Spiked Italian ice at Three Aces

In stifling heat, it’s best to keep aspirations simple. So when Matt Troost, the chef at Three Aces bar in Little Italy, started brainstorming ways to make his drinks “a little bit cooler” (literally), he looked no further than that Taylor Street staple, Italian ice. The first flavor, St-Germain elderflower liqueur–spiked lemon, “was just kind of a no-brainer,” Troost says. A take on a Manhattan came next: “We like bourbon. A lot,” he adds. A nonalcoholic option (first strawberry-basil, then cucumber-mint-lime with cracked black pepper on top) is also available, but none of the ices is too heavy on booze. Unless you buy a shot and pour it over the Italian ice. And Troost is not surprised to see many people do just that. $6. 1321 W Taylor St (312-243-1577).