Do you remember the old times? Late night, fancy dresses, bridal hairstyles… Over-the-top girl’s night out seemed like a faraway memory looking back today with so many of our seasonal favorites closing their doors. However, the moment we have all been waiting for is finally here, Vol. 39, the beloved cocktail lounge at Kimpton Gray Hotel is open for the first time since the pandemic began. Return to the year 1893 this fall and enjoy cocktails inspired by the largest and most successful World’s Fair to date.
Located on the second floor of the Kimpton Gray Hotel, the elevated cocktail bar and lounge offers a new cocktail menu that strives to replicate the massive exchange of ideas and cultures explored during this monumental event that showed the world that the city had risen from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire—reminiscent of the current reopening of Vol. 39 too, signaling that the Loop is returning to its pre-pandemic bustle.
While visiting, explore the unique menu with namesake selections dedicated to a building from the Columbian Exposition. Find fresh seasonal ingredients in the Agriculture Building, elegant bespoke cocktails in the Fine Arts Building and sample Vol. 39’s classic cocktails in the Historical Building.
- Select a “Budding Rose” from the Agriculture Building made with Suntory Toki, Rhine Hall oaked apple brandy, rose green tea, lemon and Topo Chico.
- Choose a “Midway to Manzanilla” from the Fine Arts Building made with saffron-infused Beefeater gin, Lillet Rose, Lustau Manzanilla sherry and hopped grapefruit bitters.
- Enjoy a Vol. 39 Negroni from the Historical Building made with Plymouth gin, Campari, sweet vermouth and palo santo smoke.
Feeling adventurous? Take a ride on the “Ferris Wheel,” featuring a flight from the Golden Age of cocktails. The world’s first ferris wheel appeared in Chicago during the 1893 World’s Fair and Vol. 39’s Ferris Wheel Flight invites guests to partake in a tour of six iconic drinks that shaped the modern cocktail world as we know it today. Meant to be shared, the libations include a champagne cocktail, daiquiri, martinez, manhattan, sazerac and negroni for $100. The cocktail flight is the perfect excuse to cheers the reopening of Vol. 39 and celebrate national Negroni Week taking place September 14th through 20th.
Open Tuesday through Saturday from 4:00 p.m. to 11 p.m. Vol. 39, an upscale Loop favorite, offers up a selection of bespoke cocktails with a nod to the classics. For more information and to make a reservation visit https://www.grayhotelchicago.com/chicago-loop-bars.