undermined his former boss by not only stealing his hot dog business idea but selling his hot dogs for half the price of

Feltman’s dogs (5 cents versus 10 cents—not chump change back then). HELLO, HOT DOG DRAMA! As for Chicago dogs, the city’s most iconic sausage maker, Vienna Beef, presented its debut all-beef hot dog wieners at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition to countless curious fairgoers accustomed to pork franks. (Also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, it was held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World and drew crowds from New York, St. Louis, and other future hot dog havens.) The positive response led Vienna Beef founders Emil Reichel and Sam Ladany to open a storefront the following year; by 1900, Vienna Beef was selling the dogs in retail stores and to restaurants.

While Vienna is credited for happy beef frank–filled bellies, the actual Chicago-style hot dog stems from the Great Depression. (How’s that for an American punch to the gut?) In 1929, Abe “Fluky” Drexler, son of local greengrocer Jake Drexler, decided to turn his father’s vegetable cart into a hot dog stand in an attempt to keep busy and hopefully provide some extra scratch for the family during such fiscally trying times. Fluky (if you go by Fluky, you're automatically on a first-name basis) topped off the hot dogs with whatever vegetables he could find (a style that today is referred to as “dragging it through the garden”), thus creating the Depression Sandwich.* And now we turn to Los Angeles for the chili dog, though perhaps it is not as

groundbreaking in the relative scheme of hot dog evolution. (Is anything in LA ever really groundbreaking? Fine, maybe if you’re a chili dog fan.) In 1939, Paul and Betty Pink leased a tiny scrap of land near the corner of La Brea and Melrose avenues, where they plopped down a pushcart and sold dogs topped with Betty’s chili and chopped onions for 10 cents a pop. The nation was still in the waning days of the Depression, and that chili-topped dog made for a fine, filling meal. In 1946, the family built a permanent eatery not far from where the original pushcart once stood: the current Pink’s Hot Dogs. Today the dog stand is known as much D I D YOU KNOW? for its original chili dog Hot Dog University is a real thing. as for its dozens of crazy Vienna Beef provides highercombo dogs. (A Reubenlearning opportunities with two style dog with pastrami, hot dog business classes that are mustard, Swiss cheese, targeted to vendor trainees, but and sauerkraut; the Ozzy they’re also open to the public. “The Osbourne with Polish Art of the Cart” and “Hot Dog Stand” sausage, nacho cheese are offered regularly in Chicago AND American cheese, and occasionally in Los Angeles. grilled onions, guacamole, viennabeef.com

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and chopped tomatoes.)

The beauty of hot dogs goes well beyond the history of this beloved food. The appreciation for dogs in general and the interpretation of each style are what make hot dogs so unique. It is a food that extends across borders. Whether it’s a wiener cut to look like an octopus and placed inside a bento box in Japan, or one wrapped in mashed potatoes, shrimp salad, lettuce, and fried onions (!) like they do in Sweden, hot dogs are more of a cultural canvas than a simple, American hand food.

*These early dogs were likely topped with an evolving vegetable medley before morphing into what we consider Chicago-style dog toppings today. Mark Reitman, known as the “professor of hot dogs,” says the pickled sport pepper didn’t make its Chicago dog debut until after WWII. The pepper likely evolved from a family of Mexican peppers rather than one specific variety; it was grown to supplement the Tabasco pepper crop (highly susceptible to disease) that was used to make hot sauces in various regions of the American South. Today sport peppers are exclusively grown in Mexico; they are bright green and 1½ to 2 inches longer than Tabasco peppers, with a mild to medium bite.

TOP DOGS Starting with the greatest dog. Period.

C HICAG O

DET R O I T CO N EY

Steamed all-beef frank, poppy seed bun, tomato slices, whole pickled sport peppers, chopped onions, neon green relish, yellow mustard, pickle spear, and celery salt. (NO KETCHUP. EVER.)

Short, char-grilled beef/ pork dog in an equally short, ballpark (plain, no seeds) bun with chili, chopped onions, and yellow mustard (shredded cheddar optional).

