The unlikely rise of Malört as Chicago’s drink
The unlikely rise of Malört as Chicago’s drink
Malört’s ascendancy happened more recently than you might think. And a lot of it comes down to one man.
“He said [it] tasted like that junk drawer that everybody has in their kitchen, and that just seemed so insane to me,” Mechling said. The idea that a drink could be so off-putting seemed improbable, but as soon as Mechling tasted it, he knew the description wasn’t an exaggeration.
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Curious City is probably my favorite segment on WBEZ, they've been putting out some great content recently(see the slice joint piece). This was a good primer on Malört.
A great listen. Malort is horrible!
I love malort.
At one point I heard it was a bit like the flavors in bitters. Does that hold seem accurate?
It tastes like some kinda fancy herbal liqueur that someone accidentally dumped a bottle of crushed up tylenol into. It's aggressively bitter. The best description I've heard was "Well gin, with a baby asprin wrapped in grapefruit peel and rubber bands"
It's really hard to explain but as you drink it you kinda start to like it. I was given a shot by a stranger when I first visited Chicago. I wound up moving to Chicago not long after that. I was given more shots at nearby bars as a "Welcome to the neighborhood" kinda thing and I was like "noo no thanks I know this game" and drank them only to be polite.
But before I knew it, I wanted some, so I bought a bottle at the liquor store. Now I legitimately want a shot of it sometimes... over other liquors. I never feel like drinking a shot of any other hard A. When I moved here I only drank beer. Now I only drink beer and the occasional shot of malort.
It's fun to do a shot of malort with someone you just met. It's fun to give it to people who aren't from Chicago. It's fun to be in Chicago the first time and someone hands you one and says "welcome to Chicago buddy" and you drink it and think "What the fuck? These people are insane"
It's weird, it's not for everyone, it's a little much, it's unlike anything else, and yet it grows on you really quick. And I think that basically makes it Chicago in liquor form.
…Damn, thats making me feel like I finally need to try it.
Ive been here 4 years and still haven’t mustered up the courage(not really a take-a-shot guy myself). I see the chicago handshake all over the city too, maybe next time I’m out and craving an old style I’ll check it off the list.