Mauve Nosh and Libations in Shorewood is now Mauve Cocktail Lounge – and dramatic changes in offerings and atmosphere await patrons.

The decor features green velvet, antique details, crystal chandeliers, gold chandeliers and Greek-inspired details. There is even new glassware.

Owner Nick J. Pena held a grand reopening Jan. 16 and rejoiced in what he called “amazing feedback” and “record-breaking sales,” making him glad he rebranded.

“I’ve learned that you have to listen to your demographic, and you have to listen to what your customers are wanting and what your customers are not wanting,” Pena said. “It’s all about adaptability.”

Pena opened Mauve Nosh and Libations in 2021 with Kala Bieniek Saunders. But Bieniek Saunders recently stepped back from the business, and Pena decided now was a good time for some changes to give patrons “an amazing personal experience,” he said.

“[Bieniek Saunders and I] both had two different styles,” Pena said. “So [Mauve] was kind of a mix between industrial modern with pops of color. I just felt the bar needed to find some kind of identity.”

So, Pena created what he calls a “mythological Victorian-Baroque,” with his inspiration based on a mansion he toured in Austria: dark, moody and elegant, he said.

“I’ve been to several bars myself in Chicago where you walk in and you feel you are someplace else,” Pena said.

More martinis

Mauve Cocktail Lounge kept the small plates on the menu. But Pena said he also added 24 different martinis to the menu and “a lot more cocktails and wine” to serve an eclectic patron age range of 25 to 75.

“It’s awesome to see people from different age groups coming to Mauve to enjoy happy hour or a nice late-night cocktail or after dinner,” Pena said, noting the popularity of martinis among the older Gen Z population. “Maybe it’s because they now know how good a martini tastes.”

Many drinks offer “unique twists” – cocktails with egg white, fruit puree or foam – for patrons “who aren’t scared to try something new,” he said.

Mauve also serves blood orange cosmopolitans, dirty martinis, classic martinis and vesper cocktails. Pena said he plans to “change the menu up seasonally.”

“Old Mauve still specialized in craft cocktails and wine, but we didn’t have a lot of martinis,” Pena said. “And that’s what a lot of our customers really were enjoying more of.”

And for those who don’t drink alcohol, Mauve also serves coffee and nonalcoholic drinks, Pena said.

“I give a broad spectrum of something to choose from,” Pena said. “So I’m able to satisfy anyone that comes into the bar.”

Pena said he doesn’t serve beer out of respect to Mauve’s neighbor, Will County Brewing.

A successful cocktail lounge also is about establishing a personal connection with the customers, he said.

“Being there while they are enjoying themselves really shows that people can see that I care and people can see that I’m there to enjoy this time with them as well,” Pena said.

Mauve Cocktail Lounge is located at 1146 W. Jefferson St. in Shorewood.

For more information, call 815-582-3378 or visit mauvelibations.com.