LOS A NGELE S “DOYER S” ( DODGE R S ) Footlong steamed or grilled dog in a ballpark bun, mustard, nacho cheese, pickled jalapeños, and salsa.

N YC ST RE E T CA RT Steamed all-beef frank in a ballpark bun, mustard, sauerkraut, and onions that have been sautéed with tomato paste.

KA N S A S C I TY

M EM PH I S

Grilled hot dog in a sesame seed bun, sauerkraut, and melted Swiss cheese.

Bacon-wrapped, grilled dog in a ballpark bun, BBQ sauce, chopped scallions, and shredded cheddar.

SO NO R A N

I C EL A N DI C

KO R E AN

Bacon-wrapped, grilled dog, split “telera” roll, relish, tomatoes, onions, avocado chunks, mayonnaise, and cotija cheese.

Lamb dog in a ballpark bun, apple sauce–infused ketchup, spicy honey mustard, and remoulade.

Corn dog filled with cheese, coated with crinkle-cut fries, and fried on a stick; ketchup.

BR AZI L

NO RWAY

A R G EN T I N A

SWED E N

Hot dog in a split roll, pico de gallo, corn, grated parmesan, shredded carrots, diced ham, cilantro, and shoestring fries.

Extra-long dog wrapped in a large potato lefse or toasted tortilla, ketchup, and mustard.

Chorizo link in a soft sub roll slathered with chimichurri, pickled red onions, and tomatoes.

Hot dog surrounded by mashed potatoes, shrimp salad, lettuce, and fried onions rolled/wrapped in a tortilla.

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THE CHICAGO DOG Poppyseed buns are authentic, but a plain or sesame bun is a fine substitute. Neon green relish is a uniquely Chicago thing; look for those like Vienna’s Chicago-style relish.

ST EA M 4 all-beef franks and place in 4 poppyseed buns (warmed/steamed).

TO P Each dog with a squiggle of yellow mustard + a spoonful of neon green pickle relish and sprinkle lightly with white onions (finely chopped).

N EST L E 2 plum tomato slices + dill pickle spear + several sport pickles around or on top of dog.

Dust lightly with celery salt and serve.

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DETROIT CONEY C HA R

DET R O I T C H I L E S AU C E

4 beef/pork franks (preferably short) quickly on the grill or in a grill pan until blackened in spots.

Heat a heavy-bottomed sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 pound ground beef, season generously with kosher salt + freshly ground pepper, and cook until meat has browned.

Transfer meat to a bowl, discard any liquid in the pan, and lightly wipe out pan with a paper towel. Pour a thin layer of vegetable oil into pan, add 1 small onion (white or yellow, roughly chopped), and cook over medium-high heat until onion is translucent. Stir in 2 tablespoons chili powder + 2 teaspoons cumin + 1 teaspoon garlic powder + 2 tablespoons tomato paste + 1 cup tomato sauce (more if needed) + 1 tablespoon Worcestershire and bring to a boil. Add another ½ cup of tomato sauce if meat looks dry. Reduce sauce to a simmer and cook until chili has thickened, about 20 minutes.

DIVIDE Detroit Chili Sauce among 4 plain buns (warmed/steamed) and nestle a hot dog in each.

TO P Each dog with plenty of yellow mustard and sprinkle lightly with white onions (finely chopped).

NYC STREET CART DOG Go with a spicy brown mustard (like Gulden’s) here.

SAUT É 4 kosher all-beef franks in the same skillet you used to make the Griddle Onions until golden brown in spots (do not wipe out the skillet).

DIVI DE Griddle Onions among 4 plain buns (warmed/ steamed) and nestle a hot dog in each.

TO P Each dog with a generous amount of sauerkraut (room temperature) and plenty of spicy brown mustard and serve.

G R I DDL E O N I O N S Sauté 1 medium onion (sliced) in a skillet over medium-high heat with your choice of fat (butter, vegetable oil, bacon grease) until beginning to brown. Add 1 garlic clove (minced) + 1 tablespoon tomato paste + 1 tablespoon vinegar-based hot sauce (Frank’s RedHot), or to taste. Stir in ⅓ cup water, bring to a simmer, and cook over lowmedium heat until sauce has reduced, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.

