Elixir | New bar

“When I first created Hydrate, I was a little bit younger and more oriented toward a dance club,” Mark Liberson recalls. “And as I got older, I’m more oriented toward sitting around with friends and having a cocktail.” Hence the 45-seat lounge Liberson’s opening this week in Boystown, where Tiny Lounge bartender Johnny Costello consulted on a list of classic and new cocktails (Moscow mule, strawberry-basil lemonade) made with small-batch spirits—and where, if everything goes as planned, you won’t get trampled by 22-year-olds. 3452 N Halsted St (elixirchicago.com).