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A more mature Cubanola leaves Dana wanting more.

Wednesday Jun 04, 2008.     By Dana Kavan

Bars + Clubs Feed

Drink of the week: The Cubanola, at Le Passage Discotheque and The Drawing Room

The damage: $14.

Thousands of bars in Chicago, why this one? Even though Le Passage changed ownership and underwent a concept overhaul about six months ago, I still couldn't shake my memories of the old incarnation. And how could I, when they involved spraining my ankle and a friend running into glass doors and then apologizing to her own reflection? That was a long time ago, and I had grown up and moved on to less pain-inflicting nightspots.

But my friend Jen insisted Le Passage had grown up, too: If the old haunt was the equivalent of an over-served 22-year-old pounding Red Bull and vodka, the fresh digs are a seasoned socialite who sips scotch.

How it went down: The new owners (the team behind Cans Bar & Canteen and Salud Tequila Lounge, among other watering holes) divided the subterranean spot into two, creating a dining area called the Drawing Room, a low-lit, gold-hued space and our destination for the evening. We sunk into the low-slung gold chairs, shaped like perfect 90-degree angles, and immediately turned our attention to the cocktails. Our waitress explained that the bartenders we would encounter here weren't the Snake Bite-shot-slinging folks from the old space; the new crew uses fresh ingredients, creates homemade sours and grenadine and will even mix your drink tableside.

The bartender rolled up with a stocked cart to start crafting the Cubanola: a mix of Bacardi, fresh lemon-sour, pomegranate grenadine and orange and pineapple juices. He started off by cracking an egg white into the bottom of a pint glass. He squeezed lemon juice into it to finish off the homemade sour. To that, he added one ounce of made-from-scratch pomegranate grenadine, which isn't nearly as sweet as you'd expect and will have you swearing off the saccharine Rose's stuff for good. In went the rum and juices, before all the ingredients got an intense shake. He poured the concoction into a coupe glass, and then ran the flame from a lighter over a lemon to heat up the fruit's oils, allowing them to seep into the concoction after the wedge was placed on top.

What impressed me most wasn't the actual mixing going on, but how the bartender patiently explained each step to us, and even threw in a quick history lesson: The drink is based off the classic, post-Prohibition Bacardi Cocktail, which the New York Supreme Court ruled in 1936 must be made with Bacardi. And the drink tasted amazing to boot; it had a nice foamy head from the egg white, which imparted a creamy consistency. The first bite had an almost burnt-orange flavor, followed by tart citrus notes and the taste of fresh tropical fruit.

Would I want to become a regular? I can count on one hand how many times I've actually felt good about shelling out $14 on a cocktail, and this was certainly one of those moments. And the wooing only picked up steam when the elaborate small plates we ordered arrived. The braised oxtail potstickers were like meaty packets of savory goodness, perfectly paired with slightly sweet red onion marmalade and massive shiitakes. The tender meat on the Korean BBQ ribs fell off without any effort and had a wonderful smokiness. Oh, how times have changed.

Dana Kavan scours the city for drink deals so good you'll offer to buy a round and creative libations that outshine your average on-the-rocks concoctions. Want to give Dana tips on where to rack up a bar tab? Share your finds before her next night out.