If you thought you were getting ready to do some nice relaxing summer activities like going to the beach or having a picnic — The Bear returns to fill you with the angst and anxiety of a Chicago restaurant kitchen.
Season three of The Bear premieres on June 27, with Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) saved from the freezer. He’s about to open the new restaurant, alongside Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) amidst bickering over everything from recipes to plating.
That level of stress is enough to make you drink — so why not whip up a couple of Chicago-themed cocktails, courtesy of Tequila Avión?
Start your evening with a margarita that takes its cues from the classic Chicago dog. The cocktail is rimmed with celery salt and uses classic Chicago giardiniera brine to give the drink a sweet/tart flavor.
Since all ten episodes of Season 3 are scheduled to be released on June 27, chances are you’ll be up all night binge-watching. Greet the sun with a Chicago-style Bloody Mary, again made with giardiniera brine.
Wisconsin is the next-door neighbor of Illinois, so borrow its tradition of chasing your Bloody with a beer, as an homage to the age-old tradition of buying the kitchen staff a beer.
Bloody Mary with a Potato Chip Rim
Ingredients
2 parts Avión 44 tequila (substitute with another añejo tequila if desired)
4 parts Bloody Mary mix (I like McClure’s)
½ parts brine from a jar of Chicago-style giardiniera mix
Preparation
Build ingredients in a shaker. Add ice, and pour into a potato chip-rimmed pint glass. Garnish with a skewer of giardiniera vegetables, a rolled slice of roast beef, tomatoes, and banana peppers.
Chicago Dog Margarita
Ingredients
2 parts Avión 44 tequila (substitute with another añejo tequila if desired)
¾ parts lime juice
¾ parts agave syrup
¼ part brine from a jar of Chicago-style giardiniera mix
Can of PBR (or substitute any beer)
Preparation
Build in a shaker, add ice, shake, and strain into a celery-salted rocks glass. Garnish with pickle, olive, pepperoncini, and cherry tomato. Serve with a beer chaser.