Vestinos has the long pour down

When Peter Vestinos competed in the Chicago Iron Bartender competition in October of 2007, he’d only worked as a mixologist for a few months. Up against Chicago cocktail masters such as Adam Seger of Nacional 27 and Tim Lacey, who currently tends bar at The Drawing Room, Peter didn’t expect to make it past the first round. Then the judges tasted Ramble On, his concoction of Plymouth Gin, Campari, berry purée sweetened with agave syrup and lime juice. Following his victory, Peter emerged as one of Chicago’s most respected bartenders. He placed third at this year’s competition in Scottsdale, good enough to earn him a spot in the upcoming Shake It Up battle in Las Vegas.

Like many Chicago mixologists, Peter got his start in wine, working as a sommelier at The Tasting Room in the West Loop. He credits that experience with enabling him to construct a great cocktail, balancing elements of sweetness and acidity within a drink. Cocktails had been a hobby until Peter took charge of the cocktail program at Sepia, a restaurant built on the site of a 19th century print shop that focuses on organic and seasonal cuisine, in June of last year. At Sepia, Peter has the creative freedom to devise a menu of signature cocktails, and access to high-quality culinary ingredients to use in his drinks. If someone in the kitchen needs egg yolks for a dish, they save the whites for Peter to use in his cocktails, reducing food waste within the restaurant.

Peter makes his own bitters and infused liqueurs to use in his seasonal cocktail menu, which changes about six times a year. I had the pleasure of tasting a heavenly liqueur Peter devised for his summer cocktail menu: reposado tequila infused with virgin Indiana honeycomb, fresh lavender, and citrus. He just released his fall cocktail menu, which has an emphasis on seasonal flavors like maple syrup, cranberries, and orange peel. The Chipotle Old Fashioned is made with 1792 bourbon infused with chipotle peppers, house-made triple chocolate balsamic vinegar, muddled orange and cherry. The Imperial breakfast uses locally apricot jam (Peter likes using jam in his cocktails because of the sweetness and viscosity it lends to the drink), mixed with Bombay Sapphire, Aperol, lime juice and mint. He’s also included the Indian Summer, one of his winning concoctions from the Chicago Iron Bartender competition, made with rum, cranberry cordial, maple syrup, lemon juice, and pear cider.

I can’t think of a better way to survive the holiday season!

Sepia, 123 N. Jefferson St., 312-441-1920 or sepiachicago.com. 4:30-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 4:30-10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 4:30-9:00 p.m. Sun. For more from Behind the Bar, follow Bianca on Twitter!