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There\u2019s a masochistic element to drinking Mal\xf6rt, the bitter liqueur beloved by Chicagoans and reviled by others. But beneath its herbaceous and citrusy intensity, it represents much more than a challenge to your palate. To drink Mal\xf6rt is a rite of passage\u2014entrance to a secret club you have to earn your way into through a tongue buckling finish and nearly a century of history.\xa0

In his piece for Good Beer Hunting, Chicago-based freelance writer and culture journalist Josh Terry unpacks the storied spirit as only a Chicagoan could. That piece, titled \u201cStormy, Husky, Brawling \u2014 Chicago's Divisive Spirit Jeppson\u2019s Mal\xf6rt Is For Everyone Now,\u201d explores the core of Mal\xf6rt\u2019s history, after its invention during the 1930s, but before its hipster revival in the 2010s. In this episode, we\u2019ll talk about what it was like to dive into the endlessly debated, but deeply meaningful spirit, one that he says isn\u2019t as bad as everyone thinks. He describes the first time he tried Mal\xf6rt and the rules he has about drinking it now\u2014rule one: never drink it alone\u2014and what he wished he could have expanded on in the piece.

We also discuss Josh Noel\u2019s forthcoming book about Mal\xf6rt, how photographs and social media helped create hype in the digital age, and why this bitter spirit is more popular than ever. I\u2019m not sure Mal\xf6rt is for everyone, but it definitely holds a special place for lots of people. Let\u2019s hear from one of them\u2014right now.