The Best Bars in America, 2023

Birds were on every page. Pretty ones. Ugly ones. Downright strange-looking ones. I was perusing the avian-themed cocktail menu at Meadowlark, an old library-like spot in Chicago’s Logan Hill neighborhood. Each drink was meant to resemble a specific feathered friend. You looked at the glass in front of you, sipped, looked at the bird picture again—and all of a sudden, it clicked. This joyfully odd drink menu was the brainchild of Abe Vucekovich, Meadowlark’s beverage director. What, I asked Vucekovich, had sparked the idea to try something so delightfully trippy? “People were ready for something more fun after the pandemic,” he explained simply. “We felt that people deserved novelty.” He knows his customers: Every seat at the bar was full by 6:30. Over the past year, we criss-crossed the country to report on America’s finest drinking establishments. This is our eighteenth edition of the list, and in all my years of bar crawls, I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much spirited originality—as many bars that make you say, “So strange, yet so awesome.” There are familiar spaces, too, some of which have been reinvented. So use this as a guide. Then get out there, find your niche, and embrace the weird and wonderful. [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [The Best Bars in America, 2023]( [The Best Bars in America, 2023]( Birds were on every page. Pretty ones. Ugly ones. Downright strange-looking ones. I was perusing the avian-themed cocktail menu at Meadowlark, an old library-like spot in Chicago’s Logan Hill neighborhood. Each drink was meant to resemble a specific feathered friend. You looked at the glass in front of you, sipped, looked at the bird picture again—and all of a sudden, it clicked. This joyfully odd drink menu was the brainchild of Abe Vucekovich, Meadowlark’s beverage director. What, I asked Vucekovich, had sparked the idea to try something so delightfully trippy? “People were ready for something more fun after the pandemic,” he explained simply. “We felt that people deserved novelty.” He knows his customers: Every seat at the bar was full by 6:30. Over the past year, we criss-crossed the country to report on America’s finest drinking establishments. This is our eighteenth edition of the list, and in all my years of bar crawls, I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much spirited originality—as many bars that make you say, “So strange, yet so awesome.” There are familiar spaces, too, some of which have been reinvented. So use this as a guide. Then get out there, find your niche, and embrace the weird and wonderful. [Read More](   [Congratulations to Biden Accuser Tara Reade On Her New Life In Russia, I Guess]( [Congratulations to Biden Accuser Tara Reade On Her New Life In Russia, I Guess]( Didn't see this one coming. [Read More]( [Shows Like 'Ted Lasso,' When You're Ready to Cheer (and Sob) Again]( [Shows Like 'Ted Lasso,' When You're Ready to Cheer (and Sob) Again]( If you like workplace comedies—with a dash of sports!—you've come to the right place. [Read More](     [Harrison Ford Has Stories to Tell]( [Harrison Ford Has Stories to Tell]( Most people know a good deal about Harrison Ford. His path to becoming an actor was methodical and uneventful: going out for parts, landing small roles. He figured he could be a character actor. “Anyone but the leading man” is how he describes it. A working actor. Getting paid and going home at night. Then there’s the famous thing that happened, a story of which there are many versions, but this is the right one: Ford had got a small part in the second feature film by a young director named George Lucas, 1973’s American Graffiti. But he had a young family and wasn’t making enough to live on, so he worked as a carpenter. “I said I would do it but only at night, when no one was around, because I didn’t want to be that guy—I wanted them to think of me as an actor, which I was," Ford says. "First thing in the morning in walked George Lucas to begin the process of meeting people for Star Wars. I was there with my tool belt on, sweeping up, said hello, chatted, and that was it. Later, I was asked by the producer to help them read lines with candidates for all the parts. Don’t know whether I read with people who were reading for Han Solo—can’t remember. I read with quite a few princesses. But there was no indication or forewarning that I might be considered for this part. It was just a favor. And then of course they offered me the part.” [Read More](   [Casper vs. Saatva: Who Makes the Better Mattress?]( [Casper vs. Saatva: Who Makes the Better Mattress?]( We tested the brands' newest models to finally put the debate to bed. [Read More]( [In Defense of Choosing a Musical Era and Living In It Forever]( [In Defense of Choosing a Musical Era and Living In It Forever]( Mid-90s rock is having a moment as its newly middle-aged fans seek solace in the soul-patched soundtrack of their youth. Call it “IPA-core.” [Read More](     [The Refresh: Your Can't-Miss Warm-Weather Grooming Routine]( [The Refresh: Your Can't-Miss Warm-Weather Grooming Routine]( Summer is coming. So here, we walk you through the best ways to prep your skin, hair, and body for the warm weather ahead. From antioxidants that safeguard skin cells to sunscreens for your face and your hair, here’s how to ditch the heavy stuff, protect yourself, and stay happy and comfortable until it’s time to switch things up again. Take notes. [Read More](   [Win a 6-Night Luxury Getaway to Costa Rica ($4,500 Value)!]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection]( esquire.com ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019