White-Hot Miami Cocktail Bar The Broken Shaker Planning Early 2015 Opening in Former Tokyo Hotel

When longtime River North sushi restaurant Ginza shuttered in October following the sale of the Tokyo Hotel, most of the coverage focused on the closing and the new "hipster hostel," Freehand, that will replace it. But the bar that will fill part of the ground floor, The Broken Shaker, is part of Eater's recently-released list of 38 Essential Cocktail Bars in America and a James Beard semifinalist in 2013 and 2014. That bar will join the booming local craft cocktail scene early next year.

The Broken Shaker began as a cocktail pop-up in Miami before becoming a permanent fixture and adding food. It's run by Bar Lab, the consulting duo of Elad Zvi and Gabriel Orta who've drawn praise for the use of creative ingredients such as mushroom bitters and root beer reduction, many sourced from an on-site garden.

They obviously won't have year-round garden in Chicago like they do in Miami, but reps say they'll use local ingredients and purveyors for their rotating selections of cocktails and punches, in addition to small plates, beer and wine.

The Broken Shaker will have tons of competition from the likes of The Aviary, The Violet Hour, Three Dots and a Dash, Scofflaw, Billy Sunday, Sable, Berkshire Room and Sportsman's Club. But Chicago cocktail enthusiasts will get to try cocktails from a Miami Beach stalwart in less than a year.
· Bar and Cafe to Replace Sushi Staple Ginza Restaurant [-ECHI-]
· The Broken Shaker [Official Site]