ICELANDIC DOG Lamb franks are tricky to find; substitute a goodquality beef or other full-flavored dog from an artisan producer. For the mustard, simply add a little honey to brown mustard or try a brand like Stonewall Kitchen Sweet Honey Mustard. Use the extra apple ketchup on burgers and the remoulade on fish, and both are killer on french fries.

SAUT É 4 lamb franks in a lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to blister in spots.

SPR I N K LE White onions (finely chopped), to taste, over 4 plain buns (warmed/steamed).

DR I ZZLE

Apple Ketchup + brown honey mustard generously over dogs. Spoon a little Remoulade on top of each.

A PPLE K ETC H U P Heat ½ cup applesauce + ¼ teaspoon cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring regularly, until sauce has reduced by about one-fourth, 6 to 8 minutes, and remove from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup ketchup + applesauce mixture.

Season with salt + pepper to taste.

R EM O UL A DE In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup mayonnaise + 2 small sweet gherkins (chopped) + 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar + 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard until well combined. Season with more vinegar and mustard to taste.

l-clear sippers ta ys cr e es th of t The bes cruise ships and to ra a n yo sa g n yi are sa ctors’ cabinets. lle co to t h ig ra st g headin

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STORY / MIKE SMITH

he first rum I ever tasted was in a rum and Coke. I’m not going to lie: I drank a lot of them. I had my share of other rum cocktails (who doesn’t like a good “boat” drink?), but it would be several years before I sipped a traditional barrel-aged rum as it was meant to be enjoyed—straight up. Recently my interest in exploring all corners of the distilling world led me back to the spirit in its purest form: white rum.

TH E R UM AGE So what is a white rum? (Hint: It’s not necessarily a neutral grain spirit like vodka.) It’s complicated, so I’ll save that part of the story for later. The spirit certainly elicits strong opinions. Being the life of the cocktail party essentially relegated rum to the backdoor exit, while Irish whiskey, Kentucky bourbon, and other high-profile spirits became prized status symbols.

Still, rum is a spirit with staying power, that’s for sure. (Hell, up until 1970, the British Royal Navy still gave rations of rum to its sailors.) Since the first molasses-based derivatives were distilled

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on sugarcane plantations in the 1600s, the Caribbean favorite has weathered turf wars over production rights, faced high tariffs and other import challenges (pirates—who doesn’t love pirates?!), and suffered from a long-standing inferiority complex (look, I get it, I’m a bourbon and whiskey guy).

In terms of rum’s American history, the most destructive blow to the spirit’s future reputation was delivered in the late 1800s.

Facing mounting state debt after the American Revolution, an Excise Whiskey Tax was levied by Congress that would lead to the infamous Whiskey Rebellion (1794). The federal tax was levied on all domestic and imported alcohol (including rum) but was most destructive to local family (grain) farmers and (whiskey) distillers.

(The tax rate decreased based on the amount of alcohol sold, so small producers were slapped with much higher tax rates.)

Following years of aggression against tax collectors, a group of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania united in a rebellion.

When the excise tax was lifted, the legal shakeout over the next hundred years would increasingly favor the whiskey and bourbon industries, while taxes and tariffs on rum and other

imported spirits continued to climb. (If I had a few bucks to spend on a bottle of booze, I would grab a cheaper jug of bourbon over rum back then, too.) By the time Prohibition hit, a high-priced prescription for “medical whiskey” was one of the only legal ways to get your hands on a spirit. Rum was seen as a cheap, and often cheaply made, alternative.

After Prohibition, gin and later vodka would become accessible cocktail mixers, while whiskey slowly climbed its way up the elite craft-spirits ladder.

The lucrative spirits market in the second half of the 20th century was a golden opportunity for existing and start-up bourbon, vodka, and gin distillers, but once-thriving local rum producers were noticeably absent. Among the challenges: a one hundred-year-old tariff break for rum producers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands that kept imports at rock-bottom prices. (For more on rum history and production, as well as tasting reviews, check out Fred Minnick’s book, Rum Curious.)

