Meagan Cheek is a bar professional with over a decade’s worth of experience in the hospitality industry. An artist at heart, she transferred her talents in the visual field of photography to the sensory world of craft cocktail creation. After falling in love with the history, science, and romanticism found in the wine industry she distilled that knowledge into a new love of craft cocktails.

Focusing initially on the classics, she built her knowledge around flavor pairings, linking the modern palate to its historical references. While cutting her teeth in the craft cocktail scene she found herself drawn to tiki culture. Recipes fought over and lost to time. Elusive syrups and tinctures shrouded in mystery. Bootleggers and bandits, and a culture tied to the “idea” of a place. Somewhere that is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. What’s not to love?

These days you can find her on her home turf at Cleats, making dangerously approachable concoctions typically mixed with a subliminal history lesson or a sneaky peak into a centuries old technique. The nerdy stuff? You can take it or leave it. But the flavors? They stand on their own.