Two familiar names on Burlington Avenue are now the toast of La Grange — literally.
Milkstop Cafe and Barrel House Social have taken home the top honors in the La Grange Business Association's 2026 Mixology Madness competition, a bracket-style community drink contest that ran through early April and drew nearly 500 votes from local residents.
Milkstop Cafe, located at 700 W. Burlington Ave., claimed Best Alcoholic Drink for its "Violet Beauregarde," a standout gin cocktail built from Empress gin, hibiscus syrup, egg white, and elderflower violet. Just down the street at 100 W. Burlington Ave., Barrel House Social took Best Non-Alcoholic Drink with the "La Grange Smash Hit," a refreshing blend of fresh-brewed tea, muddled blackberry, lemon, garden mint, and soda.
The LGBA announced the winners on May 13, and both businesses will display the association's traveling trophies until next year's competition.
"I told everyone that we were getting a traveling trophy that each winner would display for the year," said Dan Mulka, the LGBA's Executive Director. "But I think both Milkstop and Barrel House had this look of 'Holy Cow' when I brought the trophies in. I tried to drop them off when they were least expecting it."
Milkstop's owners didn't hide their excitement either. The cafe, run by longtime La Grange chefs Chris and Mary Spagnola along with partners Sharon Owens and Steve and Mary Jo Quirk, posted on Facebook: "Congratulations to us. Milkstop Café won the La Grange Business Association Mixology Madness best alcoholic drink. Fezzik, we did something right."
A March Madness-Inspired Idea
The contest was born out of a simple question from the LGBA's Restaurant Committee: how do you keep local food and drink spots buzzing after Restaurant Week, in the slow stretch of late winter?
With the college basketball tournaments approaching, the answer practically suggested itself.
"We all came up with the idea of doing a basketball-themed contest," Mulka explained. "We played around with some different ideas and decided to do a fan vote for the best drink."
The committee also wanted the competition to reflect a shift in how people drink. With mocktails and non-alcoholic beverages growing in popularity, they split the contest into two divisions — alcoholic and non-alcoholic — so creative, booze-free drinks could get their moment in the spotlight alongside traditional cocktails.
Fourteen drinks from roughly eight La Grange businesses competed, spanning restaurants, cafés, and bubble tea shops. Community members voted by visiting participating locations, scanning QR codes, and submitting their picks online over several weeks.
To keep things fair, the LGBA's internal committee developed a scoring system designed to level the playing field between well-established neighborhood staples and newer businesses still working to build a customer base.
Close Throughout
Despite Milkstop and Barrel House emerging as the clear winners, the competition was tight from start to finish. Both businesses actually performed well in both categories — Barrel House finishing first in non-alcoholic and second in alcoholic, with Milkstop flipping those standings.
"Marco's had an amazing drink, and Milk Money had the most interesting one for sure," Mulka said. "It was very close all over the board."
Beyond the bragging rights, the LGBA said the event accomplished exactly what it set out to do: get people through the doors and trying something new. Two voters, selected from on-site and online entries, also won $50 La Grange gift certificates.
"Everyone had positive feedback, and it sounded like we had many people trying new things," Mulka said. "It's always a plus to show off the creativity from the mixologists."
Barrel House Social, owned by Jim and Kristi Blessing under Cloud Nine Hospitality Group, has been a fixture near the La Grange Road Metra station since March 2017. The LGBA, a two-person operation led by Mulka since November 2024, represents approximately 300 member organizations across La Grange.
If the reaction to this year's trophies is any indication, Mixology Madness 2027 may have some stiff competition to live up to.