Make Quality Cocktails at Home With These Kits From Metro Detroit Bars

Detroit’s many lauded cocktail bars are currently closed for business, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy your favorite drink.

While it’s legal for some businesses with particular licenses to sell sealed containers of beer and wine for takeout and delivery, it remains illegal to sell to-go cocktails in the state of Michigan. That’s a sore point for some bar owners who’d like to see those liquor laws loosened due to the pandemic — as many other states have.

Nevertheless, some restaurants and bars are doing their darndest to bring customers the drinks they love by creating cocktail kits. These kits come in all shapes and sizes. Some are sold as single-serving frozen cubes and others are bottled for transport. A few even include garnish and instructions for mixing. Below, Eater has compiled a guide to the spots selling these beverage kits right now, so patrons can become their own bartenders while staying safe at home.

The vast majority of these kits are sold sans booze; that means customers will have to rely on their own stocks of spirits or visit a liquor store. For that reason, Eater has also included a list of several local distilleries selling bottled spirits to-go. Here’s where to find cocktail kits in metro Detroit right now.

Cocktail Kits

Grey Ghost

This Brush Park restaurant and bar is selling four-serving portions of made-in-house cocktail mixers for $10 each including chamomile-grapefruit tonic water, ginger beer, grapefruit soda, and bloody mary mix. Place orders online for pickup on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.

Castalia

Each week, Castalia in Midtown distributes a new batch of its cocktail cubes — ice cubes made of cocktail mixers frozen into plastic shot cups. The cocktail options change weekly and are available for pickup on Saturdays in batches of 15 cubes for $30 a box. Mix and match or get all of the same variety. The bar also offers cocktail class kits for $10, equipment, and ingredients like bitters for sale in its online shop.

Mabel Gray

Find a rotating selection of cocktail kits from Mabel Gray. The selection changes weekly and ranges from spicy jalapeno syrup and margarita mix with salt to a bottled Hazel Park & Parcel. Prices range from around $12 to $18. Check social media for the latest menus and for instructions on ordering by email.

Imperial

Ferndale taco spot Imperial is selling margarita and Detroit Tart cocktail kits in plastic shakers with instructions for adding spirits and mixing the drink. Each kit is priced around $10.

Bumbo’s Bar

Bumbo’s will soon be releasing a new batch of cocktail mixers. Expect spicy branch cordial and lemongrass limeade with curbside pickup. These mixers are sold by the jar for $10 each. Place orders online for pickup.

Mudgie’s Deli and Wine Shop

Mix your own mimosas at home with the Mudgie’s kit. Each $16 package includes a bottle of cava and orange juice. In the grocery section, customers can also purchase 750 milliliter containers of Mudgie’s bloody mary mix, packs of ginger beer, and tonic water. Order online for curbside pickup. Grocery orders must be placed a day in advance.

Kiesling

Award-winning Milwaukee-Junction cocktail bar Kiesling is accepting orders for cocktail cordial as well as sherry, wine, and vermouth. Each cordial contains enough for 14 drinks and comes with access codes to recipes. Place orders online for curbside pickup.

Bobcat Bonnie’s

Bobcat Bonnie’s in Ferndale and Wyandotte is selling pitchers of sangria as well as beer, wine, and cocktail kits. Choose from options like a berry mojito or a cucumber jalapeno mule. Each kit is $10 and contains enough mixer and garnish for four drinks. Place orders online for curbside pickup.

Berkley Common

Purchase cocktail kits — booze included — from the Berkley Common “Barmacy.” The restaurant is selling cocktail mixers with tiny bottles of booze and ganish for between $16 and $17 each. Each kit is enough for two drinks. There’s also larger format mimosa, bloody mary, and sangria kits available. Check out the shelter-in-place menu and call 248-677-0795 to order curbside carryout or porch delivery.

Chive Kitchen

Chive En Casa’s online shop features the restaurant’s mildly spiced bloody mary mix for $8 a quart. Orders must be placed 24 hours in advance of pickup.

Motor City Gas

In addition to making hand sanitizer, Royal Oak distillery Motor City Gas is accepting weekly orders for a rotating selection of cocktail kits including whiskey sour kits. Email MotorCityGas@gmail.com to pre-order.

Where to Buy Spirits

As previously mentioned, according to Michigan law it’s illegal to sell pre-mixed, to-go cocktails. This means that if you don’t already have a well-stocked home bar, you may be forced to visit a liquor store. A handful of local distilleries are still selling bottles direct for curbside pickup. Here’s where to find some local booze for your mixers and maybe some hand sanitizer, too. Just, for the love of god, please do not confuse bottles filled with hand sanitizer for actual booze.

Detroit City Distillery

In addition to distributing hand sanitizer, Detroit City Distillery is doing some limited online bottle sales for curbside pickup. Customers can find whiskey, rye, bourbon, vodka, and gin all right here.

Two James Distillery

Two James Spirits remains open from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday for sales of hand sanitizer and booze. Find mezcal, whiskey, bourbon, rum, gin, and more at this Corktown shop.

Griffin Claw Brewing Company

Birmingham-based brewery and distillery Griffin Claw is selling beer, spirits, and hand sanitizer for curbside pickup. Call 248-712-4050 or order online. The distillery sells rum, whiskey, bourbon, vodka, gin, and even Polish honey-flavored krupnik.

• Where to Find Beer and Wine for Carryout and Delivery in Metro Detroit [ED]
• Michigan Bar Owners and Distillers Petition the State to Allow Sales of To-Go Cocktails [ED]
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• All Bars Coverage [ED]