Category Archives: Gay Bars
ELIXIR Showcases Fall Flavors in Custom Cocktails
Fall is here! The smell of a wood fireplace on a crisp, fall evening, the smell of old leaves on the ground, maple trees, pumpkins, apples, pine trees and cinnamon! Just some of the things that remind me of fall.
The flavors of fall dominate Elixir’s (3452 North
Halsted) latest cocktail releases. From cinnamon to pumpkin, apples and
more, Elixir serves up savory seasonal flavors ripe for sipping.
Four highlights of the new menu are …
Cinnamon Old Fashioned
WL Weller 7 year, Cinnamon syrup, fresh orange and walnut
bitters
Drunken Pumpkin
Caramelized pumpkin infused rye whiskey, cold-pressed apple
cider, Prosecco
Haymans Orchard
Haymans old Tom Gin, green apple puree, fresh orange, simple
syrup, fresh squeezed lime juice
The Harvest
Reyka vodka, pumpkin chai tea, simple syrup
All cocktails $11
Available now:
Elixir…….3453 North Halsted
FAMILY OR FRIENDS COMING TO CHICAGO FOR THE HOLIDAYS?
BOOK TODAY FOR YOUR HOLIDAY IN CHICAGO
City Suites , The Majestic and the The Willows .
USE CODE BGC!
Peep Show at Hydrate – Go Go Gods, Hosted Bar, $900 in Prizes and FREE Bottle Service?
and INFERNO presents… the hottest and newest
monthly party to their line-up….PEEP SHOW….the largest and hottest
collection of GoGo dancers in one venue in one night!
Join us on Thursday, October 24, 2013 with hosted Belvedere cocktails
from 9:30pm-10:30pm with RSVP to this invite courtesy of Egoist!
Have a HOT BOOTY??? SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT! Win some of the $900 in cash
and prizes, including gift cards and free underwear from Egoist. The
audience decides the winner…..so make sure to bring your fans out!
Sign-up by 11pm with your hostesses Shanita Jobs and Sorraya Dash Lopez!
Be one of the first 100 people to RSVP and share the event, and be
automatically entered to win complimentary bottle service! 1 in 10 will
win!!!
$5 Belvedere Cocktails! Is this crazy? or what?? This party is NOT TO BE MISSED!
$100 Belvedere Bottles!
VIP Table Reservations Available
Email sean@hydratechicago.com to reserve yours today!
Cocktail Popsicles from Benjamin Newby
Benjamin Newby loves nightlife. With a passion forged by the hedonism of
the UK house scene in the mid 90’s and Early 2000’s he has been
involved in all aspects of the industry for 14 years. He is frequently at Scarlet and Taverna 750, creating magical delicious concoctions!
numerous accolades, including GQ Magazine & Bombay Sapphire’s
America’s Choice Award and winner of the EFFEN Art of Design competition.
Vote for Roscoe’s – Progress Bar HELL ON HEELS Flugtag
our SIGNATURE 5 inch red leather pumps along with one of Chicago’s most
famous drag queens Frida Lay. “We will work that flight deck like a
runway and put on the biggest drag show you have ever seen. This year’s
craft will still glitter, shine and catch your eye… but this year we
aren’t just gonna show you that these boots are made for walking… they
are meant to FLY!”
about taking flight as we are. This will be our second attempt to soar
and we are in it to win it this year. We are super excited to fly in
front of our hometown crowd in Chicago and represent Roscoe’s Tavern,
Progress Bar and all of Boystown!!!”
Burnham Park
3901 S Lake Shore Dr
Chicago, IL 60653
Hangars open at 11:00am First flight at 1:00pm
EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
Flamin Wednesdays at Dragon Lady Lounge Wednesday August 28th -Chicago’s Legends!
..
ORLANDO DULCE CLUB
MADNESS PRODUCTIONS
FONZY T FLAMIN WEDNESDAY
DON”T MISS THE HOTTEST NIGHT TO REMEMBER AS WE TAKE IT BACK TO
CHICAGO’S OLD SKOOL AT CLUB DULCE/ MAMBOS!!! THE ONLIEST WEDNESDAY SPOT
IS BRINGING TO THE STAGE, CHICAGO’S LEGENDS-
MONICA BEVERLY-HILLZ
LILA STAR
JADE SOTOMAYOR
PRISCILLA BEVERLY
KAYLA POLANCO
SHOW STARTS AT 12 SHARP!
