Minneapolis Cocktail Bars & Restaurants

So one of my bucket list items (albeit an unoriginal one) is to see the Detroit Tigers play in as many other cities as possible. This past weekend, I knocked Minneapolis off the list. Our hotel was right by Target Field and we were surrounded by a myriad of dining, drinking and shopping options. But you're not here to read about the stores, stadiums or the phenomenal vintage Quebec Nordiques shirt I found, so let's get to the bars in order of attendance.

Minneapolis Cocktail Bars & Restaurants

Bradstreet Crafthouse Restaurant

Our first stop after arriving on Thursday was Bradstreet Crafthouse, located in the Graves|601 hotel. I was excited to try this place based on a strong cocktail menu and some delicious sounding sliders. They offer a happy hour menu with 3 slider and drink options and we jumped all over the sliders. First up were the chicken & waffles sliders. They are normally $6 each but during happy hour you get 2 of them for $6.01... yes please! 

Chicken & Waffle Sliders and Sazerac at Bradstreet

Along with the sliders I ordered a Sazerac, followed by a pour of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. At most new bars, I'll order a Sazerac or Old Fashioned as I feel they are a good measuring stick. If you can't get a good one of these at the bar, you probably can't get much else worth your time. The Sazerac at Bradstreet definitely passed the test. The only reason I didn't order another cocktail was because I'd never had the EC Barrel and it was priced at a reasonable $12 on their extensive liquor list. 

Great service, atmosphere, food and drinks... this place was going to be tough to beat. Sadly we couldn't stay past our 2nd drink as we had a dinner reservation to get to. But we liked it so much that we decided to make it our pre-game stop on Friday. 

Day 2 cocktails at Bradstreet including an appetizer cocktail in
the middle (free experimental sample from bartender)

Bradstreet sliders - Mango BBQ Pulled Pork on the ends and
Philly Cheese Steak in the center

Butcher & the Boar

Dinner on night one was at Butcher & the Boar, which got plenty of rave reviews online and from every source I checked. But the reason this restaurant initially caught my eye was because of their extensive drink menu. They even had Vintage 17 on the menu, although they were all out of it during our visit. After that minor heartbreak, I gathered myself and started the meal off with some Four Roses Single Barrel. As per usual, it was great but the real treat here was the food. And by "real treat" I mean "abso-freaking-lutely delicious" food. I could eat here every day and die a happy man... I'd probably die in about 5 years from a massive coronary, but I'd go with a smile on my face and a belly full of meat & whiskey. Plus there would be the added bonus of people being able to say that I "died doing what I love".

Before I continue to gush about the food here, I'll get to the cocktail I ordered. The old fashioned was really good. It featured their exclusive bottling of Single Barrel Knob Creek (120 proof) but the use of simple syrup AND brown sugar really cooled the burn and made the drink a little sweeter than the typical old fashioned. It was a great follow-up to our meal and I would definitely order it again. 

Beef link, smoked long rib and red hot brussels sprouts

The baked Alaska dessert looked so good we had to
get a bite before taking the picture

As for the meal, we ordered the Texas beef link and the smoked beef long rib (as recommended by the bartender at Bradstreet). Neither of these disappointed. The beef link was tasty and had a good bit of spice to it, while the long rib was tender and melty with a delicious tabasco-molasses bbq sauce. I was sad and disappointed in myself that I couldn't finish the whole thing or box it up to take home. On the side we had mashed potatoes and the red hot brussels sprouts which get my vote for the coveted, imaginary, Best Brussels Sprouts in the World award. For dessert we split the baked Alaska, which fell in line with the rest of the meal and could be classified as amazing. Smoked meringue with bourbon caramel ice cream... how can anyone say no to that?? 

This place is a MUST for any non-vegetarian. In fact, it may be one of the driving factors behind another visit to Minneapolis. Though I didn't have room for a second cocktail, I can't imagine coming to this place just for drinks when they have so much to offer on the menu. Maybe next time I'll grab a couple cocktails before ordering the food.

Icehouse

Bloody Homer at Icehouse

Stop 3 on the trip was Icehouse, which earned our attendance on Saturday morning due to their delightful looking Bloody Homer (bloody mary with donut and bacon garnish, served in a Duff Beer glass). As for cocktails, this place didn't get a fair shake since we were there before noon and stuck to the brunch menu. Hence, we'll keep this review brief.

The Bloody Homer wasn't for me as I don't like Bloody Mary's in general. I'm told it was pretty good once a fair portion of heat was added to the drink. We ordered the brisket hash and the pastrami & egg sandwich. Both huge portions and delicious food. Overall this deserves another look for their cocktails but if you want a tasty brunch, you won't leave the Icehouse disappointed.

Brisket Hash

Pastrami & Egg Sandwich

Marvel Bar

Marvel Bar logo on napkin

Marvel Bar got the call for our Saturday pre-game drinks. This included an unintential stop at The Bachelor Farmer (located in same building) and awkwardly asking "is this Marvel?" We got a pleasant reply pointing us in the right direction and mentioning a doorman who wasn't present the first time we walked by. I got the feeling the Bachelor Farmer staff got asked this a lot, and was somewhat tired of pointing business in another direction. Nevertheless we finally made it in and had time for a round before walking over to the ballpark.

This place is set up to be a "cool cocktail bar" - dimly lit, plenty of candles, a long bar, eclectic collection of lounge chairs and an outstanding liquor selection. Our drinks were great and Marvel passed the old fashioned leg of my cocktail bar test. My guess is that this place may get a little stuffy and have a line outside on weekend nights, which would lead me towards other locales, but that is merely speculation.

