Friday Tastings

Friday Tasting: Rhône Reds, Highland Tequila & the Bitter Green Stuff

By Adam Kamin · Off Premise, Lincoln Park · May 9, 2026

Friday Tasting: Rhône Reds, Highland Tequila & the Bitter Green Stuff

Every Friday from 5 to 8pm, we open bottles and pour for free. No ticket, no reservation, no catch. Just show up at 1128 W Armitage Ave and drink something good.

This Friday we're pulling three bottles that have almost nothing in common — except that they're all worth your time.

Les Clefs du Caladas Côtes du Rhône — $25

This is the kind of Rhône wine that makes you question every overpriced bottle you've ever bought. Grenache-driven, earthy, with that signature southern French garrigue character — dried herbs, red fruit, a little pepper on the finish. It's honest, it's delicious, and it wildly overdelivers for the price. If you're a regular red wine drinker, this one should be in your fridge every week.

Cascahuin Tequila Blanco — $55

Cascahuin is a family-owned distillery in the Highlands of Jalisco, and this blanco is a benchmark for what agave-forward tequila should taste like. Bright citrus, cooked agave sweetness, a clean mineral backbone. Nothing masked, nothing added. This is tequila for people who actually want to taste tequila. Adam's been a fan of this producer for years, and once you try it, you'll understand why.

Fernet Branca — $45

Look, either you know Fernet or you don't. If you do, no explanation needed. If you don't — it's bracingly bitter, herbal, and complex in a way that's genuinely hard to describe until you taste it. It's a digestif with a cult following for good reason. Come in with an open mind. Worst case, it's not your thing. Best case, you leave with a bottle.

Friday tasting is free, every week, 5–8pm. Walk in, taste, ask questions, take home something great.

Can't make it Friday?

All three bottles are available in-store and online. Shop the full selection at Off Premise.

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