Abe Vucekovich

Abe Vucekovich is a veteran bartender and creative director whose influence on Chicago’s cocktail landscape spans more than a decade. He is celebrated for his leadership at the award-winning Meadowlark (No. 37 on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025) and broadened his creative footprint with the 2025 launch of Friends of Friends, a nostalgic tavern-meets-cocktail bar that quickly earned acclaim as one of the city’s most anticipated openings. Abe’s work blends conceptual storytelling with deeply drinkable builds, showcasing a rare ability to make innovation feel effortless. With extensive experience in menu development and bar leadership, he is recognized as one of Chicago’s defining voices in modern cocktail culture