When a neighborhood starts sprouting Starbucks franchises you know it’s well on its way to gentrification.
So what exactly does the appearance of a $950 cocktail, which comes with a ruby nestled in the bottom of the glass at hip nightclub Reserve, signify for the West Loop?
News of the Ruby Red cocktail has been doing the media rounds for a while now, but prepare for a stampede of beautiful New Yorkers after the New York Times officially bestowed hipster status on the drink, and by extension the club and surrounds, in Sunday’s Style section.
One of the club’s managers, a former jeweler, devised the drink, which includes a Grade-A ruby, vodka, champagne, cognac, pomegranate liqueur and orange juice. The club has sold three so far, including one to a precocious 23-year-old nightclub promoter on a first date, who when interviewed later by the Times seemed to think the dazzling drink helped him bond with the woman in question.