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I'm sure you're asking yourself what's up with the title to this blog. Well, it's aptly describes one of the coolest tiki bars I've been to, Three Dots and a Dash (get it now?). This place is an underground gem in Chicago. I had the pleasure of visiting not one but twice in my recent trip. For those who are newcomers to the cocktail scene, tiki is definitely one of those throwback subcultures in today's craft cocktail boom. The original Tiki style originated in Hawaii during WWII, when the available spirits were masked in juices and other modifiers to make them more palatable for customers, mostly soldiers at that time. The drinks were also done up with some Polynesian garnishes and decor (including paper umbrellas, ugh) to add a "tropical" vibe as an gimmick to attract patrons. Elaborate "tiki mugs" depicting totems, and Polynesian style designs were used to spice up the presentation. For years, Tiki was viewed as tacky and "commerical" due to it's use of these flashy gimmicks and bad spirits masked by those juices. Have you ever had a Mai Tai at a big luau at a hotel in Hawaii? It's a guaranteed trip to "headache city", but who am I kidding, it's bottomless so we're going to drink it anyway. In recent years however with the repopularization of craft cocktails and craft cocktail bars, tiki bars have also made a triumphant comeback. But these cocktails aren't your usual mass produced, sugary drinks with bad spirits (with paper umbrellas, ugh). The same care and craft have been applied to these cocktails and they've rebooted many of the iconic tiki cocktails with natural and very delicious ingredients. Drinks like, the Zombie, the Painkiller, Navy Grog, and yes, the Mai Tai have made a roaring comeback. Some iconic tiki bars on the mainland have been carrying on the tiki tradition for years now, like Don the Beachcomber in southern California, and Trader Vic's in northern California and newer tiki bars like Smuggler's Cove, Trader Sam's, and Three Dots and a Dash (to name a few) have popped up to continue that tradition. If you visit some of the newer tiki bars you're bound to walk into an amazingly beautiful tiki experience. Three Dots and a Dash is no exception. When you walk downstairs to the bar the first thing you see is a blue illuminated wall of skulls, comforting right?
Charming
The wall of blue skulls! Dun dun dun!!
Even the name of the bar has an incredible story. It's an homage to a drink originally created at Don the Beachcomber, the "OG" tiki bar. Three dots and a dash, is Morse Code for the letter V, which in turn was used to indicate Victory in WWII. (Still with me?) *deep breath* Donn Beach, the founder of Don the Beachcomber, forefather of tiki culture, AND WWII veteran, naturally adopted Three Dots and Dash as the name of one of his signature cocktails. Paul McGee, the brains behind the bar at Three Dots in Chicago adopted the cocktail’s name to name his bar. Aaaaaand that's where Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago got it's name. And now that your brain is properly confused, we'll take a little break for some pictures of, yes, you guessed, the Three Dots and a Dash cocktail.
Three Dots and a Dash
Aged Martinique Rum, Aged Guyana Rum, Allspice, Falernum, Orange, Lime
Luckily, I was able to make two separate visits to this bar when I was in Chicago for Starwars Celebration. I went there first thing after we arrived and settled in to meet some friends. Funny enough, there was an event there earlier as a part of Starwars Celebration, so the place was filled with members of the 501st, Rebel Legion, and Mandalorian Mercs costume clubs. And in case you were thinking, no, you won’t find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. The bar itself it’s wonderfully lit, and the rest of the place has a cool dimly lit underground feel to it, kind of like a very stylish speakeasy. My excitement of seeing friends who were also there for Celebration, and also, finally getting to go to this bar, led me down the path to the “darkside” so to speak. I ended up drinking two of the strongest cocktails they have there, the Cobra’s Fang, and the Camp Anawanna. We also ordered one of the most impressive looking cocktails I’ve ever seen, The Shotstopus!
My second visit was much more low key as I went with some friends after the convention ended on a Monday night. I actually love it when bars are less busy so I can explore the menu more without waiting forever for an order. This visit was more a time for me to try their takes on some of the more "classic" tiki cocktails such as the Painkiller (which is a cocktail meant for two people, hehe) , Three Dots and a Dash, and some of their bites. There was so many more items i wanted to try on the menu, but I didn’t feel like leaving the bar in an ambulance. Oh the drawbacks of being a cocktail geek. But the next time I’m in Chicago, you can be I’m going to visit this place again and try some more!
