Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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cheers the vodka diaries AUTHOR BRAD THOR LIKES HIS HEROES CLEAN AND HIS MARTINIS EXTRA DIRTY. by audarshia townsend B rad Thor's alter ego, Scot Harvath, would never touch a martini. But Thor, who has conjured multiple novels about this elite counterterrorism operative, has been enjoying RL bartender Russell Shulman's "super dirty" mar- tini blend for years. A No. 1 New York Times best-selling author, Thor has written a dozen thrillers, including The Apostle and The Last Patriot, which have been published in more than 25 languages. He rarely steps away from his old-fashioned typewriter, but when he does, he settles in at the stylish bar at RL restaurant (115 E. Chicago Ave., 312-475-1100; rlrestaurant.com). Thor prefers his martini particularly "dirty" because he enjoys the decadence of an extra hit of olive juice and blue cheese-stuffed olives. And RL is the place that makes it that way without hesitation. "You really don't come across [bartend- ers] like Russell anymore," says Thor. "It's always a joy to go and see him." In previous books, Thor's hero Harvath infiltrated terrorist networks, battled militant Islamic enemies, and rescued the president from kidnappers. But the upcoming Black List, due out July 31, should hit home for mil- lions of Americans, he says, as it focuses on the concept of total surveillance. "This book will change the way you use your cell phone and the Internet," he says. "In the story, a very clever enemy of the US is taking our tools and turning them against us, [demonstrating that] there is no such thing as privacy anymore." Additionally, Thor is working with Warner Bros. to bring his hero's story to the big screen. He's com- pleted the screenplay for Takedown, Thor's fifth novel, about a terrorist attack that destroys all of the bridges and tunnels leading into and out of Manhattan at the start of the July 4th weekend, and a search is underway for the right director and leading man. It's sure to get pulses racing. MA 74 michiganavemag.com bAr none RL Restaurant's Dirty Martini recipe courtesy of Russell Shulman 2 oz. Ketel One vodka 1 1 ⁄2 oz. fresh olive juice Shake ingredients in shaker. Pour "murky finish" mixture into chilled, oversize martini glass. Garnish with two blue cheese-stuffed olives. Country martini glass, William Yeoward ($50). Bloomingdale's, 900 North Michigan Shops, 312-440-4460; bloomingdales.com photography by william brinson; drink styling by mariana velasquez for big leo; vintage typewriter, underwood