The Aviary

1/ There's a fascinating story of a normal guy named Allen Hemberger who became obsessed with the Alinea cookbook. He spent 5 years re-creating all 107 recipes. There's an extremely valuable lesson in this process for anyone thinking about taking the leap to become a creator.

I'm pleased that the State of Illinois is working with TAG to provide *free* Covid testing in the West Loop for hospitality industry employees and the neighboring members of the community. The first walk up testing will be this Saturday across from The Aviary. Anyone may test.

@ryanlonghenry @nickkokonas The strainer should pull most of those cacao, vanilla and nutmeg flecks out. How did it turn out?

The “Spanish Rum” from the zero cocktail book, my final product doesn’t look like the picture, it’s actually pretty gross looking, hope we get the taste at least, daiquiri night (mine will be full leaded) @nickkokonas @AviaryCocktails

Here is the Zero book website... zero.recipes All the flavor, none of the alcohol.

1st complete copy arrived today; many (many) more following on a very large ship.

@OneForkShort @nickkokonas These were blended, barrel aged and bottled at Mississippi River Distilling Company with their spirits.

Did I mention that we are selling barrel aged cocktails -- a project we recently completed (legally, I might add! bottled in bond)... be sure to add to your order... or a bottle of wine or three!

@AliTMoresco @nickkokonas Yes they will! We are making them fresh daily and when we run out of the non perishable supplies we will switch over to a new drink, probably middle of next week.

Interestingly we've sold $5,600 worth of Margarita kits from Alinea. We've been doing this all wrong for years...

@Chibettor @Gobst1 @nickkokonas Tequila Cabeza, fresh pineapple and lime juice with ancho chili, curaçao, and allspice cordial. Plus some lime wedges and a bit of Jamaican jerk salt for the glass rim garnish.

@Gobst1 @nickkokonas What’s the kit consist of?

@tracymcl1 Please email hospitality@theaviary.com - we are responding in order of date so please be patient while we process the immediate requests and we will get back to you as we can.

Some news! I'm now writing a monthly bar book column for @Liquor. First up: a trio of holiday cocktail books by @CreativeDrunk @AviaryCocktails @aarongoldfarb @micahmelton liquor.com/slideshows/bar…

@thejeffbyrnes It’s somewhere between those two, and guests usually sit between 2 hours and 2:30 to enjoy the 5-course.

@AviaryCocktails wondering about your 5-course pairing; is that a full dinner, or simply snacks paired with cocktails? And about how long does it typically run?

Aviary Holiday Cocktails shipping began this week; just heard from a buddy in the Bay Area that his copy arrived today. This is the fun moment for all of us here...

Available for pre-order * today * The Aviary Holiday Cocktails journal. 30 cocktails designed to be made at home... from Thanksgiving to the Super Bowl, and everything in between. Fun & Delicious... about $25.… instagram.com/p/B1_pXQnFmlV/…

@ImAaronJ @nickkokonas We will announce when the preorder becomes available on our website. Not quite there yet!

@nickkokonas Where can we pre-order the book?

The Aviary Holiday Cocktails journal is on the Grouse Hunter, making its journey towards our shores. I'm telling you now... there is no reason not to publish your own book. You can even track the boat! marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details…

@DarthWheeler Hospitality@theaviary.com

@AviaryCocktails help with contact info? Emailed y’all about conflict for reservation

@ebroder It’s easier and you will get better yield if you spin the cocktail in its entirety.

Big congrats to @AviaryCocktails on their #JBFA nomination! Read more about why the book stands out in our @imbibe story from last fall. imbibemagazine.com/aviary-cocktai…

@Dudestoevsky Great having you in! Cheers and thank you ! 🍻

Spent a Saturday evening at The Aviary (@AviaryCocktails) enjoying their kitchen table experience, and can't sing their praises highly enough. Not only were the cocktails/food pairings both interesting and delicious, the staff were courteous and accommodating. Thank you all! 5/5.

@jonathandiba That would be from buying a case of @DelMagueyMezcal