Check out this soap!

And one other fun note... the men's room! I know, who cares, but the setup was pretty cool. Urinals down to the floor with splash guards and little soap handles right next to the sinks. I really shouldn't be this amazed by a men's room but for some reason I was dazzled by the setup, more so than the decor of the actual bar.

Bottom line, if I am in Minneapolis again, Marvel Bar will be included on the agenda (to use the bathroom at the very least, but hopefully for a few rounds).

Eat Street Social

Cocktail at Eat Street Social

Eat Street Social was the final stop on our bar tour and is a restaurant-bar combo. It came recommended by a local Detroit bartender who knows his shit, so I had high hopes. While we didn't get any food, we got plenty of cocktails. Their variation of the old fashioned was delicious and the Manhattan that followed was equally pleasing. The one drink that graded out slightly below average was the Sazerac, but I think this is because they included lemon peel in the glass, which gave it a little more bitterness than I like in my Saz. While I may not have loved my third drink, my date was thrilled with her two rounds. The bartenders were friendly and entertaining which made for an enjoyable night.

I was a little nervous headed here on a Saturday night but we showed up around 10p and grabbed a couple of seats at the bar. There was some noise in the bar but not so much that you couldn't hear each other talk. This place feels like the perfect bar for a date night and I'd love to check out the food on my next visit. And with that, our whirlwind tour of Minny came to a close.


Are there other bars that should be on this list? Did I miss any area favorites that I need to check out? Is there a "top bar" on this list? Yes, probably and not really. There are definitely some others I'll want to view in a next visit to MPLS but knocking out 5 places in what was essentially 3 days was pretty good. As for an overall "winner", I think Butcher & Boar is a MUST for food, while all of the other cocktail bars should get the job done every time. If you are looking for something a little more upscale then Bradstreet and Marvel are probably your best bets, while Eat Street and Icehouse seem like great places for a date or group outing.

Review: Parker's Heritage Collection Cognac Finish

The cognac finished Parker's Heritage Collection bourbon is the 2011 version of this annual bottling. We previously reviewed the 2012 Parker's Blend of Mashbills in this space and figured it was high time to review the 2011 offering. This bourbon uses the Evan Williams Single Barrel mashbill, was aged for 10 years, then aged in cognac barrels for 4-6 months. For a great detailed write-up on this bottle, check out Cigar Aficionado's article.

Parker's Heritage Collection Cognac Finish (2011) - Tasting Notes

Parker's Heritage College - Cognac Finish

Nose: Subtler nose than a typical bourbon, but fairly complex. Rich fruits like plums, grapes/raisins and ripe oranges show themselves at first - likely a direct influence of the cognac finish. After sitting for a while some of the traditional bourbon notes like caramel and maple come out.

Palate: Very sweet, but not sweet like pouring a bag of skittles in your mouth. There are definitely some layers here. Raisins, toffee and syrup with spice (cinnamon and chili) at the end.

Finish: The spice from the palate is prominent at the start then yields to soft, rich sweetness reminiscent of butterscotch, raisins and cocoa. The finish hangs around for quite a while.

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Price: ~$90

I really took some time to review this and was fairly hesitant about writing one at all. At first glance this can come across as a fairly pedestrian bourbon if not given the time to show all of its complexity. The first few pours didn't overly impress me but I could tell there was more to this bottle than I was catching. When I really took my time with a glass and tried to enjoy it from nose to finish it unfolded layer after layer of flavor. This is a really good product from Parker Beam and company that should be enjoyed when you have 30-60 minutes to sit back, relax and sip a superb bourbon.

Parker's Heritage Collection Cognac Finish Rating: 9.3/10

Elijah Craig 18 Year Review

Elijah Craig 18 Year Single Barrel bourbon is a steal at a price of $45 when compared to other bourbons that have been aged for at least a decade. Sadly, it appears that this bottle was discontinued a while ago and may or may not be coming back. In an earlier blind bourbon tasting I compared it Elmer T Lee, with Elmer winning the battle. It had been a while since I tried the EC18 so I though it was worth revisiting to see if it's flavor, or my palate, had changed any. Let's see how it tasted...

Elijah Craig 18 Single Barrel

Elijah Craig 18 Year Old Single Barrel - Tasting Notes

Nose: Prominent oak & leather up front with almonds, citrus, maple and chocolate just below the surface. Everything hiding beneath the leather is what I love in a bourbon.

Palate: Slight spice with sweet maple and candy corn flavor. As it lingers in the mouth, the age shows itself with some oaky, leathery, nutty, almost tannic flavors.

Finish: The sweetness of the palate dissipates quickly as some brief spice and lingering, leathery bitterness take over. There are some heavy char notes along with wood tannins that come on too strongly at the finish.

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Price: ~$45

Barrel info for my Elijah Craig 18-yr

As evidenced by the nearly empty bottle in the photo, I really want to like this bourbon and gave it a lot of chances. I also offered it up to friends to see if they could catch something I wasn't - they didn't. The subtleties of the nose below the leather are outstanding, as is the palate. Unfortunately the finish is just too bitter for me, and the smoke & leather on the nose overpower the other delightful aspects. Keep in mind that since this is a single barrel product it will vary from batch to batch so I may have a different opinion altogether if I had a different barrel/bottle.  I've seen some reviews that rave about this bourbon and don't mention much bitterness so I'm inclined to think I may have gotten a rough barrel or a corked bottle... keep that in mind if you put any weight behind my rating - average nose, great palate, awful finish.

Elijah Craig 18 Year Rating: 7.0/10