The 2026 Schedule
We’re stirring up a brand new roster of events in Chicago this year, featuring the best of the “gin-dy” city! Check out what to expect and stay tuned for the full line-up.
September 13 - 20, 2026
Chicago, Illinois
September 13th-20th
Martini Expo Week
The Martini Expo will be preceded by Martini Expo Week, a week-long citywide celebration of the cocktail in question involving the most lauded bars in Chicago. Last year, more than 40 bars took part. Each of the participating bars will feature a special Martini on the menu.
The Martini Heat Map is coming soon!
September 16th
Martini Dinner at Shaw’s Crab House
Few things pair better than fresh seafood and a perfectly crafted martini. With its timeless, old-school charm and more than 40 years of serving Chicago, Shaw’s Crab House is the perfect setting to celebrate one of the world’s most iconic cocktails. Join Shaw’s on Wednesday, September 16 for a special dinner in partnership with the Martini Expo, featuring a curated menu paired with martinis crafted with Farmer’s Organic Gin.
September 17th
Martini Tour Through Time
Join cocktail experts Robert Simonson and Bridget Alpert on a bus tour of Chicago's Martini landmarks, with accompanying drinks. Stops on this bibulous road trip include the place where the Martini first appeared in print, the sight of the greatest Martini competition of all time, and the birthplace of the blue cheese-stuffed olive, with a finale featuring burgers by the renowned hamburger historian George Motz.
September 18th
Kick-Off Dinner
At The Duck Inn
Join Robert Simonson and Simon Ford (of Fords Gin fame) for an intimate dining experience. Guests will enjoy a reception hour with lite bites and ice cold martinis, followed by a four course menu. Each family-style course will be paired with a martini from The Duck Inn’s Beverage Director and Martini Magician Brandon Phillips featuring Fords Gin, Altamura Distilleries Vodka, and Haus Alpenz’s incredible array of vermouth and aromatized wines.
September 19th | 6pm - 9pm
Martini Mixer cocktail party
Featuring the Martini Masters
at Hawksmoor Chicago
The Martini Mixer is the main event: the Martini Expo at its most electric—a spectacular, one-night cocktail experience that brings together the best bartending talent in the country, an indulgent spread of the finest food and drink, and an atmosphere that is equal parts sophistication and fun.
Check out our esteemed Martini Masters here.
September 20th | 12pm - 6pm
Seminars, Happy Hour, After Party
At Salon 61, Gus' Sip & Dip and Kitty's Cosmopolitan Club
Capping off the Martini Expo week, the Education Program will feature a dynamic lineup of seminars, panels, and hands-on workshops led by some of the most knowledgeable, opinionated, and entertaining voices in the world of cocktails. There will also be a curated “Craft Corner” showcasing emerging brands, and a catered walk-around Three Martini Lunch. The day will be capped off by a fun and festive Happy Hour, where our attendees will close out The Martini Expo in style.
The Quite Bearable Rightness of ‘Tinis
Espresso Martini, Porn Star Martini, Breakfast Martini, Cosmopolitan. They’re not really Martinis, but they’re not not considered Martinis by many. Colin Asare-Appiah, colleague and friend of late Porn Star Martini inventor Douglas Ankrah, takes a look at the legacy of the unstoppable ‘tinis of the 1980s and ‘90s. Panelists include Toby Cecchini (inventor of the Cosmo) and more.
Signature in a Glass: Creating the House Martini
In these days of massive Martini popularity, more and more bars offer a signature house Martini. In this seminar, bar directors of some of the world’s most famous Martini destinations talk about the inspiration behind their cocktail bar’s house Martini. Panelists include Kevin Beary (Kitty’s Cosmopolitan Club); Dan Smith (Queen Mary); Liam Davy (Hawksmoor Chicago); Toby Cecchini (Long Island Bar, NYC); and Meaghan Dorman (Dear Irving, NYC). Moderated by Martini Expo co-founder Robert Simonson.
City of the Big Olives: Chicago’s Historic Love Affair With the Martini
Chicago and the Martini have been linked since the cocktail’s very birth. Cocktail Historian Robert Simonson takes you on a liquid journey through the Gin-dy City’s bibulous past, a story of glorious Gilded Age saloons, “Hartinis,” mid-century Martini competitions and the invention of the blue-cheese-stuffed olive.
What Is American Gin?
We live in a golden age of American-made craft gin. But what exactly defines America gin? What happens when gin—the quintessential British spirit, and the original base spirit of the Martini—moves to the United States? And what does that mean for your Martini? Panelists include Ryan Maybee (Rieger Gin), Aaron Selya (Bluecoat gin), Lillie Pierson (Farmer’s gin) and Sean Dotson (Death’s Door Gin). Moderated by Martini Expo co-founder Robert Simonson.
V is For Vermouth: The Other Martini Essential
No Martini is complete without vermouth. Eric Seed, founder of the influential importing company Haus Alpenz (importer of Dolin and Cocchi vermouths) and Francois Monti (international spirits authority and author of El Gran Libro del Vermut) talk about the essential role played by this historical spirit.