On Monday, the Democratic National Convention will kick off in Chicago. Chicago is a city known for plenty of things: a distinctive style of pizza, a great music scene and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, among countless others. But Chicago is also forever known for a distinctive spirit, one that’s seen some genuinely bizarre permutations in recent years. That’s right; we’re talking about Malört. And the DNC might well be the stage that brings it to the proverbial next level.
At least, that’s the hope of Illinois governor J. B. Pritzker. On a recent appeartance on MSNBC’s Inside With Jen Psaki, Pritzker spoke enthusiastically about the drink, and then joined Psaki for a shot of it. “I’m not saying it’s the best-tasting liqueur,” Governor Pritzker said. “It’s the one that, if you want to prove your mettle, you’ve gotta have a shot of Malört.” (“I don’t know if that’s an endorsement,” Psaki replied.)
In the wake of the clip showing up on social media, Pritzker went on to declare Malört “the unofficial shot of the Democratic National Convention.”
Now this came from Pritzker’s personal account as opposed to his gubernatorial one, so it’s likely not an official state decree. (To the extent that anything deemed “unofficial” can be official.) But the company behind the spirit has embraced the decree, with the official Jeppson’s Malört Twitter/X account retweeting Pritzker’s comments.
Can Chicago’s Notorious Malört Take Over America?
The local favorite recently expanded its distribution from four states to more than 30With Malört expanding its distribution to a growing number of states, this distinctive spirit is showing up at more and more bars across the nation. And if you’re curious to see even more Malört consumed, earlier this month, InsideHook’s staff took part in a tasting.
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