All TreeTinis sold at Whiskey Bars will help save America's trees. (Photo: Gerber Group)
I'm not going to get all preachy about
Earth Day—which fetes its 38th anniversary today—but there are some pretty cool things going on around town where you can have your usual fun while helping the environment:
At hip, Euro-style
Lumen (839 W. Fulton Market, 312-733-2222), you'll get an eco-friendly fashion show hosted by Wicker Park's
Funkshion (2121 W. Division St., 773-697-4119) and
Image magazine. As always, drink specials, and a sophisticated industry crowd. 9pm-2am. No cover.
All three of
Rande Gerber's Whiskey Bars get in on the action with a special on the
TreeTini. Tonight only they're $6 (regularly $14), and for each one sold, a tree is being donated to a place in dire need of forestation and ecological improvement. The TreeTini was created by
Live It Green, an Illinois-based sustainability company, and it's available for the special price at
Whiskey Blue (172 W. Adams St., 312-782-4933),
Whiskey Sky (644 N. Lake Shore Dr., 312-255-4463) and
The Whiskey Bar/MEXX Kitchen (1015 N. Rush St., 312-475-0300).
Make your way to the fourth-annual
Get Trashed on Earth Day at
Mahoney’s Pub & Grille (551 N. Ogden Ave., 312-733-2121). The idea is for this event to be a chill-out opportunity for those who've spent the day cleaning up trash in the local neighborhoods. They’ll be serving up three special Earth Day cocktails: a
Mud-tini (a creamy chocolate martini),
Ocean Blue (a blue, citrus vodka cocktail) and
Greenie-Tini (melon and green apple martini). Fifty percent of the profits of the cocktails benefit
Keep Chicago Beautiful, a non-profit organization that works with the business community, schools, neighborhoods and government agencies to improve our environment through education, public awareness and community involvement.
And
ZED451 (739 N. Clark St., 312-932-1100) finally debuts today. The contemporary steakhouse designed by renowned architect
Chris Smith (
Buddakan, Philadelphia and New York;
Grayz, New York; and
OLA, Miami) is very heavy on wood throughout the interior and much of it is reclaimed. One of my fave highlights of this sexy newcomer is its rooftop lounge, which features real grass, a fireplace and
no reservations to sit down. Seasonally driven cocktails include the
Cucumber Sage Martini (fresh cucumber and sage mixed with lemon and Hendrick’s gin),
Gingered Bourbon Lemonade (composed of citrus infused Woodford Reserve Small Batch Bourbon with freshly squeezed lemonade and a zesty ginger kick) and the
Kiwi Strawberry Martini (with fresh kiwi and strawberries blended with Reyka vodka and housemade sour mix).
