From Blues Brothers to Grape Vines

Dan Aykroyd comes to town to promote his vodka and wine labels at Binny's

Meet the man behind such indelible characters as Elwood Blues (of "The Blues Brothers" infamy), Beldar ("Coneheads") and Dr. Raymond Stantz ("Ghostbusters") -- not to mention the guy who snagged Donna Dixon -- when actor-comedian Dan Aykroyd made a personal appearance at Binny's Beverage Depot in the South Loop to promote his own vodka and vino labels. 

"I've made two movies here.  We have our successful business, House of Blues, which has done really well for the community, I think.  My links here are very strong," Aykroyd said of his ties to Chicago.

Aykroyd's life-long fascination with the supernatural (blame it on "Ghostbusters?") inspired him to create a different sort of spirit -- Crystal Head Vodka. The super-premium brand is made with water from a deep aquifer in Newfoundland (you may know that Aykroyd is a Canuck), which is bottled in a glass rendering of a human skull. Creepy!

Apparently, this jack-of-all-trades was introduced to winemaking back in the "Saturday Night Live" days. 

Just one look at the Dan Aykroyd Wines Web site shows the funnyman's passion for sampling wines from around the world.

He'll be at Binny's on Saturday, March 28 from 1-3PM discussing his partnership with DeLoach Vineyards to craft a cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay from Sonoma County.

Binny's Beverage Depot, 1132 S. Jefferson St., 312-768-4400

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