Lucy Sparrow (@sewyoursoul)
Malört bottle, 2025
Hand-made Felt with acrylic
12 H x 3.5 W x 3.5 in., 30.5 x 8.9 x 8.9 cm
Edition of 30, signed by the artist
Jeppson's Malört is the lifeblood of Chicago bar culture.
Swedish immigrant Carl Jeppson began producing the wormwood-flavored liquor during the 1920s, skirting Prohibition-era regulations by touting its “medicinal” properties: namely, ridding consumers of stomach worms and other parasites. Fast-forward a century later, and Jeppson’s Malört remains a staple of barrooms throughout the Windy City, most commonly experienced as one half of the fabled and fearsome Chicago Handshake (a boilermaker pairing a Malört shot with an Old Style tall boy).
Vertical Gallery teamed with UK artist Lucy Sparrow to commemorate Malört’s enduring impact on Chicago nightlife.
