CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- 'Tis the season to be jolly ... while enjoying a good cocktail or wine selection.
Since most people are attending holiday parties or other celebratory events this time of year, they'll be asked about their preferred alcholic beverage.
But what if you aren't sure what to get? No worries, you don't need to be a sommelier to order a drink. You just need to know what you like and be unafraid to share your preference with a bartender or host.
One trendy option is styled whiskies like bourbon.
Bourbon whiskey's popularity is on the rise, with more people ordering -- and loving-- it while dining out.
"My orders are now, 'one bottle of this,' 'one bottle of this' and predominantly it's brown spirits. Vodka is way down as far as I can tell, at least in my restaurant," said Rachael Lowe, beverage director and sommelier for Levy Restaurant Group.
Binny's Beverage Depot is noticing an increase in bourbon demand too.
"Bourbon is absolutely cool. It's a huge growth category for us. That's one of those things where we're kind of let the customer dictate what the store looks like and people are asking for it and we're trying to deliver the selection that they're asking for," said Pat Brophy, director of spirit sales at Binny's.
Brophy admited that shopping for bourbon nowadays can be an intimidating process.
"There are thousands of different bottles and the reality is that they only come from a dozen different distilleries. It's just different labels and different rifts on the same thing," Brophy informed.
One consideration is Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon, a standard, Kentucky straight bourbon that's a hand-picked single-barrell selection that's only available at Binny's.
"It's nice to sip over a big ice cube," Brophy said.
Brown liquors are gaining popularity but wine is still very popular among many consumers.
"I think it would trend more in people trying to figure out what to buy others. Certainly with gifting and things like that and celebratory [moments>," Lowe said.
Listen to the podcast to learn about the other beverage choices that are great during the holiday season.