A secret bar sits along a quiet side street in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, nestled inside an unassuming brick building. Look for the door underneath the small bird cut-out sign and step inside the dimly lit vintage lounge. The menu offers many splendid options for craft cocktail aficionados … and a special treat for Columbian Exposition enthusiasts.
Last summer, The Meadowlark launched an 1893 World’s Fair themed menu titled “The Magic City: Celebrating 130 Years Since the Chicago World’s Fair.” In a handsome, forty-page hardcover booklet, Beverage Director Abe Vueekovich offers patrons sixteen drinks relating to buildings and sites from the fairgrounds, each with a two-page spread that features a color illustration, description, and cocktail ingredient list. A map at the front allows patrons to plan their route through the fairgrounds as they consider visiting a “Golden Doorway,” “Ferris Wheel,” “Wooded Island,” or “MacMonnies Fountain.”
During one visit, we ordered a “Woman’s Building” (a bright combination of whiskey, tequila, and grapefruit rosemary liquor) and a “Yerkes Telescope” (a stellar blend of bourbon, lemon, and smoked Molört). On our second visit, we sipped a “Palace of Fine Arts” (a refreshing mix of Botanist Gin and Mezcal made earthy with black sesames) and a “Viking Ship” (scotch, pilsner, and sage).
Other creative drink options to explore include “Horticultural Hall,” “Tiffany’s Chapel,” “Electricity Building,” “Hööden Palace,” “Fisheries Building” (aquavit and seaweed-cucumber shrub), “Windmills” (though not made with Blooker chocolate), “Haitian Pavilian,” and the (misnamed) “Street of Cairo.”
“The Fair went by many names,” reads the introduction to the menu. “Our favorite was not just in reference to the Fair, but to Chicago itself—‘The Magic City.’” Like its namesake, this menu may disappear from The Meadowlark, so visit 2812 West Palmer Street in Chicago before the great fair vanishes.
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