The Man with the Golden Amaretto

For the fifth straight year, the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame hosted a cocktail fundraiser. We returned to the Colvin House, where we split time between the opulent art deco upstairs and decadent speakeasy downstairs. This year’s theme was based on Nelson Algren's classic novel, The Man with the Golden Arm, which won the first National Book Award in 1950. Mixologist Ryan Prindle used amaretto to build a drink menu; he also taught us about the history and how to make those cocktails. Michael Burke and Robert Charles again served as our emcees, and Rita Dragonette helped us co-host. Michael Caplan, director of the 2014 documentary film, Algren, gave a short presentation. Algren: A Life biographer Mary Wisniewski shared insight into the author’s life. Kathleen Rooney and her Poems While You Wait cohorts were there, along with their typewriters, to commission on-the-spot commemorative poems.

The Man with the Golden Amaretto Program and Recipes [PDF link]

Program designed by Jeff Waggoner.