THE ORIGINAL RC Haters gonna hate, but if it wasn’t for the rum and Coke, who knows where rum would be today. The cocktail originated in the early 20th century in Cuba and earned its mainland chops in the 1950s; by the 1980s, rum and Coke had became a ubiquitous dive bar drink.

RUM PR OD UCTION There are numerous paths that a distiller can follow to produce a rum, whether the end goal is a white rum (unaged or barrel-aged) or the amber-colored, barrel-aged versions of the spirit that many of us identify as traditional.

Most rums are made from sugarcane or its derivatives: molasses, sugarcane juice or honey, or brown sugar. After the plant is harvested and juiced, the cane juice is boiled until it evaporates into crystallized sugar. That raw sugar is then refined into various forms of table sugar. Molasses is a byproduct of the sugar-making process; the longer the juice is boiled, the darker the molasses (regular to blackstrap).

When making rum, some distillers swear by pure cane juice; others prefer molasses or another by-product. The base is put into a fermentation tank with yeast until the liquid ferments into an alcoholic wash (the liquid that will be distilled); this process takes one to two days. Like whiskey, the alcoholic wash is typically distilled in either a traditional pot still or a column still, just like whiskey. (Batch kettling, similar to sour mash whiskey distilling, may also be employed.) Once the liquid has been stripped of pure alcohol, it is technically a white rum.

*

*Today sugar beets are used to make table sugar as well as artisanal rums.

Stoneyard Distillery (stoneyarddistillery.com) in Colorado, where the vegetable is readily available, is worth seeking out for the rum-curious. (For the naysayers out there, the distillery’s request to label the spirit a rum was approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.)

COLOR , ADJUNCTS & OT HER R UM CURIO SITIES Here is where even more confusion arises: Distillers can proof that white rum down and sell it directly to consumers. Or they may blend a combination of pot, column, and/or batch distilled white rums—a common practice.

The third option is to barrel-age the rum so that it becomes infused with aromas and flavors similar to other aged spirits. These aged white rums will

THE REAL MCCOY Rumrunners, the pirates of the 1920s, evaded Prohibition laws with bribes and whatever else it took to get rum into the country. To meet demand, spirits from various distilleries were often mixed together, a practice that still continues among modern rum distilleries.

(Typically a distillery blends multiple barrels of its own whiskey, for example, to create a balanced spirit. The practice of cross-blending between distilleries is one aspect that makes rum unique, though today craft rum distillers are beginning to release more premium single-barrel rums in addition to distilling individual pot batches.)

Not all rum was created equal; imbibing back then should have come with a warning label. Like moonshine, the fake “rums” floating around the market were at times lethal, while other versions of the spirit were watered down with up to 75% water. To ensure quality, you needed a trusted rumrunner like Bill McCoy or “Spanish Marie” Waite. The latter became the queen of Caribbean smugglers after inheriting and expanding her husband’s trade. Fame on the high seas came at a price, as both McCoy and Waite were eventually captured by the U.S. Coast Guard.

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THE AMERICAN RUM DREAM As early as the 1700s, ships that arrived in America bearing cargo from the Caribbean provided a plentiful supply of molasses for making rum. The cane-based spirit was made in dozens of early American distilleries in New England and neighboring states. High taxes, a decrease in sugarcane availability (in part due to the abolition of the Transatlantic slave trade), and the growing popularity of whiskey gradually squeezed rum out of the American spirits market. (The first Kentucky bourbons were released by Robert Samuels and Jacob Beam in the 1780s.) Today a handful of craft distillers are bringing American-made rums back to the market.

DECIPHERING A RUM LABEL Head to a good liquor store to get help from knowledgeable staff or do some trawling on your own before buying that bottle. I’ve even heard you can pour a little rum in your hands, rub them together, and if they are sticky you know that sugar is hiding in that bottle. Road test it and let us know if it works. @ingrainmagazine

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often go through a process to remove the color after aging; charcoal filtering is a common method. If the barrel-aging is brief (some rums may be aged for only a few days rather than years), color may be introduced to make the rum look like the tan or dark mahogany versions of the spirit that most Americans have come to expect. The coloring doesn’t impart any taste or aroma; it is purely for our drinking egos.

