New Menu Sails Into The Bamboo Room
Nostalgia & nautical inspiration deliver a feast for the senses
The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash, the award-winning bar and intimate rum tasting room in Chicago’s River North, debuted an all-new menu boasting nearly a dozen must-try cocktails. Renowned Beverage Director Kevin Beary, Lead Bartender Scott Kitsmiller and their team collaborated on a collection of drinks that is a masterclass in storytelling.
Check out a few of of the must-try cocktails now available at The Bamboo Room.
To make a reservation at The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash, click here.
Click here to check out the new menu at The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash.
Tequila Nar-Nar with Tequila Ocho Añejo, Planteray Guatemala Three Dots Single Barrel, Aromatized Wine, Gentiane Apertif, Champagne, Raspberry, Pineapple, Lemon, Absinthe
“Our summer menu ushers in some new creative forces in The Bamboo Room,” says Beary. “In the past year, Scott and I added two new members to our team, Bar Manager Tyler MacLellan and Lead Bartender Taylor Jamison. These new drinks are a true collaboration of four rum and tropical cocktail enthusiasts channeling inspiration from emerging cocktail trends, personal preferences and learnings from our committed guests.”
Fans will jump at the chance to bring home a new style of The Bamboo Room’s custom crafted, exclusive vessels, The Narwhal Mug. Used to serve the show-stopping Tequila Nar Nar, the whimsical mug comes extravagantly garnished and filled with a blend of aged tequila, smoky, double-charred rhum, botanical spirits, bubbles, and tropical flavors.
Rising Tides with House Made Spirit-Free Amaro, Lime, Fresh Watermelon
While The Bamboo Room is celebrated for its highly curated library of more than 300 rums and rhum agricole representing nearly every rum-producing country in the world, the new menu features two zero-proof cocktails. “We wanted to offer spirit-free options that not only reflect our cocktail concept but are also on par with the technique and care that we put in to our rum-based cocktails,” Beary says.
Rising Tides’ homemade, highly tannic amaro base was inspired by black tea, which, when paired with lime juice and poured over shaved watermelon ice, becomes a complex cocktail layered with sweet, fresh fruit and a bitter finish.
Click here to discover more NA cocktails at Lettuce.
Port Light with Yamazaki 12 Japanese Whisky, Appleton 15 Jamaican Rum, Lemon, Passionfruit, Pomegranate
Another custom created vessel on the latest menu is featured in the Port Light. Beary and team enlisted the help of a local artisans Ignite Glass Studios to create a glass resembling the light affixed to the port side of a ship, nestled inside a large glass wave. Traditionally made with whiskey, this version swaps bourbon for Yamazaki 12, a beautiful 12-year-old Japanese whisky, and adds a touch of longer-aged Jamaican rum with Appleton 15 Year for a gorgeous iteration on an iconic tropical cocktail.
Ants on a Log with R.L. Seale 12 Barbados Rum, Vermouth, Madeira, Peanut, Celery, Raisins, Ants
Creating this grown-up version of the classic children’s snack required extensive experimentation. The backbone of this cocktail is R.L. Seale 12 Year Old Barbados rum, re-distilled in a rotary evaporator with crushed peanuts, which yields a perfectly clear, decadently flavored sip. While delicious on its own stirred with honey, the peanut distillate becomes wildly nostalgic with the addition of celery-infused blanc vermouth. Serving this savory-sweet combination with a side of California raisin-infused Madeira and a spoonful of culinary ants (that’s right—ants!) takes this cocktail right over the top.
Root Beer Float with R.L. Seale 12 Barbados Rum, Root Beer, Sarsparilla, Birch, Melted Ice Cream, Overproof Jamaican Rum Foam
Another nod to the flavors of childhood, The Bamboo Room team created a root beer milk punch using Sprecher Root Beer from Wisconsin and melted vanilla ice cream. The resulting flat, clear cocktail is then force carbonated with house-made sarsaparilla and birch bark syrup, poured into a frosty glass. and finished with a foam topper of melted ice cream and Jamaican rum to perfectly replicate that first sip of a root beer float. A side snack of warm buttery popcorn adds summer nights at-the-drive-in vibes.
Tomato Presidente with Angostura White Oak Trinidad Rum, Neisson Organic Blanc Agricole Rhum, La Venenosa Raicilla Blanc Vermouth, Pineapple, Clarified Tomato, Clarified Strawberry, Absinthe
A modern twist on the classic Cuban “El Presidente” cocktail of the early 1900s, The Bamboo Room’s Tomato Presidente is a sophisticated, yet adventurous drink. Traditionally crafted with a singular white rum, this version features a primarily blanc vermouth base infused with a whole fresh pineapple for 24 hours. The addition of two rums, agave spirit raicilla, clarified cherry tomato water and strawberry cordial make a savory, sweet and summery play together, finished with a pickled local strawberry sink.
Thai One On with Wild Thai Banana, Fresh Coconut Water
Rounding out the menu are homages to classics such as the Navy Grog, Coconut Ti Punch, and Zombie Cobbler, the spirit-free, banana-infused Thai One On, and the return of one of The Bamboo Room’s signatures, the Clairvoyant Missionary.
Learn how to make Three Dots and a Dash’s NA Undead Reckoning cocktail.
Along with inventive cocktails, the The Bamboo Room routinely takes patrons on a journey into the world of rum, including rum tasting flights featuring unconventional distilleries, independent bottlers and small-scale producers sourced during their global travels. The bar’s advanced techniques and dedication to showcasing rare rums and historic cocktails has earned it numerous accolades, including recognition as the “One to Watch” by World’s 50 Best Bars North America in 2022 and a place among Esquire’s Best Bars in America in 2020.
To make a reservation at The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash, click here.
Click here to check out the new menu at The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash.
