The Berkshire Room

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a pre-opening, media event at this new bar from the team that recently launched The Homestead. It's located in the heart of River North, in the Acme Hotel, at 15 E. Ohio St. The craft cocktail lounge, which is in a luxuriously-finished, vintage space, is helmed by Benjamin Schiller. As I've posted on other threads here, he's one of the best in Chicago. His drinks, knowledge and powers of procurement make his joints destination worthy. But there's additional depth behind the bar here, as seasoned barmen Johnny Costello (GT Fish & Oyster, Tiny Lounge) and Scotty LoBianco (GT Fish & Oyster) do a lot of the heavy lifting. They've both got drinks of their own on the menu and Costello also heads up the ambitious, house-made bitters program.

The drink menu is essentially organized into 3 sections: Cocktails, Barrel-Finished Cocktails and Dealer's Choice. On this night the barrel-finished cocktails were not available but I had tastes of all 7 cocktails on the Cocktails side of the menu. I thought the drinks were excellent and distinctive. Venturing outside my typical comfort zone (American whiskey), I was especially impressed with the Long Voyage (aquavit, galangal, Jamaican bitters and mint, served Julep-style) and the Nepi (amaro, honey-tea syrup, prosecco, served on the rocks in a large wine stem). I thought both cocktails showed off some very impressive flavor combinations and both were nicely balanced. The Nepi really surprised me because it was refreshing but in a serious-minded way and there was a complexity that made the finish particularly enjoyable. Both cocktails were very food-friendly, too. As is typically the case with a Schiller-curated bar, the whiskeys are top-tier. The back bar at Berkshire Room is populated by some very choice bottles, and fans of Scotch and American whiskey will likely be pleased by the offerings. Had I really been drinking on this night, I might have never left.

Food, by executive chef Chris Curren, consists mainly of bar snacks, of which we sampled two. The "Cracker Jacks" are a highly addictive combination of caramel popcorn, pork rinds, wasabi peas, honey-glazed almonds and spicy peanuts. This was a really well-conceived accompaniment for the beverages we were having. We also ordered Cucumber Sandwiches (on toasted brioche with paprika aioli), which were also delicious. There are a couple of raw items on the menu including a bison tartare, a tuna carpaccio and oysters. There is also a Chocolate Souffle (pastry chef Chris Teixeira) if one happens to be in dessert mode.

Given its location, the cozy-comfortable feel of the space and the menus, I envision The Berkshire Room being an ideal place to grab a drink or 2 and a snack after work, on one's way home. And since it opens at 4:00 daily, that makes it a convenient stop for those whose workdays end on the early side. On this occasion we were comped but left a tip we hoped was generous. I was very happy to be invited to this media event because I am a fan of Mr. Schiller's work and I had planned on checking it out, regardless. But I don't spend a ton of time in River North, so the media event got me in there earlier than I otherwise would have been in, had I waited to visit on my own. But now that I've been in, I know it's the quality destination I hoped it would be and I look forward to returning soon.

=R=

The Berkshire Room
in the Acme Hotel
15 E Ohio St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 894-0800

Thanks for the report!

Will be staying at a nearby hotel in about a week, will hopefully be able to drop in.

Sable plus Three Dots and a Dash and the Berkshire Room, all within a few blocks of one another? Sounds mighty fine to me.

I had pre-dinner drinks at The Berkshire Room last night with little to no expectations, but my inner cocktail snob left very impressed with their program. I started with their Barrel Aged Brooklyn, which features house made Amer Picon. I was excited to try their Brooklyn because Amer Picon is really hard to find, so I usually have a bartender add few dashes Angostura bitters or Ramazotti instead. The Brooklyn is a drink that does it all: smooth, spicy, dry with a bit of sweetness. Gorgeous.

Next up was the 5 In/5 Out, which consists of rye, mezcal, amaro and house bitters. Man, this the kind of bold, distinctive drink every cocktail enthusiast should experience. The drink starts with a fiery spice and finishes with the smokey mezcal. Not the type of drink everyone will like, but I absolutely loved it.