Finally, regardless of the type of aging and blending (some, none), a distiller might mix sugar, wine, or another flavoring into the final product. (Wait, what?

This is starting to sound like making a liqueur.) You heard me right: Some or all of these can be added to the rum before it is bottled. In spirits circles, the most infamous adjunct is sugar.* To make matters even more complicated, there is little to no transparency on bottle labels. Unlike whiskey and many other spirits, which have strict production and labeling laws, rum is what might be called a free spirit. When you pick up a bottle of rum, it can be next to impossible to decipher how it was distilled, whether it was barrel-aged (and if so, for how long), and/or if some other ingredient was introduced before bottling. Rum producers may also use descriptive words that are typically reserved for other spirits (“silver” for a white rum, like a tequila). Okay, now I need a drink…

* Anyone can add sugar to something to make it taste better. I am a “purist” who believes that a talented master distiller’s work relies on fine-tuning a spirit through careful production, aging, and barrel-blending methods. That rum is made from sugarcane only makes that adjunct more of a blatant cop-out.

SIP IT OR MIX IT? We’ve tackled the world of white rums and now you’re ready for a taste. What should you expect?

First, there is not a lot for that white rum to hide behind when you take a sip.

Some do make great sippers, while others shine in cocktails. (Mojitos! Mai tais!

The Conrad Lewis! p. 129.) I recommend lining up several white rums to taste in succession. Note which are sweeter versus those that may have had a little or a long time in the barrel despite their lack of color. Can you notice the difference between a pot versus a column distilled rum? Traditional pot stills allow the distiller to pull out more nuanced flavors; column stills are preferred when a distiller wants to strip more of the unwanted alcohols.

It takes talent to make a pure white rum taste great on its own, and a new generation of artisanal rum distillers is taking pride in renewing the craft. These distillers bring an appreciation for the history and complexity of the spirit and a modern curiosity to the table. Owney’s Rum from The Noble Experiment is a fine example of this new category of premium white rums that cross Old and New World lines. (When the Brooklyn-based distillery opened in 2012, it was the first rum distillery in the city in more than ninety years.) Named for gangster and bootlegger Owen “Owney” Madden, it is a blend of Owney’s Distiller’s Reserve and a two-year-cask-aged Dominican rum—a tribute to those Prohibition-era bootleggers who would often blend local rums with aged Caribbean rums.

It’s high time to revisit these all-American spirits and ignite a new love for an old spirit. Just do me a favor: Please don’t order a rum and Coke again.

A white rum can be one-dimensional or a complex gem, depending on what kind of prize is in the producer’s eye (cheap cocktail mixer or high-end sipper). To fully appreciate the unique styles, aromas, and flavors of each—and to sniff out those with sugar or other flavor-altering ingredients— I encourage you to try a mix of rums.

DI PLO M ÁT I CO PL A N A S Established in 1959 as a partnership between Seagram’s and multiple small Venezuelan rum distilleries, parent company DUSA and its labels (including Diplomático Rum) are today owned by a group of rum-loving families. Molasses is the standard base for the distillery’s lighter rums, while sugarcane honey (a concentrated form of sugarcane juice) is preferred for those that spend years in the barrel. The DOC-protected Planas is a blend of pot still, column, and batch kettle-produced rums that are aged for up to six years before being charcoal filtered. With strong coconut aromas and notes of banana, toffee, and vanilla, this is definitely worth the extra few bucks and is a true sipper. $30, rondiplomatico.com

FO UR S Q UA R E T H E R EA L M CCOY ( S I LVE R) Master distiller Richard Seale’s family began buying up small-batch rums from Barbados distilleries in the 1920s. Today Foursquare Distillery’s rums are bottled the same way they came out of the barrel, with no adjuncts. The Real McCoy lineup includes a “silver” version that is oak-aged for three years before filtering. The bright, floral aroma is balanced by a touch of spice, vanilla, and ripe tropical fruit, making this the perfect dual-purpose pick for cocktails or enjoying straight. $22, realmccoyspirits.com

