The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

Preserving Summer for Warming Winter Cocktails

I have been enjoying good whiskey and bourbon lately more than I have in the past. I have become partial to the “Old Fashioned” which is a cocktail comprised of bourbon (or even better with rye ...

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

There’s a reason why Norm came back to the bar day after day, and it may not have had anything to do with the domestic beer and subpar bar snacks.

It's Time for Summer Drinks

I like a cocktail now and again. I don’t know about you, but this is the time of year when my palette is ready for new fresh tastes... a shift from the juicy, comforting ripe fruit and warming ...

Summer Drinks are On Me (Not Literally)

The month of May is almost over, and you all know what that means: The insane supercomputer that controls Chicago’s weather (Code Name: Big Windy) has finally gone into hibernation. This leads to ...

Shake What Your Mama Gave Ya

Chicago, let’s talk cocktails. If you could stand on this city’s big shoulders, you might gain a more revealing perspective in the offerings of larder and libation that immerse this city. One can be ...

Pandora's Cocktail Shaker

For me, mixed drinks have long been the final frontier. Though I've consumed enough beer to shame an English rugby team and I carried wine juice boxes around with me for most of college, I never ...

Head to Grace

Photo Courtesy of Grace

Make a Celebration of the Simple Things

I think we all have our daily, weekly, monthly and annual traditions around the table. These are the moments that ground us and calm us: that first cup of coffee or tea in the morning while making a ...

An Open (Love) Letter to Mimosas

Dear Mimosa,

Spring Forward with New Classes and Menus

It’s time to put away the crock pots and bust out the grills, people! Spring is upon us and so are all of the new and fresh menus that populate the April class calendar.