Our Visit to the Indie Spirits Expo in Downtown Chicago 2022

I found out about the Indie Spirits Expo last minute, and by accident - a friend of my wife’s was asking her about hangover prevention tricks for an event she was going to that night. Which was just good common sense - in a room full of delicious craft spirits, it’s best to be prepared. When she told us about the event, I knew I had to go: an independent spirits show in Chicago is absolutely where Crafted Pour needed to be. I underwent all of the hangover-prevention rituals and headed downtown.

Zero proof cocktail from Ritual

This year’s expo felt like a casual gathering of friends. It was well-aimed at bartenders and industry professionals - which means it took place on a Monday night and the tasting restrictions were more of a guideline, really. Independent distillers from the U.S. and abroad were showing off their best, with rare selections available next to their main lineups. The atmosphere was fun and friendly while still being professional and educational.

Arriving to the Indie Spirits Expo at the Hilton Downtown Chicago

I talked to distillers about some of the problems and solutions of the last couple of years. Supply chain issues make necessities like barrels and basic ingredients into regular challenges. Larger brands were big during quarantine, though consumers are now starting to come back and explore more craft producers. Beyond that, trends continue to drift more and more to a combination of high-end cocktails and zero-proof options. In fact, the zero-proof producers were a couple of the most popular tables! The room was filled with distillers and producers who were small and agile enough to adapt to these changes.

Ritual Zero Proof Rum’s busy booth

Many of them focused on their end users: bartenders and mixologists:

“We take our liqueurs to our local bartenders and if they don’t like it, we go back and work on it,” one distiller told me, referring to his new line of cordials. “And bartenders are a tough crowd!”

Walking through the Indie Spirits Expo 2022

In the end, it was the perfect craft cocktail space: a small room full of people who were excited to share their products and bartenders who were eager to use them. Despite the uncertainty of the industry and tasting events over the last couple of years, we can definitely be certain that craft spirits and inventive cocktails will keep on coming - and you know where to find them!

P.S.- the hangover rituals did not work. Worth it.