NorthshoreVodka

We at Back Lit Lounge general lean towards vodkas that are at least fairly accessible in the U.S. This month, North Shore is proudly an exception.

While traveling on business in Chicago, your host found himself at the Weber Grill in Schaumburg, about 10 minutes west of O'Hare airport. A perusal of the bar revealed the usual "top shelf" suspects. To my delight, "Got any new vodkas back there?" was met with, "Oh yeah, we just got this in...North Shore. It's made here in Chicago."

Local vodkas are great fun because they can vary so widely, but rarely do they rate 4 stars or better. North Shore is not only an excellent 5 star, but clearly sets the bar for all other local vodkas, if not all vodkas, to be measured against.

All we know about the vodka is that it's made using a "proprietary, true small batch process" from midwest grain. An employee at Binny's Liquors told me the distillery is pristine and uses lots of stainless steel and porcelain. Tours are supposed to start this summer so hopefully I'll return to Chicago to update this post.

Also worth noting is their "Gin number 6." At Back Lit Lounge, we are not gin drinkers. It's just not a flavor we enjoy. Gin No.6, however, is like no other gin on the market. Think "infused" or "essence of" gin. It's wonderful.

Learn all about them at NorthShoreDistillery.com.