Bear Medicine Available at Chicago’s Sable Kitchen & Bar, courtesy of Lead Bartender Mike Ryan:
½ oz Tomintoul “Peaty Tang” Whisky- ½ oz Pedro Ximinez Sherry
- ½ oz Lemon Juice
- ½ oz Maple Syrup
- 3 dashes Allspice Dram
- Preheat, pour into a heated mug, and top with 3 to 4 oz hot water. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel
About Mike Ryan:
As head bartender at Sable Kitchen & Bar, Mike Ryan brings his signature culinary flair to the craft cocktail movement. The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago graduate, former Moto sous chef and self-described “shot and a beer guy” became accidentally enamored with bartending while working as a cook at famed molecular gastronomy restaurant Moto between 2005 and 2008. By putting a cook behind the bar, the Moto team transforming Ryan’s passion from the kitchen to the cocktail.
Ryan grew up outside Philadelphia in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and moved to Chicago in 2001 to attend culinary school, and, while working at Otom and Moto, began spending his free time at sipping at Wicker Park’s The Violet Hour, where he learned the classics and read up on the history. After realizing his talents behind the bar at Moto, Ryan was recruited to The Violet Hour where he spent his time tasting, learning and truly understanding the relationships between “sweet, sour, bitter and booze.” At the same time, he continued to hone his hospitality skills.
From the pre-opening stages of Sable Kitchen & Bar to today, Ryan’s behind-the-bar philosophy is to leave guests feeling both at home and constantly engaged. As far as mixology goes, Ryan favors bright, loud and vibrant flavors. Sable’s cocktail menu boasts a vast array of bitters, bold whiskies and savory ingredients, utilizing Ryan’s kitchen background. Under Ryan’s leadership, the Sable bar houses one of the largest selections of brown spirits in the city.
Since Sable’s opening, Ryan and his cocktail menu have received tremendous critical acclaim and awards. Under Ryan’s direction, Sable was named one the “Best Bars in America” by Food & Wine, one of the “Best Hotel Bars in the US” by USA Today, one of the “Top 55 Whiskey Bars in the US” by Bourbon Review. His innovative cocktails have also been featured in national publications like People magazine, Whiskey Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler and Redbook magazine.
