The Violet Hour and the Juliet & Romeo

This past fall, I was able to visit my friend Jeff in Chicago for a weekend. On Friday night, we made our way to a speakeasy-style bar called The Violet Hour.  He had been before with some friends and had only good things to say about it, and I had been reading about it online for a while, so I was quite “chuffed” (as Jeff would say) to check it out.

The bar only allows people in if they have room for them to sit; i.e., no standing around, no elbowing your way to the bar for a drink.  It makes for a very nice atmosphere in my opinion.  Very sophisticated, classy, enjoyable.  To some it can seem a bit stuffy if not downright snobby, but I guess it depends on where you’re coming from!

The downside to this is that the wait to get in usually takes a while.  So we put in out name at the door (we had a party of 6 in total) and headed across the street to an Italian bistro for a few drinks and appetizers.  I had a drink there called a “bicicletta” that was quite good, a refreshing aperitif-based fizz.

After about an hour and a half of waiting, we headed back to The Violet Hour, and got in after about 10 more minutes of waiting. The inside of the bar was quite well presented, with very high ceilings and large velvet curtains between the rooms.  There were a few chambers containing tables, booths and sitting stools (more like ottomans really), but it wasn’t a very open place: almost more of a maze.  As we passed the bar on the way to be sat down I tried to catch a glimpse of the bartenders and bottles/ingredients they were working with.  Next time I go I’d like to sit at the bar and watch the drinks being made.  Where we sat was nice though, a high-backed booth and several ottoman-stools, which is what I sat on.

The waitress brought us each a menu, very large and contained within a 2″ 3-ring binder, and a carafe with some water.  We each ordered a drink.  I decided to start with an Improved Holland Cocktail: Genevieve, Luxardo Maraschino, and Angostura bitters.  It came in an old fashioned glass with a large orb of ice, which was the first ice sphere I had ever seen, and was quite good.  Everyone else, for their first drink, chose the Juliet & Romeo, billed as “Beefeater, Mint, Cucumber, Rose Water”.  It sounded good to me too, and Jeff and his girlfriend Nancy had had it before and raved about it.  But when the cocktail waitress brought us our drinks and I sampled some of theirs, I knew instantly why they liked it so much.  It was wonderfully refreshing!  The combination of flavors worked so amazingly well together to produce a lovely drink.  It was served in a coupe glass with a carafe on the side (the recipe makes more than can fit in a small coupe glass).

Months later, I recently tried to recreate this cocktail a few times.  Not remembering the ingredients listed exactly, I tried with St. Germaine (elderflower liqueur) and mint bitters…but to no avail.  Finally I looked online and found that a few people had listed a replication of the cocktail, complete with a recipe and instructions!  I abandoned my attempts to find out how to make the drink myself in my excitement and followed the recipe, with exceptional results! Here it is for you to try at home, but don’t neglect its creators!  If you find yourself in Chicago, visit The Violet Hour for a truly excellent cocktail experience; these guys really know their stuff.

Juliet & Romeo, at The Violet Hour

Juliet & Romeo (recipe found via LiquorSnob)

• 2 oz gin (Beefeater or Hendricks would be best here, but I say use what you’ve got.  Play with different gins and experiment!)
• ¾ oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
• ¾ oz simple syrup
• 3 drops rose water
• 3 drops Angostura bitters
• 3 slices peeled cucumber
• 6 sprigs mintMuddle the cucumber with a tiny pinch of salt.  Slap the mint (clap it together between your hands to release the oils just a bit — don’t make this cocktail too bitter by muddling the mint into oblivion!).  Add the rest of the ingredients and let everything sit for a bit (30 seconds is recommended).  Shake with ice, then strain (I double-strained) into a chilled coupe glass (use a cocktail glass if you haven’t any coupes…if you’re looking for some, check your local thrift stores).  To garnish, float a mint leaf with 1 drop of rose water atop it, and add several more drops of Angostura bitters on the surface of the drink for color and aroma.

OK, so it’s a bit involved to create.  But the ingredients are fairly simple, not a lot of crazy different liqueurs, spirits or aromatized wines to need to have on hand.  The rose water is probably the strangest ingredient on the list, but I find it at my local Wegman’s and I’ve heard it can be found at ethnic food shops, particularly Indian ones. I think it’s worth the effort though, and definitely one of the tastier libations I’ve made of late.

Juliet & Romeo, made at home

Other drinks I had at the Violet Hour included a Blackberry Caipirissima (Flor de Cana 4 yr, Lime, Demerara Syrup, Blackberries), a St. Mark’s Reviver (Pisco Acholado, Lime, Egg White, Luxardo Maraschino, Cherry Bitters) and a very well-made Ramos Gin Fizz.

Cheers and enjoy!