Lillie’s Q Unveils Moonshine-Based Specialty Cocktail Menu

Lillie's Q, where chef/owner Charlie McKenna serves award-winning competition BBQ and elevated Southern favorites in Bucktown (1856 W North Ave), has instituted a moonshine-based specialty cocktail menu.

Lillie's Q is not distilling its own moonshine. Lillie's Q will use feature a rotating small-batch moonshine (aka "white dog" aka "white whiskey"). The current Lillie's Q moonshine is 100-proof Corn Moonshine called Virginia Lightning that's distilled and bottled at Belmont Farms in Culpeper, Virginia. More info on The Farm and distillery can be found at http://www.virginiamoonshine.com/

The Virginia Lightning bottles are poured into the 4-foot copper moonshine still (custom-made in Kentucky) sitting behind the Lillie's Q bar. The moonshine shots ($6) and the moonshine for the specialty cocktails are poured directly from the still into mason jars.

Moonshine Specialty Cocktails
Morning Lillie (moonshine, housemade Bloody Mary mix, housemade "Slim Jim", shaved Parmesan) $10
M&M&M (moonshine, Maker's Mark, mint infused simple syrup, mint sprig) $10
Moon Eraser (moonshine, Kahlua, club soda) $10
Lillie's Sweet Tea (moonshine, housemade sweet tea) $8
Lillie's Lemonade (moonshine, lemonade) $8
Lillie Palmer (moonshine, housemade sweet tea, lemonade) $8
Moonrise (moonshine, orange juice, grenadine) $8

The "Slim Jim" in Morning Lillie is housemade pork and beef sausage that's smoked for six hours and then air dried/cured for 10 days. The Morning Lillie is a moonshine-based take on the traditional vodka-based Bloody Mary.

The M&M&M is a riff on the traditional mint julep. The Moon Eraser is a playful spin on the Mind Eraser shot that substitutes vodka for moonshine. The Moonrise is a moonshine-based take on the Tequila Sunrise.

Photography is available for the "Morning Lillie" and the "M&M&M".

More Lillie's Q News
The hours at Lillie's Q have changed. They are open from noon until 2am Monday-Friday, 11am until 3am Saturday, and 11am until 2am Sunday. Lillie's Q will not take reservations for parties of any size. At this time Lillie's Q will not accept takeout orders or to-go orders.

All five of the Lillie's Q housemade sauces (Smoky, Hot Smoky, Carolina, Carolina Gold, Ivory) are for sale for $8 each at the restaurant. Both of the Lillie's Q signature rubs: the 15-ingredient "Carolina Dirt" (used on the pork, baby back ribs, and chicken) and the four-ingredient "Q Rub" (used on the tri-tip) are for sale for $15 for a one-pound bag at the restaurant as well.

For more information please contact Dave Andrews of Good Life PR at dave@goodlifepr.com and 847.909.5511.

About Lillie's Q: Chef Charlie McKenna (formerly the sous chef at Tru and Avenues) opened Lillie's Q restaurant in July 2010 specializing in award-winning competition BBQ, Southern favorites and sides in Bucktown as a homage to his family's deep cooking roots. Named after his maternal grandmother, McKenna has competed on the competition BBQ circuit with his father and friends the last seven years, and the team won the prestigious Memphis In May BBQ competition in 2007 in the pork shoulder category and placed in top then the past five years. McKenna opened an outpost of Lillie's Q in Destin, FL with his parents in 2008. At Lillie's Q in Chicago, McKenna is smoking pork shoulder for pulled pork, tri-tip, baby back ribs, and chicken in two custom built smokers over peach wood and lump charcoal. McKenna began cooking Southern favorites and sides with grandma Lillie and his mother at an early age and those standouts make their way onto the Lillie's Q menu via shrimp & grits, an individual low country boil, pimento cheese, fried pickles, boiled peanuts, Brunswick stew, baked beans, macaroni & cheese and banana pudding. Lillie's Q features moonshine-based specialty cocktails (like the "Morning Lillie" that's a play on a Bloody Mary and the "M&M&M" that's a mint julep riff), six All-American craft drafts (including a specially made copper lager by Chicago's Metropolitan Brewing that pairs with the BBQ), and a rotating selection of All-American craft bottled beers. Located at 1856 W North Ave (773.772.5500), Lillie's Q serves lunch and dinner daily from noon-2am Monday thru Friday, 11am-2am Friday, 11am-3am Saturday, and 11am-2am Sunday. Become a fan of Lillie's Q on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LilliesQ and follow Lillie's Q on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LilliesQChicago