Details on Heisler's Sportsman's Club, Opening in Mid-December

For their next project, Matt Eisler and Kevin Heisner are combining elements of a cocktail lounge, a classic Chicago dive, a hunting club, and a retail store inside a small space on Western for Sportsman's Club.

Eisler has brought on bartenders Wade McElroy (Trenchermen) and Jeff Donahue (Barrelhouse Flat) to run the beverage program, which will feature three-to-five daily-rotating cocktails and employ an amaro machine. Expect these drinks among them: "The Sportsman" (bourbon, amaro, tart cherry, angostura bitters, absinthe, orange) and the sour "Grizzly King" (pisco, amaro, solera sherry, lemon, cinnamon-chicory). A tight wine and beer list (8 taps) will round out the served booze.

In the design, Heisner is putting his spin on a French hunting club theme. For example, he's using antlers in a light fixture (pictured) and fire to illuminate the backyard. A reel-to-reel machine will play 70's roots rock, folk, and Americana. The interior holds 32 seats.

In another nod to the original Sportsman's Club, they will also sell carryout liquor, as well as bar goods including bar tools, bitters, and books. They're hosting a popup on Monday at Trenchermen to preview the spot; expect the real thing to open in mid-December.
· Heisler Planning Small Cocktail Bar on Western [-ECHI-]
· Sportsman's Club [Official Site]
[Photo: Facebook]