As Meadowlark Hospitality—the growing group behind Logan Square’s daytime cafe and salumeria Lardon and its beer-centric sister spot Union—nears the launch of their forthcoming craft cocktail lounge The Meadowlark, the team has announced Abe Vucekovich as its new beverage director. Located behind Lardon and Union by way of a back-door entrance at 2812 West Palmer Street in Logan Square, The Meadowlark welcomes Vucekovich, the former lead bartender at The Violet Hour, who joins the team with nearly a decade of craft cocktailing experience. In between the openings of both Lardon and Union, partners Steve Lewis and Chef Chris Thompson have been intermittently building out the bar space over that last year before bringing on Vucekovich.
“We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do with the space, but when we started talking to Abe about the first menu concepts and their potential, we knew he was the right person to lead the charge,” says Lewis.
In advance of The Meadowlark’s fall opening, Vucekovich will present a cocktail program with his signature flair for whimsical and well-balanced drinks. He plans to rotate drink offerings every few months with each new menu presenting an entirely new “theme” of eclectic craft cocktails, drawing inspiration from a myriad of influences – from the NYC “CBGB” music punk scene in the 1970s, to the cocktail revolution in Pairs in the 1920s, to more esoteric influences like movements in modern architecture. The forthcoming cocktail menus will span the spectrum from strong and stirred to light and bright using the bar’s apothecary-style production of house-made bitter, syrups, tinctures, and infused spirits. The team is remaining tight-lipped about their first menu concept, but “it’s pretty imaginative and will be a lot of fun,” says Vucekovich.
“With The Meadowlark, I wanted to shy away from the confines of ‘seasonally’ or ‘quarterly’ changing menus and have the freedom to keep things continuously fun and fresh.” Says Vucekovich. "Crafting new menus with themes that go beyond a season allows me to draw inspiration in a way that’s more focused on storytelling.”
Vucekovich cut his teeth at The Violet Hour as a barback and quickly worked his way up to lead bartender after training directly under Toby Maloney (The Violet Hour, Milk & Honey, Flatiron Lounge, Mother’s Ruin). Vucekovich most recently served as the bar’s general manager in addition to leading hundreds of cocktail classes and interactive mixology courses throughout the pandemic and spearheading the re-opening of The Violet Hour after a brief pandemic hiatus.
In addition to helming the drinks program at The Meadowlark, Vucekovich will take on the role of beverage director for Meadowlark Hospitality group as a whole, crafting a cocktail menu that leverages Union's whiskey collection and complements its beer program. He will also enhance Lardon’s nod to French and Italian cafe culture with aperitivo-style drinks that celebrate the area's unique bitter liqueurs.
As Meadowlark Hospitality—the growing group behind Logan Square’s daytime cafe and salumeria Lardon and its beer-centric sister spot Union—nears the launch of their forthcoming craft cocktail lounge The Meadowlark, the team has announced Abe Vucekovich as its new beverage director. Located behind Lardon and Union by way of a back-door entrance at 2812 West Palmer Street in Logan Square, The Meadowlark welcomes Vucekovich, the former lead bartender at The Violet Hour, who joins the team with nearly a decade of craft cocktailing experience. In between the openings of both Lardon and Union, partners Steve Lewis and Chef Chris Thompson have been intermittently building out the bar space over that last year before bringing on Vucekovich.
“We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do with the space, but when we started talking to Abe about the first menu concepts and their potential, we knew he was the right person to lead the charge,” says Lewis.
In advance of The Meadowlark’s fall opening, Vucekovich will present a cocktail program with his signature flair for whimsical and well-balanced drinks. He plans to rotate drink offerings every few months with each new menu presenting an entirely new “theme” of eclectic craft cocktails, drawing inspiration from a myriad of influences – from the NYC “CBGB” music punk scene in the 1970s, to the cocktail revolution in Pairs in the 1920s, to more esoteric influences like movements in modern architecture. The forthcoming cocktail menus will span the spectrum from strong and stirred to light and bright using the bar’s apothecary-style production of house-made bitter, syrups, tinctures, and infused spirits. The team is remaining tight-lipped about their first menu concept, but “it’s pretty imaginative and will be a lot of fun,” says Vucekovich.
“With The Meadowlark, I wanted to shy away from the confines of ‘seasonally’ or ‘quarterly’ changing menus and have the freedom to keep things continuously fun and fresh.” Says Vucekovich. "Crafting new menus with themes that go beyond a season allows me to draw inspiration in a way that’s more focused on storytelling.”
Vucekovich cut his teeth at The Violet Hour as a barback and quickly worked his way up to lead bartender after training directly under Toby Maloney (The Violet Hour, Milk & Honey, Flatiron Lounge, Mother’s Ruin). Vucekovich most recently served as the bar’s general manager in addition to leading hundreds of cocktail classes and interactive mixology courses throughout the pandemic and spearheading the re-opening of The Violet Hour after a brief pandemic hiatus.
In addition to helming the drinks program at The Meadowlark, Vucekovich will take on the role of beverage director for Meadowlark Hospitality group as a whole, crafting a cocktail menu that leverages Union's whiskey collection and complements its beer program. He will also enhance Lardon’s nod to French and Italian cafe culture with aperitivo-style drinks that celebrate the area's unique bitter liqueurs.
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