Sparrow

Chicago, Illinois

Regional honoree for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar at the 2023 Spirited Awards.

Sparrow is a cocktail lounge with a Cuban flair, set in the lobby of a 1927 Art Deco apartment building at 12 W Elm Street in Chicago's Gold Coast. The bar was first built as a late-night retreat for the residents upstairs and has since reopened to the public under its original name. The cocktail list leans on Cuban and Caribbean classics such as La Floridita, the Hotel Nacional and a rum Old Fashioned, plus a rotating daiquiri picked by the staff and a short spirit-free menu. The bar also keeps a deep sugar cane spirits list arranged by country, from Barbados and Jamaica to Martinique and Guyana. Sparrow is part of Footman Hospitality and opens every day at 4 pm. Private events range from a 20-guest front lounge to a full buyout for 130.