How Wrigleyville’s Top New Cocktail Bar Is Keeping History Alive, One Vintage Pour at a Time | Eater Chicago

"Tucked inside Hotel Zachary across from Wrigley Field, I found Mordecai to be a polished yet approachable bilevel Clark Street hangout that wears its baseball inspiration proudly — it even won Chicago’s 2018 Eater Award for Bar of the Year. The midcentury design (smooth oak and walnut, curved leather banquettes, soft gray upholstery) and playful touches like sliding gold screens that hide televisions and turn-of-the-century Cubs curios create a nostalgic, accessible vibe. The beverage program leans into baseball-inflected history with classically inspired signatures such as Lost In Ivy, the Opener, and the Cycle, and a massive library of rare and vintage spirits (including an especially large collection of Pappy Van Winkle) that Alex Bachman helped assemble and that spirits archivist Kris Peterson and bar manager Tom Lisy continue to curate. Service here feels like a history lesson and a celebration at once: guests linger over custom flights while staff rattle off lore about each bottle, and the team happily accommodates old-school requests as well as adventurous pours. Opened last April, Mordecai has already woven itself into Wrigleyville by drawing on relics of the past to ignite present-day joy without a hint of pretension." - Meredith Heil