Cocktail bar, Lakeview

An intimate, swank little lounge along the Halsted Street bar strip, Cocktail (3359 N. Halsted St., 773-477-1420) draws a well-dressed, mostly (but by no means exclusively) male bunch of guys with a generally professional, preppy demeanor. It's a good spot to meet up with friends at happy hour before dinner, or to wind down an evening. The staff is particularly friendly and nice, and the mood festive. It's one of the nicer gay lounges along Halsted, along with Roscoe's, Spin, and Minibar.