Easily the best way to begin your journey into local spirits is by visiting your local distilleries. While some distillery tours have been put on hold and bars and tasting rooms remain closed due to safety protocols, many have shifted their retail models to focus on spirit and bottled cocktail pick-up.
Be sure to check out our favorite cocktail kits from area bars & restaurants as well as our list of unexpected places to find home bartending inspiration! As always, Top Note Tonic reminds you to please drink responsibly.
Aggressively Friendly bottled cocktail from Twisted Path Distillery (12oz): white rum, lavender, rosemary, Top Note Grapefruit, lime acid, falernum bitters (Image credit: Twisted Path Distillery)
Twisted Path Distillery, Milwaukee, WI
Along with a lineup of classic distilled spirits, Twisted Path’s tasting room consistently rocks our world with some seriously unique cocktails which they’re currently serving up from a convenient walk-up window. Bonus: pick up Top Note your mixers while you’re there! They’ve got our signature 4-packs plus a few of the elusive 750ml bottles rarely seen in the wild.
Dark Cherry Hot Cocoa (serves 4+): Hay & Sunshine Whiskey, Dark Cherry Cocoa Mix, Fabbri Cherries, Vikre Honor Brand Whiskey Cherry Chocolate Gourmet Marshmallows from The Minnesota Marshmallow (Image credit: Vikre Distillery)
Vikre Distillery, Duluth, MN
With a seasonally-rotating menu of bottled cocktails, Vikre’s got something for everyone. They’ve also got hand sanitizer, fun stuff like s’mores kits and snack trays, and some of the coolest merch we’ve seen, so trust us when we tell you that you’re going to want to load up that online shopping cart with one of everything!
Milwaukee Mule (serves 6): Rehorst Vodka, Top Note Ginger Beer; Gin & Tonic (serves 6): Rehorst Gin, Top Note Classic Tonic (Image credit: Great Lakes Distillery)
Great Lakes Distillery, Milwaukee, WI
Wisconsin’s first post-Prohibition distillery has made a name for itself with an ever-expanding lineup of both classic and creative spirits. Pick up a no-fuss cocktail kit for easy sipping or assemble your own creative recipes at home with some of their unique spirits and liqueurs.