DE N I Z E N AG ED WH I T E R UM Denizen Aged White is a cocktail shaker’s dream, with its fresh sugarcane and spicy, clean finish. The rum is blended in Amsterdam and sourced from the famous Angostura distillery in Trinidad, along with a dash of Jamaican pot still rum, a nod to when the Netherlands colonized the Caribbean (the rums are aged five and three years, respectively). It’s a steal for such a consistently good-quality rum. The sugarcane and slight banana aromas continue into the sip; this rum is a little dry as the banana carries you through till the end. Your daiquiris and mojitos will thank you. $17, denizenrum.com

BACA R DI A Ñ EJO BL A N CO We had to throw in a nod to Puerto Rico’s rum heyday with a long-standing mojito mixer. (And toast the Bacardi family, which has donated millions in support of hurricane relief.) The Añejo Blanco is double-aged, first for one year before it is blended and then again for up to two months. With molasses and cinnamon notes and a fiery punch of heavy ether and alcohol, this spirit is best reserved for cocktail toasts. $17, therealhavanaclub.com

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I bring my mobile bar to the studio when we’re shooting photos for the magazine.

While I was shaking up this Next Coast cocktail, our food stylist, Johanna, told a story about her first boyfriend who ended up in prison. (Her parents opened the newspaper one morning and pointed at a photo of him with an arrest announcement.) How could I not name a cocktail after him? Once we went there, a basil-beer mojito was in order. (A hop-forward beer balances out the sweetness of the rum.)

Orgeat, a syrup made with bitter almonds and rose or orange flower water, is one of my favorite cocktail ingredients. Good-quality, truly nut-based orgeat is key (liberandcompany. com, $10 for 9.5 ounces); many inexpensive versions are made with flavoring extracts and corn syrup. I always make my own. (See ingrainmagazine.com/food for a pistachio variation; you can substitute almonds.)

THE CONRAD LEWIS Makes 2 cocktails POUR 3 ounces Next Coast IPA into 2 cocktail glasses.

CO M BI N E 2 ounces white rum (p. 121) + 1 ounce orgeat + ½ ounce fresh lime juice + ¼ ounce Chartreuse + ¼ ounce Campari in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice.

SHA K E Vigorously for several seconds. Strain mixture into IPA-filled glasses and serve.

WHY I can't MAKE A MOJITO WITH BASIL? Makes 1 cocktail CO M BI N E 2 ounces white rum (p. 121) + 1 ounce simple syrup + ½ ounce fresh lime juice + 6 basil leaves in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice.

SHA K E Vigorously for several seconds. Strain mixture into an ice-filled cocktail glass.

TOP Cocktail with 312 Dry-Hopped (2 ounces, or to taste), and serve.

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MARSHMALLOWS! Make them once, and you’ll definitely be taking candy from a baby.

What’s not to love about giant, squishy, powdered sugar–dusted marshmallows?

Not the extra springy sorts with a seemingly endless shelf life that made special appearances when puffed-rice bars or hot chocolate were on the after-school agenda. (We still love those.) We’re talking about marshmallows that take the candy to Great Glass Elevator heights, confections that might once have been reserved solely for Egyptian pharaohs and French royalty (they were) and those with a Golden Ticket.

Logic dictates that candies this good should not be easy to make. But other than a few tricks (to avoid a sticky mess and chewy mallow, don’t overwhip the marshmallow base), they fall on the approachable end of a candy thermometer (the soft-ball stage). That you can make a batch with pantry ingredients serves as a handy excuse to make a powderedsugar mess in the kitchen anytime you please (a fun activity after a particularly maddening workday).

Char a few of your plump, pillowy mallows on the stovetop, stuff them between graham crackers and chocolate,

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and grab a Saison (p. 15) from the fridge. Now that’s how you do summer.

THE F-WORD (Fructose, people, fructose.) Both light corn syrup and highfructose corn syrup (HFCS) are made from cornstarch, which is derived from the endosperm of corn kernels. (Dark corn syrup is made from refiner’s sugar, a derivative of molasses.)

