How Fresh Juice Powers the Cocktails at Three Dots and a Dash

At Three Dots and a Dash, Chicago’s celebrated tropical cocktail bar, Beverage Director Kevin Beary takes fresh juice seriously.

Before the first guest walks through the door, his team has already produced between 30 to 55 gallons of juice, squeezing everything from the classics like lime, lemon, and orange, to creative twists like Texas Red Grapefruit, cold press pineapple, ginger, clarified fresh strawberry and clarified fresh Banana juice. It’s all part of Beary’s mission to serve cocktails at their absolute peak — vibrant, balanced, and bursting with fresh flavor.

We spoke with Kevin about the tools behind the juice, the importance of using fresh over shelf-stable alternatives, and what cocktail to order if you’re making a stop at this tiki oasis.

How do you think fresh juice changes the cocktail experience compared to using bottled or shelf-stable alternatives?

The juices taste better which makes for a better cocktail. For certain juices like pineapple and grapefruit, the natural foam they produce when shaken is diminished by pasteurization. Packaged juices have to be pasteurized and the flavor is affected in the process.

You’ve got some pretty advanced gear behind the bar. How did you land on these specific tools?

We have to produce large quantities of juice and therefore require industrial equipment. We have JBT multi fruit citrus juicer as well as a Juiced Rite M100.

Do you have a favorite piece of equipment that’s a total game-changer for juicing?

Probably the Juiced Rite cold press.

What are your top three tips for making fresh juice at home this summer?

Always juice fresh for cocktails.
It is better to store the whole fruit and juice to order than it is to juice all of your citrus at one time and hold juice for multiple hours or days.
Attempt fresh pineapple juice. It is a pain, but absolutely worth it.

Do you have a go-to juice blend or simple cocktail recipe you’d recommend for our readers to try out?

I can’t say I have a go-to juice blend as the juice composition is always dictated by a specific cocktail recipe. I think readers should try a traditional Cuban daiquiri.

If someone could only try one cocktail at Three Dots and a Dash, which would you recommend and why?

I would recommend something with fresh pineapple and fresh tangerine like the Painkiller.

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