When Ali Martin came on as beverage director of Chicago restaurant Elizabeth in 2021, she’d already been tending bar in the city for more than a decade at such spots as Mother Hubbard’s, Angry Pig Tavern, and Blackbird, and had become a certified sommelier two years prior. “There was no bar program at Elizabeth at that time, as the space doesn’t have an actual bar, so I implemented one,” she says. “It was very small at first, bringing in artisanal and local spirits, and making custom cocktails upon request.” When Elizabeth closed and reopened in 2023 as Atelier, Martin was given more room to grow. “I was able to create a more in-depth bar program, featuring a few hyper-seasonal house cocktails and adding cocktails into our pairing menu, while still, of course, having the ability to accommodate the simple request for a Vodka Soda.” 

Atelier is a Michelin-starred, 21-seat restaurant that serves a 14-course tasting menu of New American fare infused with unexpected global flavors by James Beard Award-winning Chef Christian Hunter. In addition to managing the wine pairings for this menu, Martin creates cocktails that are similarly complementary. “The true star here is the food, so we produce seasonal drinks that are not meant to overwhelm any of the food, but pair with it,” she says. “We’ve had to get extremely creative with our program since we don’t have a bar, so our cocktails can be heavy on prep ahead of time, but must be simple to put together during a busy service in a tight space.” 

On her small and meticulously curated cocktail list (drinks are $12-$17), Martin’s preference is for drinks that are sophisticated in their simplicity, allowing the beauty of each ingredient to shine through. This is on display in such cocktails as her Cherry Blossom ($12), blending equal parts vermouth and sake, plus house-made cherry concentrate, and her Sabor del Verano ($17), comprising mezcal and aloe liqueur along with house-made tonic syrup, lemon bitters, and soda water. “I also get a lot of joy out of creating something completely original for an individual in a moment—when it’s not a busy Saturday night, of course,” Martin adds. “It’s delightfully more challenging to do this without a fully stocked bar at your disposal. We have to go off of whatever we have in-house at that moment and what the guest likes, and just have fun with it.”