NO COVER!
★ FREE SHOT BEFORE 11:00
★ HOT SHOW!
★ DELICIOUS NEW DRINK SPECIALS!
★ GREAT PEOPLE
★ GREAT MUSIC BY DJ XSTACY
★ GREAT SPOT!
——>21+
——>LGBTQ PARTY!
DRINK SPECIALS YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE!
★DJ XTASY RE-MIXING THE BEST IN
TOP 40 || HOUSE | OLD SCHOOL | BACHATA | SALSA | CUMBIA
| HIP HOP | AND MORE
LIKE THEM on Facebook
OUT IN THE PARK Official Parties
3 Days of fun with more Chicago events happening!
3169 N Halsted St Chicago
3320 N Halsted St Chicago
750 W Cornelia Ave Chicago
followed by GLOW the OFFICIAL after Party at CHARLIES till 5am! Free admission with your Six Flags ticket!
(CHARLIES WILL OFFER 2 BUSES GOING TO SIX FLAGS @ 6:30pm – coming back at 1:30am. $25 round trip gets you round trip ride, drinks on the bus PLUS a special SURPRISE!!! Tickets go on sale SEPT 1st for the bus seats!)
750 W Cornelia Ave Chicago MAKE A RESERVATION – THIS WILL SELL OUT! (773) 904-7466
3320 N Halsted St Chicago
followed by Liquid Brunch at Scarlet- The official Closing Party! Photos from OUT IN THE PARK will be shown on the screens.
29 Hours of Music at Scarlet for Market Days with Celebrity DJ’s and QUEERTY
CREAM Nude Male Stripper Night in Chicago – Grand Opening August 5th
$5 BOOBIE AND BLOWJOB SHOTS
$1.50 BEER Specials
$1.50 Drink Specials
$100 BOTTLE OF ABSOLUT
$100 BOTTLES OF CIROC
$10 (Each way) LIMO SHUTTLE to and from the city
Our Shuttle Pick Up Location is:
BELMONT AND HALSTED IN THE LOT NEXT TO THE PLAYGROUND THEATER
RSVP FOR THE SHUTTLE NOW:
http://
Should we Boycott STOLI Vodka?
STOLI could be in a little hot water. Some LGBT groups are already calling for a boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Russia. Now, Vodka. Gay drink lots of Vodka! But Stoli has also been a supporter of the LGBT community…
Queer Nation has organized a boycott of Russian vodka.
From their statement:
In light of the Putin regime’s attacks on the LGBT community, Queer Nation is calling for a worldwide boycott of Russian vodka.
Do not buy or drink Russian vodka: Brands
include Russian Standard and Stolichnaya. Demand that bar owners do not
buy or serve Russian vodka. Ask your favorite club promoters, DJs, and
entertainers to insist that Russian brands are not served in the venues
in which they perform.
It’s time to target Russia. Dump Russian vodka!
Stoli has shown support to LGBT community in the past – is a boycott the answer, to send a message to Russian Government? At first, I wasn’t sure it was the right choice – but now I do – even
though Stoli has shown support to the gay community, the Russian
government still shares in Stoli’s profits. We MUST put pressure where we
can, so they stop this madness over there!
Chicagoin Dan Savage, columnist, author, and founder of the It Gets Better Project, published an article in Seattle’s independent newspaper The Stranger on Wednesday titled
“Why I’m Boycotting Russian Vodka,” urging gay bars to stop serving the
brand and others like Russian Standard, Shustov, Starka, and Stolnaya.
“[T]here is something we can do right here, right now, in Seattle and
other U.S. cities to show our solidarity with Russian queers and their
allies,” wrote Savage on Wednesday. “And to help to draw international
attention to the persecution of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, trans
people, and straight allies in Putin’s increasingly fascistic Russia:
DUMP RUSSIAN VODKA.”
Sidetrack, Chicago’s largest gay bar, and allegedly the biggest seller of vodka in gay bars in the country! announced yesterday that it would
remove Stolichnaya and other Russian brands from its shelves, according
to the Windy City Times. Another Chicago gay bar, Call, joined the boycott. Replay, Hydrate, Elixir and Halsteds are also pulling Russian vodkas from their shelves!
