alt Hacker News> It is also, in five words, the unofficial liquor of Chicago
No, it's a meme that hipsters have somehow latched onto because the Chicago aesthetic seems to be popular now.
If a native Chicagoan tells you that you have to have a shot of Malort when you're at the bar because it's the "unofficial liquor of Chicago" - they're pulling a prank. It's somehow lasted a century as a prank you pull on your buddies who don't drink that often.
Replies
I've seen it used more often as an initiation if someone has recently moved to Chicago. You welcome them to the city with a "Chicago Handshake" which is Old Style beer and a shot of Malort.
I live in the Chicago suburbs now and used to live in Chicago. Taking shots of Malört in bars is indeed a rite of passage for tourists, but yeah, it's a foul-tasting shot.
Democratic Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker was recorded sharing shots of Malört with visiting politicians during the week of the Democratic National Convention. I enjoyed looking at the reaction of the visiting politicians after they drank it.
First a hipster meme and then a forced meme by the makers to capitalize on it.
If it's lasted a century as a prank Chicagoans play on people, it sounds like it is in fact a cultural touchstone.