Enjoyed: Wednesday, May 27, 2026.

Listed on the menu: Yes, as “Bourbon and Berries”

Ingredients: Bulleit Bourbon, Absinthe, Lemon simple, blueberries and bitters.

The occasion: Today we toured the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, visited Lincoln’s Tomb, and drove on sections of Historic Route 66. We stopped for the night in the charming town of Streator, just a few miles off US 66. The Airbnb was gorgeous and memorable for its one-person elevator, which we took turns riding, of course. Gaetano’s was a block away, so we strolled over since I was intrigued by the fact that it once was a bank. Once we arrived, it got even more intriguing– we learned that this bank was once robbed by two of Chicago’s most infamous gangsters Al Capone and John Dillinger.

My rating: *** out of 5. Granted, this cocktail is definitely a twist on an Old Fashioned. I wondered how the absinthe flavors would pair with the blueberries. The bourbon was the leading flavor, followed by some tartness from the lemon and berries, and only at the end did I detect some anise notes. I suspect the drink would have been better with a light touch of blueberry syrup instead of all the muddled fruit.

Final thoughts: We did not realize that 2026 is the 100th anniversary of Route 66! How wonderful that we decided to drive a stretch! Yes, I have stood by the sign in Chicago that denotes the start of the road, and we have driven parts of it in California and Arizona, but this section in Illinois provided some truly memorable roadside attractions: the World’s Largest Railsplitter Covered Wagon (with a giant Lincoln sitting on it); the Abraham Lincoln Watermelon Monument (a big pink and green metal watermelon slice on a pedestal); “Land of the Giants” towering fiberglass statues (such as a 19-foot-tall Paul Bunyan muffler man holding a hot dog); and Main Street murals in Pontiac. Oh, and we also stopped for maple sirop (not a typo, just their preferred spelling) and ice cream at Funk’s Grove. Ah, America!