School-themed bar to open in Illinois

Drink Masters finalist Tao Zrafi will open a new cocktail bar called No School Tomorrow in Itasca, Illinois, on 18 April.

No School Tomorrow will be located on the Itasca Country Club campus. It intends to hire members of the local community.

The bar will be open Thursday through Saturday, from 5pm to midnight, in accordance with the brand’s slogan ‘nothing good happens after midnight’.

The bar’s cocktail menu will be presented in steel lunchboxes, with drinks inspired by school activities such as science class and recess.

Zrafi said: “We recognise that many people haven’t tasted unique, top-of-the-line cocktails due to the intimidating nature of some establishments. Because of this, people often stick to drinks and bars that are familiar to them to avoid feeling out of place.

‘No School Tomorrow is more significant to me than any accolade or recognition that mixology could bring. Our new concept is about breaking barriers and making exceptional drinks more accessible to everyone.”

Zrafi appeared on the first season of Netflix’s Drink Masters, and has since travelled the world as a bartender consultant with a strong social media following.

He has established No School Tomorrow with local restaurant developer and co-founder Larry Swets.

Swets said: “We’ve found that the suburbs of Chicago are very supportive of ideas once considered only viable in the city.

“We want to make it clear that No School Tomorrow is not a competitor; it’s a quality addition to the suburban social scene.”