L-R: Hendrick's rep Jim Ryan, Peter Vestinos, Rep Charlotte Voisey and Charles Joly

It may be the dead of winter, but there’s so much pouring out of Chicago’s liquid culture I can barely keep up!

After winning the Chicago Iron Bartender competition in 2007, Sepia's Peter Vestinos officially became the king of gin after he was named "Most Inspired Bartender 2008" in a contest sponsored by GQ and Bombay Sapphire. His “Imperial Sun”—a mixture of Bombay, Aperol, lime juice, and apricot jam garnished with mint— won him the title; it’s on the menu at Sepia as the “Imperial Breakfast” if you’d like to try it. Peter and friends celebrated his victory at the Paramount Room earlier this week, with in-house bartender Shawn Koch whipping up Bombay gin cocktails accompanied with gourmet bites including steamed mussels and spoonfuls of steak tartare.

As if national fame and glory weren't enough, Peter also took home first place at the Chicago Hendrick’s Gin cocktail competition at The Drawing Room a few weeks ago. He competed against Drawing Room's Charles Joly, Daniel “DJ” Love, Tim Lacey, and contest first-timers Benjamin Schiller from In Fine Spirits and lawyer-turned-mixologist Christopher Bloom. All six bartenders were required to wear “Victorian fancy dress” for the competition, as well as present their cocktails using a limerick they had penned themselves. Hendrick’s representatives Jim Ryan (sporting a saucy mustache) and Charlotte Voisey (stunning in a corset and veiled hat) as well as Drinks Over Dearborn proprietor Kyle McHugh presided as judges and called a tie between Peter’s “Cotswald Afternoon” (flavored with marmalade, lemon juice, and orange flower water, and topped with caraway seed foam) and Charles Joly’s “Sir Lushington’s Daffy,” (mixed with St. Germain Elderflower liqueur and North Shore aquavit, and garnished with a gold-dusted edible flower). The tiebreaker round required the finalists to prepare their best gin martini and read from a volume I nicknamed “the big book of filthy limericks.” Peter emerged as the champion but the judges were so impressed by Charles that they invited him as a guest to Los Angeles, where eight regional winners will compete for the national title. Best of luck to Peter in the next round!

Moving along to beer gossip: I had the pleasure of meeting beer rock stars Nick Floyd (of Indiana’s Three Floyds) and Sam Calagione (Delaware’s Dogfish Head) at “Dogfloydapalooza” at the Bottom Lounge this week. The brewers were serving up some barrel-aged goodness in preparation for their collaboration on Popskull, an "Old School, German Brown Ale with Palo Santo Wood and Botanicals." Sixty barrels of Popskull will be brewed at Three Floyds in the hopes of being ready for April's “Dark Lord Day,” when beer nerds flock to Munster to stock up on the ultra-limited Russian imperial stout. But there’s no need to make the pilgrimage for Popskull—Louis Glunz Beer will release limited quantities locally.

Speaking of Chicago breweries—Ravenswood’s Metropolitan Brewery just released their first kegs of Flywheel Bright Lager, which will be on tap starting January 23 at Handlebar, Hopleaf, and Risque Café. More bars to come, as well as bottles in stores. And don’t forget to the check the Neo-Futurist’s play Beer, which kicks off at the brewery January 29.

Stay warm and follow my Twitter for more liquid gossip!