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It’s a tale as old as time: you go out on a Friday night with your friends and plan to have just one drink, but things get carried away and the next morning your checking account balance is far lower than expected.
And if you happen to live in Chicago and drink at Adalina – an “elevated Italian restaurant” – you might find your checking account depleted by several thousand dollars. Adalina recently unveiled what is purportedly the most expensive cocktail in the United States: the Marrow Martini costs $13,000 a serving and comes with a side of diamonds. Literally.
Adalina’s Colin Hofer, who was named sommelier of the year by Michelin Guide (ML+0.43%) in 2022, created the cocktail with the jewelry brand Marrow Fine. As part of the collaboration, guests receive a nine-carat diamond tennis necklace, with 150 diamonds set in 14 karat gold.
“Each time I have visited Adalina, I’m blown away by every dish but also by the palpable energy and excitement in the restaurant,” Marrow Fine founder, Jillian Sassone, said in a statement. “The $13k Marrow martini is a fun collaboration between our brands and an extension of that excitement. And I suspect it will make for a few very memorable evenings.”
The cocktail itself includes clarified heirloom tomato water and lemon basil olive oil. It’s also likely not the right beverage for martini purists – Hofer elected to go with Clase Axul Mezcal instead of gin for the cocktail’s base liquor.
“I wanted to enhance these flavors by incorporating garden elements that would resonate with Mezcal’s unique profile,” Hofer said in a statement. “To make the experience even more special, I decided to smoke the entire cocktail in a cloche. This step not only emphasizes the uniqueness of the drink but also amplifies the Mezcal’s natural smokiness, turning it into something truly unforgettable.”
Despite the drink’s high price tag, Adalina has already sold the cocktail to at least one happy customer.
“The client that purchased the martini wanted to do something special and surprise his wife,” Sassone said, according to CBS Chicago. “They both love Marrow Fine, and the martini was the perfect gift. They were the first to order the martini.”