I didn't order a "dealer choice", but I enjoyed watching the bartender make one. I'm not sure what options the customer selected but the drink ended up looking like a dirty ashtray filled with water. It was one of the worst drink presentations I've ever seen. After the bartender tasted it I asked what she was making and she laughed and said it didn't turn out the way she expected. After that she proceeded to dump the drink and make another one. Personally, I think that great they're not going in autopilot with their "dealer choice" drinks and willing to experiment, but at the same time will correct things when there are problems.

Overall, I like the look of the space, but at times the music was a little too "thump thump" for my tastes. Nothing horrible, loud or distracting, but I feel it's worth mentioning.

Service was prompt, friendly and filled with engaging interactions with the bartenders.

If you can't already tell I really, really loved my first visit to The Berkshire Room. The cocktail menu is filled with smart and interesting choices. The service was prompt and friendly without pretension. In short, this place is a winner, and I foresee The Berkshire Room becoming my regular River North cocktail room of choice.



I'm embarrassed to say after dinner I went back for more drinks, but I was a little too sauced to give an actuate review of anything I drank. The details are hazy, but I remember everything tasted good and service was again friendly.

I agree on the 5 In/5 Out. I loved it. The Barrel-Aged Brooklyn, however, has been my least favorite of their barrel-aged cocktails. The Barrel-Aged Old Money is great and has a fantastic walnut finish on the end. I would suggest that to anybody. I also very much enjoyed the Barrel-Aged Continuous Negroni. This season seems to have turned into the Summer of Negronis, but this version is worth seeking out.

kenneymarlatt wrote:The Barrel-Aged Brooklyn, however, has been my least favorite of their barrel-aged cocktails.

Now that you mention it I remember the bartender added extra dry vermouth to mine to better balance it.

kenneymarlatt wrote:I also very much enjoyed the Barrel-Aged Continuous Negroni. This season seems to have turned into the Summer of Negronis, but this version is worth seeking out.

This has become my favorite drink in the joint and it's the best Negroni I've ever had. The Campari is still flavorful, but much smoother.


The Berkshire Room continues to impress me and it has become my regular after work River North spot.

PopcornMegaphone wrote:The Berkshire Room continues to impress me and it has become my regular after work River North spot.

I was there again last week and completely agree. This is a great spot, especially after work on a weekday. The barrel-aged Old Money I had was great. The other cocktails on the menu are thoughtful and distinctive. The back bar, while somewhat pricey, holds a selection of bottles that many bars cannot even get their hands on. Ben Schiller is a great host and one of the city's best bartenders. He's forgotten more about whiskey than I'll ever know. This place is truly a gem.

=R=

Sorry for the thread drift but...Aren't barrel aged cocktails on the endangered species list due to some Chicago law about containers that hold alcohol needing to be cleaned on a regular basis and the contents dumped ( think frozen drink machines)

mhill95149 wrote:Aren't barrel aged cocktails on the endangered species list due to some Chicago law about containers that hold alcohol needing to be cleaned on a regular basis and the contents dumped ( think frozen drink machines)

I think you might be referring to this:

http://chicagoist.com/2013/09/05/are_ba ... ng_bus.php

Bingo! That is what I read. Thanks for sifting thru the internets and finding it!

It'd really be a shame if barrel programs like the one at the Berkshire Room were enforced away. In this particular case, the cocktails are served from bottles and tweaked with the perishable ingredients at the time they're served, so none of the concerns in the piece linked above seem to apply. But more importantly, this isn't barrel-aging just for the sake of trend-hopping. Each of the barrel-aged cocktails on the menu (link opens .pdf) is finished in a different type of specifically chosen type of barrel, which makes for some truly distinctive flavor notes in the finished drinks. This is one of the most intelligent applications of barrel-aging that I know of.
=R=

The Berkshire Room is the best bar in town that no one seems to be talking about. That's probably because of its location. I know River North is not typically a place where one goes to find the "genuine article." Maybe that's why the place is hiding in plain sight.

