What People Drink in Chicago: 6 Traditional Beverages That Define the City

Chicago’s drinking habits reflect a Great Lakes climate: subzero winters that favor warming spirits and humid summers made for light, crisp beer. The lake-breeze geography helped spread corner taverns and neighborhood joints from factory corridors to ballpark-adjacent blocks.

Immigrant waves stamped the city’s palate: German and Czech lager traditions, Swedish bitterness, Polish shot-and-beer rituals, and Mexican micheladas. Prohibition lore and baseball culture still shape what locals order, from a no-nonsense shot to a minty, shaken classic.

If one flavor sums up Chicago bravado, it is Jeppson’s Malört, a Swedish-style bäsk built on wormwood. Technically a bitter liqueur, it is produced by macerating Artemisia absinthium in neutral grain spirits, then redistilling and sweetening just enough to frame the botanicals. Modern bottles sit at about 35% ABV. The aroma suggests grapefruit pith, dandelion, and resin; the palate is fiercely bitter, dry, and lingering, with an aftertaste locals half-jokingly call “bottled hardship.” The brand dates to the 1930s; since 2018 it has been made in Chicago after CH Distillery acquired and repatriated production.

The ritual shot is often paired with an Old Style lager in what bartenders call the Chicago Handshake—an unpretentious icebreaker in corner taverns and long-running neighborhood bars. You will see it ordered to welcome out-of-towners, mark a milestone, or cap a late-night round. It is most common in no-frills pubs and industry bars, year-round, but especially in cold months when a quick bitter jolt feels bracing. Expect it served neat in a shot glass, with no garnish and no apologies.

Old Style is the city’s canonical working-class lager, a Midwest adjunct beer that became synonymous with Chicago baseball and neighborhood taverns. Originally brewed by G. Heileman in La Crosse, Wisconsin, it is a pale American lager around 4.6% ABV, brewed with barley malt, corn adjuncts, and classic lager yeast. The brand long promoted “fully kraeusened” fermentation, a traditional technique that can boost carbonation and head retention. Expect a clean, grainy aroma, mild hop bitterness, and a crisp, slightly sweet finish designed for session drinking.

Culturally, Old Style’s identity was cemented in bleachers and dive bars, especially around day games. You will still find it in can coolers behind neighborhood bars, ordered alongside a shot or sipped slowly with a jukebox soundtrack. It fits Chicago’s climate rhythm: easy to drink through sticky summer afternoons, familiar and comforting in winter when taverns hum with regulars. Whether you are in a decades-old corner tap or near the ballpark on game day, this is the lager you are most likely to see in a bucket or a pitcher.

The South Side is a mint-and-citrus gin cocktail that many trace—romantically if not definitively—to Prohibition-era Chicago. Built with London dry gin, fresh mint, lime or lemon juice, and sugar (sometimes with a dash of soda or an egg-white variant), it is shaken hard and served up in a chilled coupe. Using 2 ounces of gin, the drink lands around 15–20% ABV in the glass, depending on dilution. Aromas are bright and herbaceous; flavors weave cool mint, tart citrus, and juniper into a clean, refreshing finish.

Its mythology links it to the city’s south side speakeasies and the need to soften rough bathtub gin. While the exact origin is debated, the drink remains a Chicago standard in steakhouses and craft cocktail rooms. It thrives in summer—patio menus, rooftop bars, and pre-dinner aperitif hours—but appears year-round anywhere classic cocktails are valued. Order it when you want a local story in a chilled glass: a reminder that Chicago’s cocktail canon includes elegance, not just elbow-bending shots and beer.

Goose Island’s 312 Urban Wheat Ale is the approachable face of the city’s craft era. First brewed by the Chicago brewery founded in 1988, 312 is a pale American wheat ale at about 4.2% ABV, typically hopped for low bitterness and fermented with ale yeast to keep the profile bright. Expect hazy straw color, soft wheat breadiness, and citrusy aromas (often lemon and light floral notes), with a dry, refreshing finish suited to warm weather. While the Goose Island brand was acquired by AB InBev in 2011, brewing in Chicago continues and 312 remains ubiquitous on draft lists.

Culturally, 312 became the gateway craft pour across neighborhood bars, music venues, and summertime festivals. You will see it at block parties and along lakefront patios when humidity spikes and locals want something fuller than a macro lager but equally quenching. It is a year-round staple, yet especially tied to spring and summer, when the city spills outdoors. For travelers, ordering a 312 signals an easy on-ramp to Chicago craft beer without palate fatigue.

Koval helped relaunch Chicago distilling in 2008, centering organic Midwestern grains and precise copper-pot distillation. Its Single Barrel Rye is a hallmark: typically 40% ABV (with some higher-proof editions), distilled from 100% rye and aged in new, charred American oak. The nose leans toward baking spice, cocoa husk, and vanilla; the palate shows white pepper, caramel, and grain-forward intensity, finishing dry and slightly woody. The single-barrel approach highlights variation, with some barrels offering orchard fruit while others emphasize spice and toast.

Rye’s peppery character suits Chicago’s climate—warming in lake-effect winters, sturdy in stirred classics. You will encounter Koval in cocktail bars and contemporary restaurants, often in Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, or poured neat beside a plate of smoked or charred meats. Distillery tours and tasting rooms have made it a local pilgrimage for spirits-minded visitors. Order it when temperatures drop or when you want a distinctly Chicago-made whiskey that reflects a broader Midwestern grain economy.

Chicago’s Mexican communities popularized the michelada, a beer cocktail anchored by a light lager and sharpened with lime, chile, and savory seasonings. The base is typically a 4–5% ABV lager; additions vary by bar but commonly include fresh lime juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire or Maggi, and a tomato or Clamato component. Salt-chile rims (often Tajin) add aroma and texture. The result is zesty, saline, and spicy, with the beer’s carbonation lifting citrus and umami notes while keeping overall strength near that of the base lager.

Historically rooted in Mexico’s cantina culture, the michelada took hold in Chicago taquerias and neighborhood bars, especially in Pilsen and Little Village. It is a weekend staple at brunch, a summer patio refresher, and a post-game cool-down after a hot day. Some spots offer towering goblets with shrimp or pickled garnishes; others keep it minimalist in a frosty pint. When humidity climbs off Lake Michigan, this is the drink many locals reach for: tart, cold, and calibrated for lingering over plates of tacos or mariscos.