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By Helen Karakoudas
Special to the Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The grand opening of the Rockford region’s first daiquiri bar is a little over a week away.
Sheila’s Daiquiri Lounge, a new downtown Rockford nightspot specializing in the colorful boozy slushies made popular in New Orleans, will open in the former Kryptonite space, 308 W. State St., on April 19.
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The cocktail bar’s owner, Sheila Black, confirmed the date during the first in a series of recent soft openings for family, friends and workers who helped them transform the space.
“We are all very new to this,” Black said March 29 after a day of work at a local aerospace company, where she’s been for more than two decades and continues to work. Her husband, Derek, works full-time at a local credit union. To staff this empty-nest side venture, their first in the hospitality industry, they have a rotation of three servers. “We need this trial run— and a few more — before the big day.”
At 4 p.m. on the big day — next Friday, April 19 — the Machesney Park couple will celebrate a ribbon-cutting with city of Rockford officials and then immediately open their doors to the public.
Excitement has been growing ever since a coming soon sign went up in November and postcards announcing the concept were shared during the Stroll on State festival on Small Business Saturday.
Other than a brief stint as an information hub for the Hard Rock Casino, the space has been empty since 2019, when Capital House, a high-end seafood restaurant, closed after 17 months. Before that, it was the home of Kryptonite, a bar and music venue, which closed in 2016 after 15 years.
What to expect
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When Sheila Black says, “I’m getting the machines rollin’,” she’s talking about nine spinning units, inset to the wall behind the bar on the main level. Each unit freezes up a ready-made alcoholic mix.
What you get are assorted flavors of the daiquiris found all over Bourbon Street in New Orleans — the place where decades ago Sheila and Derek Black got the idea to bring such drinks to Rockford.
Flavors include fruity options (strawberry, banana, watermelon, grape, apple, mango) along with tastes channeling other drinks (sangria, pina colada, hurricane). Every week, one flavor will change.
As the machines spin frozen daiquiris, the sound system spins soft jazz and blues. There eventually will be live blues and jazz acts.
“It’s a great aesthetic: the melodies and the mood,” said Phillip Jones, one of the Blacks’ three adult children who flew in from his home in Atlanta to surprise them on the first of the trial runs. “It’s not too loud. You can enjoy a conversation, some nice tunes, and have a nice drink.”
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Sodas, beer, Jell-O shots and regular shots are also available, along with appetizers like Italian beef, meatball and pulled pork sandwiches; cheese boards; and Bavarian pretzels and cheese.
Traditional shaken and stirred cocktails will eventually be available at a full bar on the second level, an oblong space surrounding dramatic lights that hang over the daiquiri-serving area at street level. Derek Black estimates the upstairs may be ready by June.
Must-knows about frozen daiquiris
If you’ve never had a frozen daiquiri, there are a few things to keep in mind.
“You have got to mix,” said Demetri Waller, the electrician who updated the bar’s lighting, as he shook his head walking by a first-time frozen-daiquiri drinker holding a glass with a single color. “You need to get more than one flavor in there at a time.”
Seeing the swirl of colors is in your glass is part of the fun, said Waller, a confirmed fan of frozen daiquiris.
Aaron Goldfarb, a journalist who writes about cocktails for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and is the author of books on drinking culture, agrees — but is chill about whether you absolutely have to mix.
In a call Friday with Rock River Current from his home near New York City, Goldfarb said the nice thing about frozen daiquiris and other frozen cocktails is that they exist is a world of their own — one that’s all about enjoying life, not brooding about it.
“If you want to mix, knock yourself out and see what’s cool for you,” said Goldfarb, who at the most has mixed two flavors. “These are the drinks you order to find something that’s amusing and delicious. They’re not pretentious. They’re not snooty. They don’t take themselves seriously. They’re meant to be fun.”
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To find the find the flavor — or flavors — meant for you at Sheila’s, you can ask for samples. Then, you decide on a size: small, medium or large. Daiquiri servings come in 8 ounces for a small and go to 20 ounces for a large. They range in price from $8.50 to $14.
If you choose to mix daiquiri flavors, there’s no extra charge: You pay for a size, not per flavor.
There’s an additional charge only if you want to amp up the liquor. While the daiquiris coming out of the machines already have either vodka, rum, tequila or bourbon, you can order more of any of these spirits. For a just a little to drizzle into the daiquiri, ask for a kicker. That comes in a pink test tube. For a little more to sip alongside the daiquiri, ask for a shot. Kickers are $2-$3. Shots are $3-$5. Top-shelf options are available for both.
Daiquiris to-go
“Pick one up and keep it going!” — the New Orleans way with frozen daiquiris — can now be a reality for downtown Rockford, too. When Sheila’s opens to the public, guests will be able to take their daiquiris to-go, thanks to the new Entertainment District launched in December by the city and the River District Association.
Anyone 21 and older who buys a daiquiri at Sheila’s will also be able to buy a specially branded cup for the drink so that, during designated hours, they can take the cup with them as they walk around downtown and visit the shops (plus Veterans Memorial Hall) which welcome to-go cups.
(To check the Entertainment District hours and find both a list and a map of how downtown businesses are participating, scroll to the Fast Facts section in this story.)
One stipulation in the pilot program is that you can’t bring a drink from one place serving liquor to another place that serves liquor. That protection for competitors isn’t an issue for the owner of one of the Entertainment District participants closest to Sheila’s Daiquiri Lounge. Chef Patrick Alberto, who recently rebranded the downtown staple Octane to 27 Aluna, a Filipino restaurant and cocktail bar, said he didn’t know daiquiri bars were a thing but is excited about the one just down the street.
“We want them to be successful because rising tides lift all boats,” Alberto said. “Downtown is a great place to incubate out-of-pocket, unique concepts. It makes for a healthy downtown environment, and I love that people are willing to take a risk to bring something new to the city.”
What’s next
As Sheila and Derek Black continue to test daiquiri flavor combinations, fine-tune the food menu, and add such details as purse hooks under the bar counters, they’re also planning to add gambling machines. Those machines will go in a back corner of the first floor, near a mural remaining from the Kryptonite era.
At the front corner, where the stage was for Kryptonite and for Capital House, they plan to bring in music and comedy acts.
“We don’t have any events set right now, but when we do, Harlan Jefferson will be our first,” Sheila Black said.
The award-winning jazz saxophonist, who had hosted Neo Soul Mondays at Kryptonite and also played at Capital House, was there Friday night—as a guest, checking out the place like everyone else.
“Sheila’s is a great addition to all the different things going on right now in downtown Rockford,” Jefferson said, referring to new lofts, the new Rockford Public Library, development of Davis Park, restoration of the Times Theater, and plans for a neighborhood grocery store.
“The atmosphere is classy,” Jefferson said, “and the hurricane daiquiri is fire. I’d rather have that than a piece of cake.”
About | Sheila’s Daiquiri Lounge
Where: 308 W. State St., Suite 110, Rockford. (In the Stewart Square building, to the left of Illinois Bank & Trust. The entrance is on Main Street.)
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m. to midnight; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
On social media: Instagram: @sheila_daiquirilounge
This article is by Helen Karakoudas. Email any feedback to news@rockrivercurrent.com.