Meadowlark in Chicago was named the winner of the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award as part of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2024 for a drinks list that pays homage to its Windy City heritage. Explore five cocktails from a menu that reimagines the momentous occasion when the 1893 World’s Fair came to town
Since opening its doors in late 2022, Meadowlark has been on the fast track to cocktail stardom, making its debut on the list of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2024 at No.32. In addition to its impressive ranking, the bar also secured the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award for its historical homage to its hometown, Chicago, as judged by 50 Best Bars’ 28 Academy Chairs across the globe.
The Magic City was masterminded by Abe Vucekovich, Meadowlark's beverage director
In 1893, Chicago played host to the World’s Fair, which saw thousands flock to the city over the course of six months to visit never-before-seen exhibits created by countries from around the world. Some 130 years later, Meadowlark beverage director Abe Vucekovich, formerly of pioneering bar The Violet Hour, was deeply moved by the fair’s impact on Chicago’s history and began to craft a drinks list inspired by the attractions, structures and people who created them. After countless hours of research and ideation The Magic City was born: a 16-strong cocktail list paired with beautiful, custom-made illustrations.
Sip your way through Vucekovich’s vision of the World’s Fair with five spectacular sips from The Magic City menu.
1. Woman’s Building
As the women's rights movement began to pick up speed in the late 19th century in Chicago, the Woman’s Building exhibit celebrated art, literature and music created by women. However, as was common for the time, almost all of the contributions came from white women, which is something Meadowlark wanted to rectify. “For the Woman’s Building cocktail, we primarily used spirits that are founded, blended, distilled or owned by women of colour to celebrate their contribution to bartending today," says Beth Serowsky, Meadowlark’s bar manager. The resulting drink is made with whisky, tequila, grapefruit and rosemary liqueur, amaro and mezcal, with proceeds from each drink donated to Brown & Balanced, a charitable organisation that platforms bar and hospitality workers of colour.
2. Ferris Wheel
The Ferris Wheel cocktail draws inspiration from its Chicago debut and Vucekovich's own fairground memories
When US-born engineer George Ferris marvelled at the debut of the Eiffel Tower at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889, he knew he wanted to create something just as sensational back home. “The original Ferris Wheel was something no one had ever seen before and must have seemed so dramatic to a fairgoer back then. I wanted to capture that feeling of wonder,” says Vucekovich. “I wanted to bring spirits produced in high places, such as singani and génépi, to the party. I also loved going to Navy Pier in Chicago as a kid, riding the Ferris Wheel and getting an ice slushie afterwards, so I wanted the drink to emulate that look in a dramatic way.” Meadowlark’s Ferris Wheel cocktail looks like a snow cone, with refreshing spirits poured over a bed of crushed ice.
3. Hööden Palace
One of the main exhibits at the World’s Fair was a trio of buildings donated by the emperor of Japan and built by Japanese workers. The Hööden Palace was a big hit with visitors as it was the first glimpse of traditional Japanese architecture for most in the Midwest. One notable admirer was famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, whose signature Prairie design was said to have been inspired by the eastern structures he saw at the fair. The palace has been reimagined in cocktail form at Meadowlark with Japanese flavours and influences, blending Mancino Sakura Vermouth – a nod to Japanese cherry blossoms – koji-fermented whiskey and Japanese rum. Together, the drink brings balance and harmony between some traditionally bold spirits.
4. Haitian Pavilion
Clairin, Haitian white rum, is the star of this celebratory cocktail
After the Haitian revolution saw the country break free from European colonialist rule in the 18th century, its government wanted to celebrate the freedom of its people from slavery. For its World’s Fair exhibit, it hired famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass to bring its pavilion building to life in Chicago. Inside the fair, fliers co-authored by activist Ida B. Wells were handed out protesting the lack of black creatives at the event. “I wanted to celebrate Haiti and what its pavilion stood for as well as its lasting impact on Chicago and beyond,” says Vucekovich. “Clairin [local Haitian white rum] is the star of the cocktail and the supporting ingredients of aromatised wine, oloroso sherry and smoked orange bitters showcase the spirit of Haiti in a decadent way.”
5. Yerkes Telescope
The Yerkes Telescope was one of the fair’s biggest attractions as it was the largest contraption of its kind in the world at the time. Just as visitors were invited to peek through the refracting ‘scope to see the stars, Vucekovich created a drink with the same dazzling effect made by mixing bourbon, amaro, lemon, summer berries, lambrusco and local smoked aniseed liqueur. “I wanted something that tasted like what it feels like to look through a giant telescope at night's sky,” he says. “Looking down at the drink through the ice and sipping what tastes to me like a summer’s night really hammers home the effect.”
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The list of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2024, sponsored by Perrier, was revealed at a live awards ceremony at Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, on Tuesday 23rd April 2024. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube to stay up to date with all the news and announcements