I was there again last week and just cannot say enough about several of the key components that make it notable. First and foremost, you have one Benjamin Schiller behind the bar. The man is immensely talented and has fluency in spirits that is truly a gift. It's the liquid-based equivalent of perfect pitch. Dealer's Choice cocktails at TBR are phenomenal because of Ben's prodigious knowledge. In fact, the menu is designed to incent the ordering of Dealer's Choices, listing a bevy of attributes which one can request be applied to their cocktails. Yes, there is also a handful of delicious and distinctive cocktails on the menu -- original creations and deftfully barrel-aged items, too -- but during this most recent session, it seemed that almost everyone within earshot of me at the bar was ordering by flavor profile rather than by spirit. Ben pulls it off time and time again. He's also very generous with his knowledge. I've learned a ton about spirits from him over the years.

But the phenomenal service doesn't end with Ben. Everyone who works at TBR is friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and that makes for a great experience. Even as Ben made our drinks, I spiraled off into a booze-geek discussion with Scottie (the other bartender on duty at that time), who was just as just into the discussion as someone on the customer side of the bar typically is.

Beyond the great cocktails, or maybe better-said, at their foundation, is a tremendous selection of thoughtfully chosen spirits. The back bar at TBR is one of the most impressive in town. As I mentioned above, some of these spirits are pricey but you get what you pay for. I imagine there are bottles on these shelves that cannot be found anywhere else in town; spirits that many booze-curious barflys would love to try. While it would be costly to make a habit out of doing that, it's also nice to know that they are available for a special moment of indulgence. And there also several quality spirits -- many also relatively uncommon -- that are much more everyday-priced.

At the end of the day, great bars all share some common attributes but most of them also deliver things that other bars do not. And I think that's precisely what makes TBR so special. Like so many great places, it's cozy, welcoming and comfortable. The staff is expert in hospitality. Their drinks are delicious. But the specific attributes of TBR: Ben's unique talent and well-trained palate, a tremendous roster of spirits, a terrific selection of proprietary cocktails and a strong barrel-aged program all add up to distinguish TBR.

=R=

I love this place as well--not much I can add to what has been noted above other than to share a story that illustrates the exceptional service. I was there a couple of months ago with a friend and her husband in from out of town. After a round of stellar cocktails (I had the Barrel Aged Negroni that was definitely the best I think I've ever had, other than my first on the square in Siena ), we were heading out to make our dinner reservation. We were out of the bar and in the hallway leading to the street when out comes our server, pretty much at a jog, with a FULL tray of cocktails in hand--my friend had left her sweater. Not a drop spilled (she was tiny too!!) and a smile on her face as if this was nothing.

Berkshire Room is a beautiful, classy space. I much prefer the profile of the cocktails I've had there to Sable, which to me, skew too sweet in everything I've sampled from booze to food. And the service isn't even a contest between the two--Berkshire wins hands down. Certainly, if you're looking for another option in that area, you'll be missing something if you don't give them a try.

I agree wholeheartedly. Stopped off for a few drinks before dinner a few weeks ago and everything was delicious. I really enjoyed the Weston. A woman was tending the bar at the time (didn't catch her name) and she did a very nice job with an Armagnac dealer's choice. Definitely my new go to place when looking for cocktails in River North.

Fantastic bar. Had the ploughman's lunch platter with beer mustard, apricot chutney, pickled hot peppers, PQM charcuterie including mortadella, ham, nduja. Loved the room, atmosphere, bartenders. Favorites were the barrel aged negroni aged in a Pappy barrel, followed by the Westown with Weller bourbon, Dark Matter coffee, and a rinse of pipe tobacco. Amazing drinks. Kind of want to stay in this hotel now!

A couple weeks ago I stopped in The Berkshire Room and I discovered they added a "Toddy Tuesdays" program.
The plan is to offer two hot toddies every Tuesday - The Beginning to End Tom and Jerry will be their signature and the other toddy will be a weekly new creation. I tried the The Beginning to End Tom and Jerry and it was delicious.

fropones wrote:I agree wholeheartedly. Stopped off for a few drinks before dinner a few weeks ago and everything was delicious. I really enjoyed the Weston. A woman was tending the bar at the time (didn't catch her name) and she did a very nice job with an Armagnac dealer's choice. Definitely my new go to place when looking for cocktails in River North.

