If you’re looking to share a drink with friends, you don’t have to limit your options to a bottle of wine or a pitcher of beer. These 14 spots offer extra-large cocktails meant for group drinking and they’re served with spectacular style.
Acanto
18 S. Michigan Ave., 312-578-0763
Poured from a crystal decanter, the Crystal Clear ($20) features a blend of white wine, vermouth, blood orange green tea and prosecco poured into glasses with strawberry pearls. The mix of dry and sweet is meant to start your meal at The Loop Italian restaurant.
Arbella
112 W. Grand Ave., 312-846-6654
Drink in some Peruvian flavors at the River North spot with the Chilcano, a blend of cucumber-infused pisco, lime and ginger beer bottled and served with a cucumber ice cube, or get a buzz from the Punch Drunk, which features spiced rum, ginger tea, honey, sugarcane and citrus (both $25).
Bad Hunter
802 W. Randolph St., 312-265-1745
An extra large version of an aperol spritz, The Enchantment ($47) features vodka, aperol, St. Germain, rosé, blueberry and lavender. The West Loop spot also offers a taste of tiki in the 80 Hour Layover ($28) made with rye, brandy, amaro, and grapefruit and lime juices.
Boleo
122 W. Monroe St., 312-750-9007
The rooftop bar offers a “Bragging Rights” menu of four cocktails for six to eight people including the Pisco Punch, a blend of the namesake spirit, with lime and pineapple juice served in a ceramic pineapple ($60) and The Fox Den, which features Pimm’s No. 1, vodka, aperol, bitters, raspberry and lemon ($80).
The Dawson
730 W. Grand Ave., 312-243-8955
Meant to take you back to your time at summer camp, the Nature Hike ($55) features gin, ginger, cucumber, lemongrass, lime, falernum and soda water served in a thermos. Serving six people, the drink is a citrusy and clove-spiced spin on a gin mule.
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The Delta
1745 W. North Ave., 773-360-1793
The Wicker Park restaurant serves a trio of cocktails in vases founded in thrift stores including The Beale St. Diver ($24), a blend of mezcal, cachaca, curacao, watermelon, vanilla and lime, and Mismatch and Flow ($23), which features vodka, allspice dram, seasonal fruit, chamomile, honey and ghost peppers. Sticking with the vase theme, all the drinks are garnished with edible flowers.
Fulton Market Kitchen
311 N. Sangamon St., 312-733-6900
For $65 you can share the Honey Do (Or Don’t), a blend of gin, aloe liqueur, honeydew, lime and green chartreuse, or the Mi Tio, a spicy mix of gin, Ancho Reyes Verde liqueur, elderflower liqueur and lemon.
The Gwen
521 N. Rush St., 312-645-1500
Savor the last of summer on the Magnificent Mile hotel’s newly renovated terrace patio with rosé sangria for four ($74) made with rosé, lemon-ginger syrup, white grapefruit and seasonal fruit.
IO Godfrey
127 W. Huron St., 312-374-1830
The rooftop bar’s Rainbow Sangria ($52), which serves four, features a whole spectrum of ice cubes made from fruit juices and edible flowers that melt when blended with Grey Goose vodka and moscato, changing the flavor as you drink.
The Ladies’ Room
2957 W. Diversey Ave., 773-661-9170
Named for the fire at the center of the drink, The Burning Bird ($66) blends dark rums with pineapple puree, amaro, aperol, palm sugar and calamansi – a small citrus fruit from the Philippines. If you’ve got something to celebrate, order the Grand Royale ($280) which mixes several of the Logan Square spot’s housemade spirits with a bottle of champagne, bitters, cognac and brandy and serves eight to 10 people.
Punch House
1227 W. 18th St., 312-526-3851
The Pilsen bar offers a wide variety of their namesake drink like the Space Juice for Jered, a blend of tequila, Luxardo bitter liqueur, sparkling wine and grapefruit juice garnished with sage ($59) and Banana Rain, which features rum, cachaca, banana liqueur, lemon, lime and coconut coriander tonic ($66). All of the punches are available as solo cocktails for $8-$10 if you want to try them before committing your group. You can also drink in some luxury with a champagne punch made with gin, curacao, rum, black tea, lemon and bitters for six served tableside ($225).
Schoolyard Tavern
3258 N. Southport Ave., 773-528-8226
The recently revamped Lakeview bar offers the Phishbowl: Bathtub Gin, a blend of gin, cucumber, fresh lemon and mint syrup served in a fish-shaped bowl for groups of at least three ($47).
Three Dots and a Dash
435 N. Clark St., 312-610-4220
The River North tiki bar specializes in shareable drinks like Lapu Lapu, rum, passion fruit, lime and tangerine for two served in a giant shell bubbling with dry ice ($28) or the Head Hunter, a drink for three to four featuring Caribbean rum, strawberry, watermelon, starfruit, lime and pineapple served in a glass skull ($65).
Z Bar
108 E. Superior St., 312-573-6888
There’s enough booze for six in the Disco Fever ($120), a disco ball filled with vodka and passion fruit and mandarin juices topped with a bottle of champagne and garnished with lemons and edible flowers.
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Samantha Nelson is a RedEye freelance writer.