Charles feels jolly with a shaker in hand

Unlike many mixologists, Charles Joly didn't get his start in wine or fine dining; he played guitar in a drunk punk band and worked at Crobar back when it was an industrial club. The executive general manager at Three Headed Productions, the group behind Le Passage, Salud Tequila Lounge, EvilOlive and others, Charles recently won second place at the 2008 Cocktail World Cup in New Zealand, along with his U.S. Central teammates. Winning hasn't gone to his head, though: Charles remains refreshingly unpretentious and approachable. He's got a tattoo of the Chicago flag on one arm, and a Dia de los Muertos sugar skull on the other, which serves as the namesake of one of the cocktails on his fall menu: a concoction of reposado tequila, Navan Vanilla, and chai infusion with a cinnamon-cayenne sugar rim. He even crafted tiny, hand-decorated sugar skulls to serve as a garnish, but decided not to use them when he discovered they crumbled when wet.

Samantha and I recently visited Charles at The Drawing Room, a lounge and restaurant adjoining the swank Le Passage nightclub. He immediately inquired about our flavor preferences and mixed up some cocktails to suit our palates. I like bitter, complex cocktails like Sazeracs, so Charles fixed me a Bukowski Cocktail, inspired by “old man liquors” Jeppson’s Malort (oft-maligned for its bitter wormwood taste) and Drambuie, and tempered with lemon juice, honey syrup, and muddled basil for an interesting balance of sweet, sour, and bitter flavors. Sam prefers sweet drinks, so Charles mixed her a 42 Bee Stings with 42 Below Manuka Honey Vodka, Domaine de Canton Ginger liqueur, fresh lavender and lemon juice, and candied ginger for a garnish. If the Bukowski is the cocktail equivalent of the dirty old man, 42 Beestings might be a sultry starlet like Rita Hayworth — equal parts sweet and spicy.

While Charles serves as chief mixologist at The Drawing Room, his cocktail teammates D.J. Love and Tim Lacey are equally talented. I had the pleasure of sitting in while Tim tested a bunch of new Genever cocktail recipes on Zuidam Gin importer Richard Ward, and Sam fell in love with D.J.’s Pumpkin Thyme cocktail — a delightful autumnal blend of gin, cognac, spiced pumpkin purée, Canton ginger, and flamed thyme leaf. Want to get up and personal with the mixologists? The Drawing Room offers cart service, where the bartender will mix drinks at your table and answer questions.

The Drawing Room also offers punch service, which serves 4-6 people, and an upscale dinner menu with featuring escargot and grilled Wagyu beef. We tried the cheese fries ($7), a far cry from the nacho cheese-topped monstrosity you’ll find elsewhere — The Drawing Room’s version features crispy potato cubes fried in duck fat and slathered with melted brie and smoked tomatoes. Irresistible.

The Drawing Room at Le Passage, 937 N Rush St., 312-266-2694 or lepassage.com, 6 p.m.-4 a.m., Tues.-Fri. and Sunday, 6 p.m.- 5 a.m., Sat. For more from Behind the Bar, follow Bianca on Twitter!