As cicada-geddon makes its way through Chicago, you can either lock yourself up for the next few months or turn the natural occurrence into a pretty hilarious—and perhaps a bit disgusting—promo campaign.
Noon Whistle Brewing's brewpub in the suburb of Lombard has opted for the latter, currently serving cicada-infused Malört shots made with actual insects.
"Prepare yourself for a once-in-a-lifetime experience because starting today, we're thrilled to unveil our exclusive locally harvested Cicada-Infused Malört at Lombard Brewpub!" the bar announced on Instagram earlier this week.
Believe it or not, it gets even weirder than that: To prepare the concoction, the bar's staff is grabbing cicadas from a nearby park. They then cook the insects and put them inside a bottle of Malört, the infamous liqueur that was first invented in Chicago back in the 1930s.
Selling at $5 each, the shots allegedly taste like shellfish and are available for a limited time.
"Believe it or not, the [...] cicadas bring a flavor reminiscent of succulent lobster to this insanely delicious concoction," reads the Instagram post. "It's a taste you won't find anywhere else."
It's not just a matter of flavor, though. Apparently, the insects boast the same muscle protein as shellfish, tropomyoisin. So if you happen to be dealing with a shellfish allergy, you may want to avoid even trying the drink.
We'll be honest—the gimmicky offering sounds pretty revolting. That being said, we're impressed with Noon Whistle's creativity and dedication to the bit. Clearly, people are paying attention.