Billy Sunday opened on Logan Boulevard in 2013 and is named after the early-20th-century evangelist who campaigned for Prohibition. The bar's response is to stock a back bar of pre-Prohibition spirits — including bottles dating from the 1880s through 1920 — and pour them in serious classical cocktails.
The cocktails are precise. The Reverend Sunday is a signature — bourbon, sweet vermouth, herbal liqueur, bitters. The vintage spirits programme is unique: drinks built with rye whisky from 1920, vermouth from 1900, gin from 1910. Some pours are very expensive but worth it for the experience.
The crowd is mid-thirties cocktail enthusiasts and visiting bartenders. Pair with The Violet Hour in Wicker Park for a Chicago cocktail evening.