The SPI Group, which owns Stolichnaya Vodka, contacted The Advocate
today to release an open letter to the LGBT community. The statement
stressed that Stoli “firmly opposes such attitude and actions” committed
by the Russian government and continues to be a “fervent supporter and
friend” of the community, pointing to past endorsements of Pride events
and LGBT organizations.
The statement claimed that the Luxembourg-based company is not
affiliated with the Russian government, and that the vodka’s production
is divided between Russia and Latvia.
Live Nude Male Strippers Come to Chicago land : CREAM
CREAM is the newest night on Mondays featuring full on naked nude male dancers and strippers! Yep- full on junk in your face – because it’s outside Cook county line.
Scarlet Bar Chicago – Always Improving Party Machine
DID YOU KNOW HOW SCARLET BAR GOT ITS NAME?
theme starting with its name. In the 1920’s, members of the GLBT
community wore a piece of scarlet colored clothing to signal their
affiliation to others. Traditionally, scarlet is the color of flame.
Further inspiration came from the “pansy craze” of the early 1930s.
Gay life in Chicago, New York, and other cities was more visible and
accepted. Lesbian salons attracted sightseers to Towertown (now known
as the Magnificent Mile), while drag entertainers were a feature at
South Side clubs.
It would take close to 50 years before the seeds of the GLBT
community were planted in Lakeview. Today, it isn’t necessary to wear a
small piece of scarlet, we can display it proudly across the top of our
door.”
There is also new drink menu designed by famed mixologist Ben Newby
Come in and experience a piece of Chicago history and Chicago history in the making at Scarlet.
also visit….
Taverna 750
Halsted Vodka’s New Pride Cocktail Recipes
The term ‘movie star’ could have been invented for Rock Hudson. The
looks, the charm, the red carpet lifestyle. He had it all except for one
thing: his own cocktail. So now there’s the Halsted Rock, made with lychee and a dash of Prosecco – it would grace a red carpet anywhere.
2 oz Halsted Vodka
2 oz raspberry lychee liqueur / fresh fruit puree
Dash of Prosecco
Shake the Halsted Vodka, raspberry and lychee over ice and serve in a martini glass with a prosecco top. Cheers!
Halsted Vodka has supported these local GLBT groups this Spring:
-ChiGayGo GLBT Comedy Showcase
-Lesbian Community Cares Project
-Pride Films & Plays
-Windy City Performing Arts
-IL Safe Schools Alliance
-The Legacy Project
-Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus
from the Rocky Mountains and distilled in small batches by Mile High
Distillery in Denver, CO., one of only three distilleries in the world
to utilize glass stills.
Boystown Business Owner says SHAME SHAME to Illinois Lawmakers
Replay says “Shame, Shame!” to politicians who let gay marriage in
Illinois fall through the cracks.
expectations that I felt were warranted given that we have a
Democratically controlled House and the majority of citizens in this
state are in favor of legalizing gay marriage,” said Mark Liberson, who
owns Elixer, Halsted’s Bar and Grill, Hydrate Nightclub and Replay.
Star Studded Night at SCARLET June 5th Summer Launch Event
Scarlet Bar Chicago and Ketel One present Scarlet Summer Launch Event
REPLAY bar Gives Us a Sneak Peak Inside
REPLAY is opening this weekend!
The new bar will feature more than 25
craft beers on tap and a cocktail menu designed by Elixir’s mixologist,
Danny Quinn, and a limited food menu from Halsted’s.
Illinois Safe Schools Alliance FIERCE and FABULOUS benefit May 4th
FIERCE!
Fierce & Fabulous Fashion Show with fashions from MODA Boutique and
in partnership with Halsted Vodka, to benefit the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance.
from 7 – 9pm @ minibar.
for giveaways that include certificates to MODA Boutique,
Halsted Vodka, along with some Illinois Safe Schools Alliance gift packages as well!
Ticket Price $25 – includes 1 drink!
(21+ Event – ID required)
At
minibar 3341 N Halsted, Chicago
Buy your ticket(s)
here.
The Alliance envisions a world in which
youth develop to their fullest potential, learning in safe and nurturing
schools, living in communities that accept and honor differences, where
everyone has the freedom to express their sexual orientation and gender
identity.
Is Boystown Chicago Becoming a Ghost Town?
