Chicago’s Jeppson’s Malort is apparently getting its shot at the big screen.
The Chicago liquor, notoriously known as the “revenge shot,” will make its film debut in a documentary by Fire Engine Red Films, the liquor company announced on Twitter Monday.
Malort’s “popularity” in Chicago began during the prohibition, where it was distributed by Carl Jeppson as “medicinal alcohol.” It has since become the infamous beverage that teases your tastebuds at first, then brutally transforms into the bitterness that is wormwood.
Those familiar with Malort know what the almost unavoidable, and hilarious, reaction to a shot of the beverage, also known as the "Malort face," looks like.
“Malort has always been a challenge,” Pat Berger, owner of Paddy Long’s Beer and Bacon Pub, said in the documentary’s trailer. “Chicago’s that kind of a town, we think we’re tough, you know. We like to hurt ourselves with Malort.”
Malort was bought out by Chicago lawyer George Brode in the 1930s, and his legal secretary, Pat Gabelick, is now the current owner.
“There’s so much more to it than just a bitter shot and a Malort face,” Gabelick says in the trailer. “We have people who have drank Jeppson’s Malort their whole lives.”
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The trailer for the documentary, titled “This Story Will Never End,” was posted to YouTube Sunday. The company tweeted the film is "100 percent real."
@Alex_Deanne 100% real. — Jeppsons Malört (@JeppsonsMalort) April 8, 2014
The full documentary is set to premiere this summer.
“There’s only one malort, there’s only one real Jeppson’s Malort,” Berger said. “It’s like anything that’s original, it will outlast all of us. Like a pair of blue jeans--they’re always in style.”
If you're not familiar with Malort, or the "Malort face," watch below.
