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Norridge liquor store relies on revelers
Adam Silverstein is general manager of Cardinal Warehouse Wine and Liquors in Norridge. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media
Cardinal Warehouse Wine and Liquors
4601 N. Harlem Ave. in Norridge
Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays
9 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday
(708) 457-1000
www.cardinalwarehouse.net
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Updated: January 28, 2013 6:34AM
NORRIDGE — Its Norridge location is not quite a year old, but the purveyor of libations at that site has been serving customers for generations.
Cardinal Warehouse Wine and Liquors opened its newest store on Dec. 30, 2011, at 4601 N. Harlem Ave. -- just in time for that year’s New Year’s Eve rush. And now the store is preparing for this year’s celebrations.
Bruce and David Garfield are third-generation operators of a business that started in the 1950s.
Cardinal also has stores at Milwaukee Avenue and Oakton Street in Niles and at Addison and Central avenues in Chicago.
“The northwest corner of the Chicago area is the primary target for reaching customers,” said Adam Silverstein, general manager. “We like to think we are a full service, destination location.
Part of that service includes a 25-door cooler that is part of the 1,300 square feet devoted to beer, especially craft beer.
Another 6,000 square feet is home to a plethora of wine and spirit options.
The newly constructed building features warm tones and an open floor plan, the better to highlight the offerings.
“Our niche is small-market wines, country-specific liqueurs and one of the largest craft beer selections,” Silverstein said.
“If you can’t find it here, good luck,” he added with a laugh.
The focus of employees is on customer service.
“We want to appease the consumer,” Silverstein said.
“We have the same faces providing that service,” he added. “We know many of the customers by name.”
Offering quality products at inexpensive prices, every day, only helps, he noted.
For those planning New Year’s Eve celebrations, Silverstein offered a few options.
A relatively new entry into the market is RumChata, a rum-infused, rice-based drink.
“It came out around this time last year,” Silverstein said.
By itself, the liqueur is fairly mild, he noted.
For those who like their drinks with a little kick, Silverstein suggested spicing up RumChata with anything from Goldschlager, a Swiss cinnamon schnapps, to fruit-flavored vodka to a good Irish whiskey such as Jameson.
As for champagne, Cardinal stocks myriad options, both sweet and dry.
“Rose (champagne) is a hot item lately,” he said.
For the champagne connoisseur, Silverstein recommended the Moet and Chandon Imperial set that includes two bottles of Imperial champagne, two goblets and an ice bucket.
The store also stocks Armand de Brignac’s Ace of Spades champagne.
“There’s so much romance in the brands,” Silverstein said. “And in the history of cocktails.”
That history is evident among other selections available at Cardinal, including port.
Speaking to the history of imbibing in America, Silverstein noted the earliest settlers “had to have their wine, and they had to have their beer.”
Both are available in abundance at Cardinal’s Norridge site.