The difference? Corn syrup is 100% glucose, while some of that glucose has been converted enzymatically to fructose in HFCS. The latter has gotten such a bad rap (perhaps justified, but we’re not here to judge) that the Corn Refiners Association made a request in 2010 to change the name of HFCS to “corn sugar.” It was rejected by the FDA. Not all government attempts to protect consumers from misinformation in the sweetener world are as crystal clear.

Manufacturers can add HFCS to corn syrup and still call the product corn syrup. Check the label (look for that f-word), or pony up for premium brands. We’re not talking coffee here; less than a dollar should do it. Karo Corn Syrup, $3 for 16 ounces

MARSHMALLOWS Ingredients Vegetable oil 2½ tablespoons (2 packets) powdered gelatin ½ cup confectioners' sugar ¼ cup cornstarch ⅔ cup light corn syrup 2 cups granulated sugar Pinch of salt

Tools Candy thermometer Aluminum foil Flavorings Classic: 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract Citrus: zest of 2 lemons or mix of lemons and oranges Mint: ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

The marshmallow’s sweet vanilla notes complement both a traditional citrus-forward Saison, like Saison Dupont, and a fruitier style with tropical expressions, like Goose Island SPF (Saison Passion Fruit).

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1. Prep the pan. Line a 9-by-9-inch rectangular baking pan with two perpendicular sheets of foil large enough to hang over the edges. Rub foil with vegetable oil (a paper towel dipped in the oil works well) and push foil snugly into the corners of pan.

Pro Tip — If using extra-wide rolls of foil (like those available at superstores), one sheet should do the job.

2. Activate gelatin. Fit stand mixer with the whisk attachment and pour ½ cup water (cold or room temperature) into mixer bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water and

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set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar + cornstarch.

Pro Tip — Sprinkle gelatin as evenly as possible over the water, not in one place.

3. Prepare sugar syrup. In a medium saucepan, combine ½ cup water + corn syrup. Mound granulated sugar + salt in the center of corn syrup mixture.

Pro Tip — Placing the sugar in the middle of the saucepan helps avoid caramelization.

4. Heat syrup. Bring sugar mixture to a boil over high heat. Gently swirl the pan as the

syrup heats to dissolve the sugar. Cook until mixture registers 240 degrees (soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer.

Pro Tip — This is not the time to answer emails. The syrup heats slowly at first, then will rise in temperature quickly.

5. Transfer syrup to stand mixer.

Immediately remove pan from stove, turn stand mixer to low, and slowly—and carefully—pour syrup into bowl.

Pro Tip — Try to avoid pouring syrup directly over whisk attachment or down sides of the bowl. (The syrup will harden onto the metal.)

6. Whip marshmallow base. Turn mixer to medium high and whip until marshmallow base is fluffy and silky white, about 6 minutes. Marshmallow base should be airy but not overwhipped or it will stick to the whisk attachment.

Pro Tip — Mixers with standard-size bowls may require a few minutes longer; larger professional-size bowls (6 quarts) will aerate the candy more quickly.

7. Flavor and set marshmallows.

Immediately reduce mixer to low and add preferred flavorings. Mix only until just combined, then use a rubber spatula to

quickly scrape marshmallow base into the prepared pan. Smooth over the top as well as you can.

Pro Tip — Hurry! The marshmallows will set up quickly. If the candy begins to stick to the spatula, lightly rub the spatula with vegetable oil.

8. Let candy cool. Sift a few tablespoons of the confectioners' sugar mixture over the marshmallows; let cool completely, at least 1 hour.

Pro Tip — Pour boiling water into the mixer bowl and over the whisk to help remove residual candy.

9. Slice marshmallows. Lightly coat a sharp knife with vegetable oil. Turn marshmallows out onto a work surface dusted with confectioners' sugar mixture and cut marshmallows into squares. Toss in bowl with the confectioners' sugar mixture to coat completely.

Pro Tip — Use your fingers to pull marshmallows away from the edge of the foil.

10. Eat! Store marshmallows in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 1 week.

Pro Tip — Forget the fancy chocolate; homemade s’mores call for good old Hershey’s bars.

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S'MORES WITH HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS =

FROM CHICAGO

FOR EVERYWHERE