It seems I spoke a bit too soon. Returned recently for some more drinks and had a fairly disappointing experience. Ordered a dealer's choice and requested it to be bracingly bitter (in fact the whole table emphasized multiple times just how bitter I wanted it). The drank came out and had a splash of Averna (one of the sweetest and least bitter amaro out there) and a dash of Angostura and wasn't anywhere close to bitter, even if I didn't specify how bitter I wanted it. I mentioned it to the server and she brought it back and returned with a drink that used a whole ounce of Peychaud's. This, however, doesn't necessarily make it super bitter. But since the second one tasted quite good I decided to keep it, but I doubt I will be returning when I can get better drinks IMO at almost half the price elsewhere.

I agree that the "dealer" was a bit off his game that night-- my dealers choice cocktail was intolerably sweet and I did send it back. But everything else I tried, both on and off menu, was very good. For the area, I still prefer Berkshire Room to Sable and will certainly return. I also think Dealers Choice works best if you're actually sitting at the bar, with the opportunity to talk directly to your bartender. Lesson learned. Still a very good spot and very reasonable for the neighborhood.

At $12 or so each, I'm going to be the shot-caller when it comes to my drinks. Happy to ask for suggestions ...

boudreaulicious wrote:I also think Dealers Choice works best if you're actually sitting at the bar, with the opportunity to talk directly to your bartender.

I don't think I'd even consider it any other way.

=R=

Yeah...they promote the "pick a base, profile, glass" then let Ben do his thing but it doesn't work well in reality. But their cocktail list still has several of my favorite drinks in town (a perfect Negroni, the Weston) and several folks at the table ordered DCs that were very good, including fropones' second. They were very gracious about the 2 redo's and service remains a strong point here. Also enjoyed the charcuterie plate very much.

Interesting feedback regarding ordering a dealers choice while sitting away from the bar. Makes sense.

To be honest, I've never tried a dealers choice. The custom drinks the bartenders make for me are a natural evolution from our conversations.

fropones wrote: But since the second one tasted quite good I decided to keep it, but I doubt I will be returning when I can get better drinks IMO at almost half the price elsewhere.

Honest question - where in River North can you get better cocktails for half the price ($6.50)?

Place was absolutely dead last night, at least while we were there, and I wish there were more cozy nooks (booths?) rather than those backless benches. But the Weston is a great cocktail, and the Continuous Negroni was perfect.

I've been back over to The Berkshire Room a few times in the past 2 weeks and it really is an oasis -- a friendly, neighborhood bar that just happens to be, unexpectedly, in River North. The main reason is the staff. As I mentioned upthread, Benjamin Schiller is one of the most knowledgeable barmen I know -- and he's so generous with his knowledge. He has a remarkable fluency with spirits. But Johnny Costello may be the unheralded star of TBR. He's immensely knowledgeable, has a great palate and is an excellent host. He's also a vermouth maven and makes Manhattans (and countless riffs on them) with virtuosity. A few I tasted during a recent session were perfection. Scotty, Julieta and the rest of the staff with whom I've interacted are also warm and welcoming. The folks at TBR do things right and it's a great place to spend time.

=R=

I returned to The Berkshire Room last weekend and I think it is in the running for one of the best cocktail bars in Chicago. I'm always hesitant to assign #1's, #2's, #3's, etc because individual places can be great in their own right. But - I'm confident in saying they're definitely in the top five places in Chicago to grab a cocktail.

