The Meadowlark's inaugural menu, "Field Guide Vol. I: Birds of the Midwest," featured cocktails created around 16 different avian species native to Chicago and the surrounding areas.

Conceptualized by Beverage Director Abe Vucekovich, the menu arrived by way of a paper-bound pocket field guide where each drink is named after a regional bird and accompanied by a corresponding vintage ornithology illustration. Vucekovich takes an ingredient-driven approach to drinks with globally sourced, esoteric spirits and unique flavor combinations punctuated by the bar’s production of housemade syrups, liqueurs, infusions, and bitters.

Cocktails included drinks like the Cedar Waxwing and the Snowy Owl. The Cedar Waxwing, a cocktail with St. George Terroir Gin, Braulio, and Green Chartreuse, aimed to create something that tasted like walking around the woods of Northern Wisconsin in spring, when you might spot the drink's namesake. The Snowy Owl looked to create something light yet comforting, like the sensation of seeing this rare bird amongst a snowy winterscape from the cozy confines of a toasty room. It achieved this fluffy, warming goal with a blend of pisco, house orgeat, crème de cacao, herbsaint, nutmeg, and a whole egg.