In an age in which you can get anything you want on demand, I like to seek out seasonal items to mark moments in time. That’s why every year in early October I head to Queen Mary Tavern (2125 W. Division St., Ukrainian Village) for a Concord grape Enzoni.
The Enzoni is a modern classic, yet you hardly see it on menus. Made with gin, Campari, lemon, simple syrup, and muddled white grapes, it was created in 2001 by Vincenzo Errico in London. He refined the drink at the New York bar Milk & Honey. At that bar’s successor, Attaboy, Queen Mary managing partner Dan Smith sampled a take with Concord grapes. He had made it before, but the Concords were a revelation: “As soon as I drank it, I realized that I hadn’t actually known this drink at all.”
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In 2016, Smith brought the Concord Enzoni to Queen Mary. I love that the Enzoni is simple — the ingredients are all recognizable — but tastes complex. It’s refreshing and bitter. The grapes, from Mick Klüg Farms and Seedling Farms, are harvested starting between mid-September and early October and are available for about a month. “It’s fun to move away from year-round agriculture, which tends to make everything seem out of time,” Smith says. At Queen Mary, with an Enzoni in hand, I always know what time it is.
Amy Cavanaugh is the dining editor for Chicago magazine.