Ben Schiller and his team truly make this place shine. It's totally a neighborhood, convivial place that yes, just so happens to be in River North. In a land barren with vodka-sodas and no snack menus, this place keeps it real and reasonable. So, you're going to pay ten bucks in most places in the area for that vodka-soda I mentioned earlier - and it's a slim chance you'll be able to grab a seat anyways. Why not scoot on over to Berkshire and get an incredibly delicious cocktail instead? The value of the cocktails at Berkshire is great. The value of the food is also incredible. (Particular shout-out to the BLT slider, this thing should be twelve bucks and it's only four) I'd argue that Berkshire is actually *underpriced*. With cocktails piercing the twenty-somethings range over at Trump, Berkshire is an oasis and hidden gem in some senses.

They've got a groove over there, and it works well. These cocktails are as good as The Violet Hour and Barrelhouse Flat for sure. For me, a place like Berkshire, being in a place like River North is a true sign that the classic cocktail has truly arrived in Chicago and is here to stay. It's also fun that the man himself (Ben) is frequently at the bar. Berkshire is not a place you will find a cocktail encapsulated in ice - it's just a classic cocktail bar and that's why you go there.

You wouldn't feel uncomfortable bringing anyone here, and that's what's great about it. It isn't pretentious or difficult to understand or overwhelming in any sense, and that's why it's truly a great establishment. With the talent he has, Ben Schiller could have easily gone on from Boka to run any cocktail program he wanted, but I appreciate his simplicity aligned with quality and reasonability.

Great, great joint. I'll be back again.

Royal Lichter wrote: ... The value of the food is also incredible. (Particular shout-out to the BLT slider, this thing should be twelve bucks and it's only four) I'd argue that Berkshire is actually *underpriced* ...

The Berkshire Room* recently rolled out a new upscale bar snacks menu from executive chef Chris "Chip" Davies and executive pastry chef Chris Teixeira. You can check out the menu here.

The menu has expanded quite a bit from the opening menu. There are now some items that play off the "Dealer's Choice" cocktail option flavor profiles as well as some Southern-tinged items meant to compliment the 400+ American whiskeys/bourbons/ryes available at The Berkshire Room.


* I am the publicist for The Berkshire Room

Thank you LTHers for reminding me I wanted to go here. Came through last night and it was stellar. The Weston and the old money were both perfect, and the barman was friendly, talked to me about bourbon, gave me a tipple of Weller Antique that I can sadly no longer find on shelves, and explained their pipe tobacco spray, all while tending to the many other patrons. Superb spot.

*edit: also, super random playlist that I thoroughly enjoyed.

A new cocktail bar* opening this summer from The Berkshire Room's Benjamin Schiller and The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group at 2200 W Lawrence Ave in Lincoln Square adjacent to the second location of Roots Handmade Pizza. You can read more about it here.

* The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group is a client of mine.

daveandrews3 wrote:A new cocktail bar* opening this summer from The Berkshire Room's Benjamin Schiller and The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group at 2200 W Lawrence Ave in Lincoln Square adjacent to the second location of Roots Handmade Pizza.

This is truly outstanding news. This part of the city seems like a perfect location for a bar of this type/pedigree. The article you linked above is fun. I think it really captures Ben well. Looking forward to the opening.

=R=

As someone who lives in Ravenswood I have mixed feelings about this. I fear I'm going to be a lot more hungover in the near future.

What lessons will you take from the success of The Berkshire Room?

If you want a cheap beer or a vodka soda, we’re going to say yes and meet you there. People can come in and challenge me on whiskey knowledge, and it’s cool if the person next to you is on their seventh vodka soda. No one’s too cool for school. You want a cheap beer? God bless you. I can talk about spatlese rieslings in the same place that I can open a can of Hamm's for you.

Love this.

A weekend of firsts landed me at The Berkshire Room with some out of town guests.





New menu at Berkshire as of this week.

Poolside mezcal, spiced strawberry syrup, lime, mint


Dealer's Choice
Spirit: Mezcal
Flavor Profile: Spicy
Glass: Collins

Mezcal with Jalapeno. Fantastic.

Wife's drink. No idea what this is, but it was beautiful.


Weston wheated bourbon, dark matter coffee essence, pipe tobacco


Arrived around 7:30 and stayed until 10:30. Was nearly empty until 9:45 when it became PACKED. So nice to have a really great bar downtown.