Svedka R.U. Bot or Not?

Tonight was another CS Magazine event, Svedka's R.U. Bot or Not Holiday Mix-off, held at cozy Old Town Social. We were supposed to meet up with a friend in town who now resides in New York City, but he was too hungover to make it out to yet another drinking engagement. We ended up having an intimate, festive evening, just the two of us.

Old Town Social is a neighborhood bar in – you guessed it – Old Town, and feels warm, rustic chic, and handcrafted, down to every slab of wood used to serve charcuterie and the dry-cured soppressata hanging behind the bars. Green garlands and twinkling white lights decked the staircase railings and walls, along with dimmed mood lighting and flickering tealights per highboy, putting me in the mood for the holidays.

The event revolved around sponsor Svedka's latest marketing campaign, "Voted #1 Vodka of 2033", which has a futuristic concept brought to life by a spokes-bot called SVEDKA_Grl and a future/retro themed TV commercial. (This was all according to a mixologist at the event. Aside from his testimony, there were no 'bots present, only the lovely holiday atmosphere of now.)

Several cocktail stations were manned by Chicago's top mixologists. Each mixologist was raising money for a specific cause, and guests were invited to vote for their favorite holiday-inspired cocktail. 1 dollar = 1 vote and we voted for all of them! There was a delicious concoction of ginger and who-knows-what-else, and I only remember that much because the cocktail was aptly named for and prepared by Ginger Zee, NBC meteorologist, who we talked with for awhile! Here's a snippet:

Jamie: I watch you every morning! Can I take a picture with you?
Ginger: Sure! Oh, you're so cute. I love this [gesturing towards my OOTD] – do you work in fashion?
Jamie: [Sighs, flattered] No, I wish, I'm only in marketing.

UPDATE ON MAGICAL RUSSIAN HAT: I'm convinced the hat attracts people to me, like bees to honey. Besides being asked earlier while in line at the post office if I work for the Consulate (which one, doesn't matter!), the CS hostess tonight exclaimed at it, asked if she could touch it, and then proceeded to do so. The event photographer asked if she could take our photo, something that NEVER happens to us at these things. 

{ me and Ginger Zee, NBC meteorologist }

{ clever ice cube with cherries and rosemary }

{ really delicious Mac' and Cheese + Flatbread with Lamb Sausage, Goat Cheese, Tomato and Basil }