Forget that old go-to swill you’ve been drinking. It’s high time you branch out in West Michigan and meet these six life-changing, high-end cocktails.
In celebration of Grand Rapids Cocktail Week, on Sunday, Nov. 22 the UICA and Grand Rapids Downtown Market are hosting a hands-on cocktail class from 3–5 p.m. at the market and are pairing it with a 5:30 p.m. screening of the 2013 documentary Hey Bartender at the UICA.
Craft distilleries are opening at a pace that probably has the teetotalling proponents of Prohibition turning over in their graves. The influx of neighborhood distilleries surely has the fine people of West Michigan careening into the rapture, glasses filled with craft bourbon in each hand. But the truth of the matter is a little less ominous as the rash of new craft distilleries has far more to do with the growing craft movement in general than it does with the end times.
West Michigan is overflowing with trendy new breweries, but lest we forget the old fashioned watering hole. From where to score the best Happy Hour deals to the budding Cocktail Renaissance, this special guide is all about the local pubs and taverns. Because lists are fun, here’s a roundup of some must-visit places to get a good cocktail.
Cygnus 27 is changing its tune with the addition of its new chef Tim Moreno. The restaurant is taking on a new flavor as it changes guards with new manager Manny Rivera and his Latin-influenced freshman chef. Formerly featuring heavily Asian-infused cuisine, Cygnus 27’s new menu has turned its attention to south of the border thanks to the Mexican heritage of Chef Moreno
If you’re familiar with the television cooking show Iron Chef, then you’re at least familiar with the general premise of the Grand Rapids Cocktail Guild’s Iron Bartender competition. It’s pretty simple: Bring in some talented culinary professionals, throw some surprise ingredients at them and see the creative ways they use said ingredients to create something delectable.
They don’t make ‘em like they used to. That’s how the saying goes, anyway. And at Nick Fink’s, the oldest bar in Grand Rapids, they’re absolutely fine with that adage. While developers are continually constructing flashy, new breweries and trendy pubs across the state, other more ripened watering holes hang their hats on heritage.
Ordering your usual has gone out the window. That one drink all night routine is tired and, with the high-end craft cocktail popularity, you’d be crazy to flirt with just one flavor.
It seems like everyone’s been buzzing about the new Slow’s Bar-B-Q, one of the newest additions to the Downtown Market and the second location for the Detroit-based chain. I love good ribs and brisket as much as the next red-blooded Michigan girl, so I grabbed my barbecue-loving boyfriend and headed down to the market to see what the fuss was about.
Enjoy San Chez' seasonal cocktail, the Limonana. Made with 1¼ oz. lemongrass gin, 1¼ oz. fresh honeydew melon juice and ¾ oz. Cointreau and paired with a piece of Serrano ham anchored with a grape — it's the perfect sweet and salty drink.
