Don’t call it a comeback.
Everybody who’s stepped into Detroit in recent years wants to talk about the resurgence of Motown—we even included it on our 2019 Go List. They want to talk about the urban planning projects, the kitschy boutique hotels, and the artists beautifying streets alongside decades-old dilapidation. It’s the city where American manufacturing was developed and exported for the world to see. Today, while the Fords still roll out of The Rouge, a new type of craftsmanship has begun to take shape across the Motor City: craft cocktails.
From glamorous speakeasies that serve $200 glasses of rum to the Hamtramck dives with $4 rum-punches in shark mugs, Detroit’s cocktail scene has gone from unknown to award-winning. Spurred by a hearty DIY attitude, the D has become a playground for a new generation of artisans, dreaming up otherworldly concoctions, whether it be a Korean-style honkytonk or a tiki bar floating among the icy confines of the Canadian border.
So, stop calling it a comeback and see what’s notable on some of the new—and the old—drink menus around the city.