It's been more than a week, but the April Fool's Day prank pulled off at Cole's Bar is getting somewhat of a second life.
The bizarre craft cocktail menu bartenders at Cole's dreamed up might have only been noticed by patrons who stopped by April 1. But a photo of the wacky menu was posted to Chicago's subreddit Sunday, giving their gag a second wind.
"The neighborhood has been making the shift towards fancier drinks," said bartender Joey Pasterski, who helped fellow mixologist Paul Karner execute the idea. "It's a little poke at where the neighborhood is going."
The drinks, which were actually served at Cole's that night, had some patrons scratching their heads, Pasterski said. There was the "El Culo Sueno" (Malort, lime juice, splash of Miller Light, served in Aldredo's cup. Limited to one customer at a time) and "Le Bachelorette" (All of the vodkas. All of them. Lots of Grenadine served in a martini glass and a $5 mystery shot that consisted of vodka, lime juice and milk that curdled before it could be drank.), among others.
"I felt terrible," Pasterski said of the mystery shot he sold to a group of three girls. "I had to charge them for it; they seemed just so mad at me."
Pasterski made an appearance on the menu as "head mixologist" where he is said to have "honed his craft working at the Meh, S'Okay Lounge in Northern Queens." The menu also notes all ingredients "are locally sourced whenever it's convenient to do so."
Owner Cole Brice, who wasn't working April 1, said he was surprised to see Cole's Facebook page "blow up" that night when the joke menu was introduced.
"It's a little tongue-in-cheek," he said. "We all enjoy (craft cocktail) places, it's fun to make fun of those places you enjoy. Our bar is very much a shot and a beer kind of place. It's a little rough around the edges."
Brice said the drinks are most certainly not permanent, especially with ingredients like BBQ sauce and milk not typically part of the bar's order sheet. There's still a chance they could sling a partial "Lukewarm Toddy" in a glass, which consists of Whiskey, sugar, chocolate syrup, nutmeg and hot water.
"We do have Jim Beam and hot water still," he said.
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