Cocktail Spotlight: Violet Hour’s “I Tropican't Believe It”

Violet Hour {1520 North Damen Avenue, Chicago; 773.252.1500} has been the spot for creative cocktails for 16 Years running. This speakeasy in Wicker Park offers a creative, ever-changing cocktail program alongside highly sought-after spirits. We recently tried the I Tropican’t Believe It and highly recommend it. It’s on their cocktail menu through May or you can practice your home bartending skills and follow the recipe below. Cheers, Chicago!

I Tropican’t Believe It

• 2oz Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

• 0.75oz Ming River Baiju

• 0.5oz Chinola Passion Fruit

• 0.75oz Pineapple

• 0.5oz Lime

• 0.5oz Orgeat

• 2 drops of Cardamom Tincture

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin and add 2 cubes. Give your tin a vigorous shake for 10 seconds to aerate and chill the mixture. Strain your cocktail into a Double Old Fashioned or Highball Glass and fill it with crushed ice. Top with additional ice to bring the ice up to the rim of the glass. Cut a thinly sliced half-wheel orange and skewer it with a cherry horizontally. Place your orange cherry garnish on top of the ice in the center of the glass. Grab a bouquet of mint and lightly tap it on top of the cocktail to release the aromatics. Take the mint and place it in the ice behind the orange (12 o-clock on the glass). Add 2 dashes of pecan bitters and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters on the exposed crushed ice in the front of the glass (or 6 o-clock). Add a straw where the bitters are, serve and enjoy responsibly.