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The Rise of Malört, an Unexpected Midwest princess

(www.nytimes.com)
79 points mooreds | 2 comments | 20 Nov 24 14:48 UTC | HN request time: 0.403s | source
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duped ◴[20 Nov 24 15:14 UTC] No.42194572[source]▶
> It is also, in five words, the unofficial liquor of Chicago

No, it's a meme that hipsters have somehow latched onto because the Chicago aesthetic seems to be popular now.

If a native Chicagoan tells you that you have to have a shot of Malort when you're at the bar because it's the "unofficial liquor of Chicago" - they're pulling a prank. It's somehow lasted a century as a prank you pull on your buddies who don't drink that often.

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1. samgranieri ◴[20 Nov 24 15:26 UTC] No.42194697[source]▶
I live in the Chicago suburbs now and used to live in Chicago. Taking shots of Malört in bars is indeed a rite of passage for tourists, but yeah, it's a foul-tasting shot.

Democratic Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker was recorded sharing shots of Malört with visiting politicians during the week of the Democratic National Convention. I enjoyed looking at the reaction of the visiting politicians after they drank it.

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2. pessimizer ◴[20 Nov 24 18:41 UTC] No.42196874[source]▶
Pritzker is a rich guy who grew up in California and Massachusetts, so in Chicago he's an absolutely typical Malort drinker. It's become a big part of pretending to be local.