Following the debut of its inaugural menu Field Guide Vol 1: Birds of the Midwest in October 2022, The Meadowlark by Meadowlark Hospitality (Lardon, Union) gears up to present their second themed menu, The Magic City on June 1st. Beverage Director Abe Vucekovich and his bar team took a deep dive into research and educational resources at Chicago’s Newberry Library, the Chicago Historical Society, as well as The Smithsonian amongst others to understand the inner workings of “the fair that changed Chicago” before creating 16 craft cocktails inspired by the fair’s exhibits and attractions.
“The fair was a turning point for our city,” says Chicago-native Vucekovich. “Coming off the heels of rebuilding after the Great Chicago Fire just a couple decades earlier, it was a chance to put Chicago on the global map. Tesla, Edison, Burnham and many other huge influential names that have endured the test of time were represented here. Exploring the significance of this important event through a medium my team and I are all so passionate about as bartenders has been incredibly rewarding.”
Bound in a hardcover book with Chicago screw posts, The Magic City menu at The Meadowlark includes replications of maps of the fair, and each drink is accompanied by a vintage watercolor painting of the attraction it’s representing. As a group effort between the whole bar team, cocktails were created to pay tribute to many of the historic events that took place throughout the six months the fair was held. For example, the Fisheries Building cocktail, crafted by Meadowlark’s Nico Rodriguez in collaboration with Vucekovich, emulates the large tanks of salt water brought from the Atlantic Ocean to display marine life, through an aquavit-based drink featuring housemade cucumber, seaweed and sea salt shrub and Green Chartreuse pearls.
The Ferris Wheel, a refreshing sipper over a snow-cone like bed of crushed ice that features spirits sourced from mountainous regions like génépy from the French Alps and Singani 63 from the Andes Mountains. The end result is a floral, alpine cocktail. Overall, guests can expect drinks that run the gamut from bold and stirred to light and shaken, with a slight lean towards the latter to maintain seasonality. The cocktails span in ABV, including spirit-forward, low-ABV sherry and vermouth based cocktails, as well as a selection of non-alcoholic options.
“My hope, of course, is that people will enjoy the drinks, but I’m also really excited to hear the conversations,” says Vucekovich. “I want guests to look at the attraction, chat about how it's influenced the cocktail they’re drinking and reflect on the ways things have changed and can continue to change for both our city and society following this historical event 130 years ago.”
In addition to a changing cocktail menu, Executive Chef Chris Thompson has refreshed The Meadowlark’s abbreviated menu of bites to include hickory-smoked mussels, chicken liver mousse with sour cherries and pistachios, and the latest charcuterie selections from Lardon’s in-house curing room on petite snack boards. For the after-dinner crowd, Executive Pastry Chef Olivia Sweets has whipped up fair-inspired desserts such as a “Cracker Jack” laden chocolate brownie - two treats that made their debut at the Chicago World’s Fair.
To coincide with the launch of The Magic City menu, The Meadowlark is changing to a predominantly walk-in based service, with a limited number of evening reservations accepted for parties of four or more only.
Following the debut of its inaugural menu Field Guide Vol 1: Birds of the Midwest in October 2022, The Meadowlark by Meadowlark Hospitality (Lardon, Union) gears up to present their second themed menu, The Magic City on June 1st. Beverage Director Abe Vucekovich and his bar team took a deep dive into research and educational resources at Chicago’s Newberry Library, the Chicago Historical Society, as well as The Smithsonian amongst others to understand the inner workings of “the fair that changed Chicago” before creating 16 craft cocktails inspired by the fair’s exhibits and attractions.
“The fair was a turning point for our city,” says Chicago-native Vucekovich. “Coming off the heels of rebuilding after the Great Chicago Fire just a couple decades earlier, it was a chance to put Chicago on the global map. Tesla, Edison, Burnham and many other huge influential names that have endured the test of time were represented here. Exploring the significance of this important event through a medium my team and I are all so passionate about as bartenders has been incredibly rewarding.”
Bound in a hardcover book with Chicago screw posts, The Magic City menu at The Meadowlark includes replications of maps of the fair, and each drink is accompanied by a vintage watercolor painting of the attraction it’s representing. As a group effort between the whole bar team, cocktails were created to pay tribute to many of the historic events that took place throughout the six months the fair was held. For example, the Fisheries Building cocktail, crafted by Meadowlark’s Nico Rodriguez in collaboration with Vucekovich, emulates the large tanks of salt water brought from the Atlantic Ocean to display marine life, through an aquavit-based drink featuring housemade cucumber, seaweed and sea salt shrub and Green Chartreuse pearls.
The Ferris Wheel, a refreshing sipper over a snow-cone like bed of crushed ice that features spirits sourced from mountainous regions like génépy from the French Alps and Singani 63 from the Andes Mountains. The end result is a floral, alpine cocktail. Overall, guests can expect drinks that run the gamut from bold and stirred to light and shaken, with a slight lean towards the latter to maintain seasonality. The cocktails span in ABV, including spirit-forward, low-ABV sherry and vermouth based cocktails, as well as a selection of non-alcoholic options.
“My hope, of course, is that people will enjoy the drinks, but I’m also really excited to hear the conversations,” says Vucekovich. “I want guests to look at the attraction, chat about how it's influenced the cocktail they’re drinking and reflect on the ways things have changed and can continue to change for both our city and society following this historical event 130 years ago.”
In addition to a changing cocktail menu, Executive Chef Chris Thompson has refreshed The Meadowlark’s abbreviated menu of bites to include hickory-smoked mussels, chicken liver mousse with sour cherries and pistachios, and the latest charcuterie selections from Lardon’s in-house curing room on petite snack boards. For the after-dinner crowd, Executive Pastry Chef Olivia Sweets has whipped up fair-inspired desserts such as a “Cracker Jack” laden chocolate brownie - two treats that made their debut at the Chicago World’s Fair.
To coincide with the launch of The Magic City menu, The Meadowlark is changing to a predominantly walk-in based service, with a limited number of evening reservations accepted for parties of four or more only.
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