2017 celebrates not only the Lunar Year of the Rooster but also honors Indianapolis native and beloved author Kurt Vonnegut. In recognition of the author, eleven popular local bars created cocktails inspired by his life and work. The cocktail series spans 11 weeks and coincides with the grand opening of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library on April 8.
Participating venues include ball & biscuit, The Libertine, Black Market, Hotel Tango, Spoke & Steele, Plat 99, Dorman Street Saloon, 1933, Thunderbird, Milktooth and Bluebeard (the latter named after one of Vonnegut’s novels). Bartenders developed playful cocktails that reference Vonnegut’s writing and characters — from a crushed Wheaties sugar rim nodding to Breakfast of Champions to an activated charcoal drink that evokes Kilgore Trout. The promotion invites visitors to embark on a self-guided tour of Vonnegut’s Indianapolis, with stops that highlight a two-story mural of the author, his childhood home and buildings influenced by his grandfather’s architectural work. This local trail offers a fresh way to experience the city through the lens of Vonnegut’s life and legacy.