Greg Buttera Leaving Barrelhouse Flat
By Paul Leddy in Food on Jan 29, 2014 4:00PM
For those who keep a close eye on the cocktail scene in Chicago, it has been interesting to watch the careers of its bartenders blossom. Whether it be the lowly barback that grows into a confident, innovative bartender or the veteran that opens up their own bar, each person seems to be constantly evolving.
When Barrelhouse Flat first opened by co-creators Stephen Cole (Violet Hour) and Greg Buttera (Violet Hour, Sable) in late 2011, a new era of cocktail bar was born. The concept was simple but ambitious: be a successful, high-volume, high quality craft-cocktail bar on a part of Lincoln Avenue that wasn’t known for any of those words (well, maybe high-volume).
Two years later, the praise doesn’t seem to be slowing. Barrelhouse Flat was recently named one of the Best Bars in America by Esquire Magazine and is recognized by many for making some of the more innovative cocktails in Chicago.
For Buttera, the next step in his evolution begins next month, when he will leave Barrelhouse Flat to focus on his new bitters-producing company Weatherby’s.
We contacted Buttera to find out more about his future plans and to reflect on his time at Barrelhouse Flat.
Chicagoist: Why did you make the decision to leave Barrelhouse Flat? What are your future plans?
Greg Buttera: I'm leaving Barrelhouse to focus on running my company, which will begin production on the first three expressions of Weatherby's Bitters later this week. I may pick up 1-2 bar shifts per week at establishments as yet undetermined. I'm also planning to do a few pop-ups, some miscellaneous creative work and hopefully some writing.
Chicagoist: When you look back at opening up Barrelhouse in 2011 to now, what are you most proud of?
Buttera: I'm most proud of the universal excellence of our bartenders. When we opened, some of our bartenders had a lot of experience and some had very little; some had worked primarily at high volume shot-and-beer joints and others at mixology-focused craft cocktail bars; they arrived with a broad range of preconceptions, habits and expectations. Now, more than two years in, we share a unified creative vision and an obsession with producing unparalleled cocktails and hospitality experiences.
Chicagoist: What has changed for the Chicago cocktail scene in that time?
Buttera: In the time since The Barrelhouse Flat opened, the Chicago cocktail scene has taken a dramatic step forward. Now, you can walk down the street in virtually any neighborhood and stumble into a bar that serves exceptional drinks. I'm excited about places like Sportsman's Club, Lone Wolf and Analogue, which I think represent a kind of post-speakeasy ethos. The drinks are still top notch, but they don't have to convince you they're anything more than plain old bars. I think now you can open a standard neighborhood bar in Chicago and serve amazing cocktails and people will embrace it. You don't need a theme or gimmick to justify prices and wait times when the drinks are prepared by skilled professionals using higher quality ingredients. People get it now.
Chicagoist: Tell us about the Weatherby’s Bitters line that you are producing.
Buttera: My good friend John McBride and I have been talking about turning our bitters hobby into a business for a few years now. Over the last several months, we've put together a plan and secured all the necessary permits and approvals. We begin production on Batch #1 tomorrow. We will initially release three expressions of Weatherby's Bitters: Bolivian Cola, Orange Saffron and Fig Fenugreek. We are making the bitters by hand in small batches using traditional methods (i.e. a whole ingredient infusion process rather than adding extracts and essences). If all goes well, we should begin selling our products this May.
Chicagoist: So, your last shift is on Feb. 20. What can we expect?
Buttera: I need everyone to show up. Someone has to bring a wheelbarrow. We also need a parachute. I plan to go out in style.
Barrelhouse Flat is located at 2624 North Lincoln Ave.