Detroit has steadily cemented its place among the top food cities in the country over the past decade. In recent years, the craft cocktail scene has begun to rise the ranks, too.
Speakeasies, distilleries and cocktail bars have cropped up in some of the most obscure places throughout the region, serving art in the form of libations. And restaurateurs have invested in bartenders and beverage directors to excel as much in their bar programs as they do in the kitchen.
What results are elevated, sometimes over-the-top drinks created by ambitious mixologists, and with them come hefty price tags. Whether they鈥檙e infused with precious metals, served with a performance or crafted with rare spirits, these are the most luxurious cocktails in town.
The Takumi Manhattan at The Aladdin Sane, $45
The Aladdin Sane is about as swanky as a cocktail bar can get. Inside the speakeasy at the basement level of the Book Tower, the bar is moody, decorated in velvet and vintage area rugs and dimly lit with drippy tapers. It鈥檚 a place that tops one cocktail with a dollop of caviar. But the most luxurious beverage at The Aladdin Sane, on its face, comes without frills.
The Takumi Manhattan is a marriage of Japanese and American culture. The star of the drink is a limited-edition bourbon whiskey, the Kentucky Owl Takumi Edition, crafted by a collaboration between master whiskey blenders from Kentucky Owl and Nagahama Distillery in Japan. The rich bourbon is rounded out with Pio Cesare Vermouth di Torino, a spicy vermouth known for its distinct flavor of burnt sugar, and Bogart’s Bitters, believed in the cocktail world to be the first bitters on record, the recipe dating as far back as the 1800s.
The Takumi Manhattan adds depth and warm notes to a traditional Manhattan, bringing a taste of sophisticated luxury to The Aladdin Sane.
The Takumi Manhattan at The Aladdin Sane, $45, 1265 Washington Blvd., Detroit. thealaddinsane.com
The Grail at Bad Luck Bar, $80
The Grail at Bad Luck Bar is technically a spin on an old fashioned, but writes its own rules, creating something entirely new. At $80, the cocktail is a showpiece without gimmick. Bartenders take a creative turn, replacing whiskey with fine Don Julio 1942 Anejo Tequila and cre虁me de cacao, and introducing their own housemade additions for spice and complexity.
A from-scratch mole syrup offers a rich, chocolatey flavor, while hellfire bitters add a kick. The drink is served neat with a tarot card topping the glass to contain a puff of smoke for a dramatic effect. A spicy agave chocolate from Ferndale chocolatier Quix Chocolate is a complementary side piece.
The Grail at Bad Luck Bar, $80, 1218 Griswold St., Detroit. badluckbar.com
The Baller at Candy Bar, $75
Located behind heavy pink velvet curtains at the ground level of The Siren Hotel, Candy Bar is known as one of the most luxurious craft cocktail bars in the city. Hotel guests and outsiders alike, line up daily to score a seat at the romantic bar dripping in rosy tones and flecked with sparkling light reflections that bounce off of a glitzy disco ball and the 1,500-pound Parisian chandelier that hovers above the bar.
The Baller cocktail is a reflection of the bar鈥檚 decadence. The Balvenie French Oak 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, valued at around $200 per bottle, is the real investment here. The spirit, made by the prestigious distiller known for malting its own barley in house, is finished in wine casks of the Charentes vineyards in France.
Candy Bar鈥檚 Director of Beverage and Bar Operations James Hodge says the addition of yellow Chartreuse and a blueberry amaro infused with smoky black tea from the Dolomites pair well with the spirit鈥檚 notes of cashew, citrus and chamomile. To offer guests a sip of the fine whisky on its own, The Baller is served with a small tasting portion on the side.
The Baller at Candy Bar, $75, 1509 Broadway St., Detroit. ash.world/dining/candy-bar
The Ebenezer at Ebenezer, $45
The namesake cocktail of Ebenezer, a speakeasy in the basement of the former Plymouth United Savings Bank turned New American restaurant The Ledger, is a glorified take on a classic cocktail. With all of the components of a Vieux Carre, the New Orleans libation crafted in the late 1930s, The Ebenezer builds upon the beverage with a flashy show.
The drink hits the table in a glass box filled with smoke, enhancing the smoky flavor of the Scotch whisky and cognac blend. The letter 鈥淓鈥 stamped onto an extra-large ice cube adds a personal touch.
The Ebenezer at Ebenezer, $45, 305 Fleet St., Plymouth. 734-404-5552; theebenezerplymouth.com
The Naked and Famous and The Gold Fashioned at Sexy Steak, $49 each
A modern steakhouse that now occupies the Grand Army of the Republic building, Sexy Steak is known for its, well, sex appeal. Portraits of lips stained in crimson lipstick hang throughout the restaurant and cheeky phrases such as, 鈥渟exy minds think alike,鈥 are scribbled on the menus.
It makes sense that Sexy Steak would include a Naked and Famous on its cocktail menu. Here though, bartenders substitute Don Julio 1942 Tequila in place of mezcal for an elevated spirit that may appeal to diners who might not enjoy the smoky flavor of mezcal. The steakhouse also serves a Gold Fashioned, a riff on an old fashioned that replaces bourbon with Remy Martin XO and orange bitters with Cointreau for a sweet dessert cocktail.
The Naked and Famous and The Gold Fashioned at Sexy Steak, $49 each, 1942 Grand River Ave., Detroit. 313-403-1000; sexysteakdetroit.com