Cocktail bar
Unclaimed profileVictor Bar
Chicago, IL · $$$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
Victor Bar runs a beverage program with a clear center of gravity: cocktails. The menu splits 20 drinks into shaken and stirred sections, all $14 with tax included. Wine stays French and covers red, white, rosé, and sparkling at $14 a glass or $56 a bottle. Beer is local and tight, with four Illinois options and a dry cider. The whiskey shot at $3 is the one standalone spirits pour. Customers describe the cocktails as creative and well made, and the range backs that up.
- What should I order?
- Start with a stirred cocktail from the spirited side: the Sazerac brings cognac, rye, absinthe, demerara, Peychaud's, and Angostura, or The Old-Fashioned lets you choose bourbon, rye, or mezcal. On the shaken side, Fire in the Hole mixes poblano chile, mezcal, absinthe, pineapple, lime, agave, and cucumber. If you would rather not choose, Dealer's Choice puts the decision in the bartender's hands for $14.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- Drinkers who want a deep, fairly priced cocktail list will find plenty to work through, and the shaken-versus-stirred split makes it easy to match a mood. Wine drinkers get a compact French by-the-glass and bottle selection. Beer drinkers looking for local options have four Illinois beers and a dry cider.
- What should I expect to spend?
- Cocktails are $14 with tax included. French wine is $14 per glass or $56 per bottle. Local beers and the dry cider are $7. A whiskey shot is $3, tax included.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- The cocktail menu separates shaken and stirred drinks into named sections and prices everything at one flat $14 with tax included. Dealer's Choice, billed as 'Trust your bartender,' is a direct invitation to hand over the decision. The wine list stays entirely French across four styles, and the beer list stays local.
Beverage categories
We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.
Cocktails
Two sections, 'Shaken refreshing' and 'Stirred spirited', hold 20 named cocktails plus Dealer's Choice, all at $14 with tax included. The range covers a mezcal-and-poblano drink, a Sazerac, and an Old-Fashioned built on bourbon, rye, or mezcal. Reviewers consistently call the drinks creative, tasty, and impressive.
Menu strengths
- — Twenty named cocktails split into shaken and stirred sections give the list unusual depth for a single-format bar.
- — Every cocktail is $14 with tax included, and Dealer's Choice invites the bartender to decide.
- — The cocktails as creative, tasty, and impressive, with mixologists crafting drinks to perfection receives consistent praise.
Standout selections
- — Fire in the Hole: poblano chile, mezcal, absinthe, pineapple, lime, agave, and cucumber, $14.
- — Sazerac: cognac, rye, absinthe, demerara, Peychaud's, and Angostura, $14.
Pricing: $14, tax included
Wine
A French wine section covers red, white, rosé, and sparkling, each at $14 per glass or $56 per bottle. The four options are specific: a Graves red, a Bordeaux blanc, a Cotes de Provence rosé, and a Crémant de Loire. It is a tightly edited list rather than a broad one.
Menu strengths
- — Four French options span red, white, rosé, and sparkling, so every major style is represented by one specific bottle.
- — Pricing is uniform at $14 per glass or $56 per bottle.
- — The list stays entirely French, with named producers rather than generic category pours.
Standout selections
- — Chateau Ducasse Graves: red with powerful structure, deep flavors, plum, and blackcurrant, $14 | 56.
- — Baumard Carte Turquoise Crémant de Loire: sparkling with citrus fruits and a silken texture, $14 | 56.
Pricing: $14 per glass | $56 per bottle
Beer
A local beer section lists four Illinois beers and a dry cider, all $7. The range moves from a 4.4% helles lager to a 6.5% apex predator, with two pale ales in between. The cider is a 10oz pour at 6.5%. It is a small, specific list rather than a broad tap selection.
Menu strengths
- — Four local beers and a dry cider, all priced at $7.
- — The list spans a 4.4% helles lager, two pale ales, and a 6.5% dark beer, giving a range of strengths and styles.
- — Every beer is from an Illinois producer, and the cider is a 10oz pour.
Standout selections
- — Helles Lager by Dovetail, 4.4% ABV, $7.; Apex Predator by Off Color, 6.5% ABV, $7.
- — Dry Cider by Stem Cider Company, 10oz, 6.5%, $7.
Pricing: $7
Spirits
The standalone spirits offering is a whiskey shot at $3, tax included. It is a single, clearly defined pour rather than a broader spirits list. The menu states tax is included on whiskey shots and cocktails.
Menu strengths
- — A whiskey shot is available as a standalone spirits pour at $3, tax included.
- — The menu states tax is included on whiskey shots, matching the cocktail pricing.
- — The price makes it one of the least expensive ways to drink spirits at the bar.
Standout selections
- — Whiskey Shot — $3 — Whiskey shot, tax included
Pricing: $3
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