Fair Trade
Cocktails for the Soul in Wicker Park

Yes, it's brutal out there.

And yes, you're probably one windchill degree from spending the weekend immersed in a warm bath of chicken noodle soup.

Resist that urge. Rage against the falling of the temps. Fight cold...with more cold—specifically, the clinking ice cubes of a really good gin cocktail.

Introducing The Exchange, a snug cocktailing den soft-opening this weekend in Wicker Park, providing you with all the incentive you need to brave a Chicago winter night.

You'll remember this space from its days as Lava Lounge, where you spent many sweaty, swirling nights listening to some DJ spin his brains out. Now think of it as the apartment you envisioned as a kid—part space-age bachelor pad, part mixology lab. (You were a very imaginative child.)

Pendant lights float like champagne bubbles over the room, and the music veers toward the laid-back and lounge-y. On a first date, tuck yourself into one of the banquettes on the side, sipping sweet Palomas (tequila, fresh juices, a splash of grapefruit Jarritos) or The Exchange (boutique vodka mixed with locally made, exotic-flavored sodas like tamarind or honey-basil). But on nights when it's just you and something Belgian, a seat at the bar engaging a potent Tripel Karmeliet is perfectly acceptable.

Feel free to stay until the first thaw.