Chicago spirit-maker Apologue delivers Midwestern flavors to cocktails

Kenney Marlatt, Chicago Tribune

Chicago bar crawlers may have noticed some unfamiliar ingredients popping up in their cocktails lately, courtesy of a new local spirits company called Apologue.

It’s the brainchild of partners Robby Haynes, Jordan Tepper and Ziyad Asrar. You may remember Haynes and Asrar from their time together at Logan Square’s late, lamented cocktail bar Analogue. The pair met Tepper through a mutual friend and began thinking about starting a spirits company around the time the bar closed its doors. Since then, the trio have created an ambitious lineup of liqueurs featuring Midwestern ingredients used in a raw state. “No extracts,” says Haynes.

“There are some really underappreciated regional ingredients that we shine some light on,” says Haynes. “We’re sourcing all our ingredients from the Midwest, and each one has their own parallels within cocktail history and classic drinks and liqueurs.”

Their first three expressions highlight aronia berries, persimmons and celery root, but it’s the aronia liqueur that may well turn out to be Apologue’s most popular. Aronia berries, also known as chokeberries, grow throughout the Midwest and are known for their tart and tannic taste. The Aronia Berry Liqueur, which also includes flavors such as raspberries, tart cherries and cinnamon, can give an Old Fashioned some added richness or act as a substitute for creme de cassis in an El Diablo.

A second expression, Apologue’s Persimmon Bittersweet Liqueur, was born out of the distillers’ desire to create a distinctly American aperitivo. The liqueur puts Indiana persimmons front and center while adding traditional bittering agents like rhubarb root and bitter orange peel, with cardamom and spearmint offering added complexity. The persimmon liqueur pairs well with gin and sweet vermouth to give the classic Negroni a Midwestern spin.

The third bottling, Apologue’s Celery Root Herbal Liqueur, is “the most esoteric,” according to Haynes. When bartending, he would often get requests for savory cocktails and thought it was surprising that there were no herbaceous, savory liqueurs. In addition to celery root, the spirit is made with herbs such as tarragon, fennel and dill, flavors that lend themselves to a bloody mary.

Fans of the Sunday morning staple can now skip the store-bought mixes and stir the celery root liqueur with some tomato juice and lemon juice for a quick brunch cocktail. Tepper says it also plays well with any green, verdant liqueur, like mezcal or tequila. “A celery root margarita is easy to make and tastes really good.”

And while some liqueurs can be one-note ingredients, Asrar says Apologue’s spirits offer far more nuance and depth. “You could drink these on their own over ice.”

The spirits seem to have resonated within Chicago’s bartending community. Avondale’s Ludlow Liquors and The Violet Hour in Wicker Park have multiple cocktails using Apologue spirits on their menus. At The Violet Hour, the Problems With Persimmons balances the bitterness of the persimmon liqueur with the sweetness of Plantation Original Dark Rum and Cognac Park. A few dashes of Peychaud’s bitters and mole bitters round out a drink that’s reminiscent of an Old Fashioned. And at Ludlow Liquors, the Careless Whisper pairs the aronia liqueur with Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey in a richly flavored Sazerac riff.

The company’s popularity may, in part, be due to the charitable role it’s trying to take in the community. Apologue has formed a number of partnerships with nonprofit groups, such as Growing Solutions Farm, which teaches agricultural skills to people with autism. The farm has dedicated some of its land to growing Apologue’s celery root for the coming season. Tepper’s enthusiasm for the project is evident, but he stresses that the arrangement is a win-win.

“Instead of sourcing our celery root from an organic farm that’s 45 minutes away, we can actually get it from one that’s 10 minutes away,” says Tepper. Meanwhile “it supports their business and gives them a reliable customer.”

The trio also has been working on an event at The Whistler in Logan Square called Apologue Intermission. It features local musicians and plenty of Apologue cocktails with a portion of the proceeds going to nonprofit organizations. Their next installment, taking place Wednesday, will benefit The Rebuilding Exchange, an organization that promotes sustainability while providing education and job training programs for those in need.

“An Apologue is a moral fable. A story with a purpose,” says Tepper. “That’s our driving force.”

Apologue liqueurs ($30-$35) are sold at Binny’s and are also available for delivery from foxtrotco.com. Apologue Intermission takes place 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Whistler, 2421 N. Milwaukee Ave.; for more information, go to whistlerchicago.com.