I sure HOPE NOT!
DID you know?? It was the first officially recognized gay village in the United States, as well as the cultural center of one of the largest lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender (LGBT) communities in the nation.
North Halsted Street is the main street of this bustling district. City planners have designated North Halsted an official pedestrian and bike route following a 1998 community project that resulted in the erection of 11 pairs of rainbow-colored abstract Art Deco pylons along the strip. History was made! And we must NOT LET THAT DIE!
There is a great wiki article, which traces gay life in Chicago.
First, the gay community was first in the River North area around Clark and Hubbard. The Baton Bar is still in this area.
The area we now know as Boystown in the 1970’s was a crime-riddled
neighborhood, but Little Jim’s opened there in 1975 and because gays
were being priced out of the up-and-coming River North area, they moved
further north.
Gays have a way of making their neighborhoods great, and
places where the general population want to be as well. So, soon other
gay bars would move into the area. Sidetracks and the now gone
Christopher St would open. Roscoe’s must have came to be about this same
time. There was even a lesbian bar there named the Ladybug.
The New York Times analyzed the shift of the Castro in 2007.
In the Castro, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical
Society held public meetings earlier this year to grapple with such
questions as “Are Gay Neighborhoods Worth Saving?”
“The Castro, and to a lesser extent the West Village, was where you
went to express yourself,” said Don F. Reuter, a New York author who is
researching a book on the rise and fall of gay neighborhoods, or
“gayborhoods.”
“Claiming physical territory was a powerful act,” Mr. Reuter said. “But the gay neighborhood is becoming a past-tense idea.” – I think it’s a shame. They ARE worth saving.
I think someone like Ian Reisner, from THE OUT NYC, who wants to open his 2nd OUT hotel, in Boystown, means something. He wants to invest $30 million into Boystown and bring over 100 new jobs. The fact that THE ABBEY was sniffing around Boystown, means something. That it is still worth re-investing in!
ZACH STAFFORD did an awesome piece in this week’s RedEye.
He says, “Boystown is my go-to, my very own Cheers, but on a larger scale. I’m
certainly not alone, but as the weather starts to warm and the bar scene
beckons ever more urgently, I keep asking myself: Is this really a good
use of my time in Chicago, a progressive city with so much to do? Do I
need to bust out of Boystown for a change? I’m not so sure.
LGBT people understand what I’m talking about. Boystown is a gay
refuge, rainbow pillars and all. It’s become the place that we, as a
community, have built for ourselves over the years at times when most of
society told us we had no place. And in regards to going out, it’s a
community where many gay folks feel the most safe when tossing back a
few beers.
Sure, society has come a long way in terms of LGBT rights, but things
aren’t really that perfect yet. We, as LGBT people, still have a lot of
things to worry about when thinking of going out for a night on the
town.”
(Please read his full article).
REPLAY to Replace Bucks on Halsted
really excited that we are now going to be taking over the bar that I
originally fell in love with so long ago.” Mark is also owner of Hydrate Nightclub, Halsted’s Bar & Grill and Elixir.
The rendering design shows a brand new bar with arcade games. The space will include over 20 retro arcade
games ranging from Ms. Pac-Man to Galaga, Space Invaders to Donkey
Kong.
menu designed by Elixir’s mixologist, Danny Quinn, and a limited food
menu from Halsted’s. (which is right next door!).
Benjamin Newby Shakes up Spring Drinking at Taverna 750
Benjamin Newby, a big name in the Chicago restaurant scene, he is one of Chicago’s most celebrated and recognizable operators and mixologists. When it comes to mixology, Ben’s cocktails embody his heartfelt, experience-led concepts. He is known for creating innovative drinks enjoyed by both the connoisseur and the person looking for a great libation.
They are all good. Trust me, I tasted them all! But I have to say I really like the tequila-based “Smoky Paloma” is paired with Taverna’s housemade grapefruitcello, bottled overnight, and served in a smoking glass over a vanilla-bourbon ice cube the size of a softball with a sidecar in a fishbowl of ice, of course. Can you say FABULOUS?!
Also you should check out “San Remo“, made with Hennessy Black, Wild Strawberry Tea Syrup, Squeezed Lemon, Apertif, Topped with Wild Strawberry Tea Foam– the foam topping is awesome!
