[HOT LIST] Cocktails

Dave Kwiatkowski of the Sugar House. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

It goes without saying that the BEST best places in metro Detroit to get a craft cocktail are Roast, the Oakland, and the Sugar House (which was just named one of the best bars in America by Playboy). But as the trend has grown over the last couple of years - so much so that Michigan Radio recently took notice and ran a state-wide poll looking for Michigan's best craft cocktail bar, and Michigan State University has their own Artisan Distilling Program (the Master Distiller of Death's Door is a graduate of this program) - an ever-increasing number of bars and restaurants are getting with the craft cocktail program. And not in the half-assed way they did before (changing the name of their martini menu to "craft cocktails," yet keeping all the same candy-flavored vodka drinks) - this time it's in earnest. Top-shelf spirits (think bourbons, gins, and boutique liqueurs), fresh-squeezed juices, and house-made bitters and infusions separate the men from the martinis. What a difference two years make, eh? These are some of the best places to get some (aside from Roast, the Oakland, and the Sugar House, of course).

#1 Pizzeria Biga Royal Oak, Southfield, Ann Arbor (opening soon)
Pizza and craft cocktails? Absolutely, when the pizza in question is made by James Beard award-nominated chef Luciano del Signore (along with house-made charcuterie) and the cocktails by some of the best local bartenders in the business. Biga's beverage program in general is a thing of excellence, with proper dues given to its Italian inspiration in its selection of Italian beers, wines, and liqueurs. They also have a great selection of craft beers and have recently started hosting beer dinners. As for cocktails, they have a full selection of classic craft cocktails as well as some of their own creations.

Red Crown. 

#2 Red Crown Grosse Pointe Park
Turns out, Grosse Pointers are a bunch of booze-hounds. (This probably surprises no one who is familiar with Grosse Pointers and their lifestyles.) Mixologist Thomas Phillips, a self-described liquor nerd, leads the bar's cocktail program, which includes a mix of classic cocktails and his own creations, which he changes seasonally. The renovated historic gas station in Grosse Pointe Park opened earlier this year and was an instant hit with the community that has been woefully underserved in their demand for drink. This summer, enjoy their expansive, beautifully-landscaped patio with a cold cocktail and some smoked meat and Southern-style comfort food.

#3 The Last Word Ann Arbor
The Last Word takes its name from the classic cocktail of the same name, which is fitting for this Prohibition-era craft cocktail bar. This place is all about the booze, and be sure to shop in for Whiskey Wednesdays when they serve Scotch (SCOTCH SCOTCH SCOTCHY SCOTCH), bourbon and rye half-off. It's a classy joint in a college town, and their cocktails are on point.

#4 Bailout Productions Detroit
We all know that Roast is one of the best places to go for a craft cocktail, and that's because of the talent behind the bar. Bailout Productions has its roots in Roast, where founders Travis Fourmont (who now works at Great Lakes Wine and Spirits) and Joe Robinson (still holding down the happy hour fort) both worked. They now team up for pop-up bar events at places like Green Dot Stables and the currently-uninhabited Rhino Club in Harmonie Park, and bring their full cocktailing skills along with some friends – like chef Andy Hollyday, who recently left his post at Roast to work on opening his own restaurant in Midtown. They've got more events planned for this summer, so be sure to follow them on Facebook for updates on their upcoming pop-ups.

#5 Sardine Room Plymouth
The much-buzzed-about Sardine Room in Plymouth just celebrated its one-year anniversary earlier this month. Known for their selection of fresh seafood (oysters, the oysters, especially the oysters) and elevated small plates, the Sardine Room also has an excellent selection of craft beer and craft cocktails. What with all of the oysters and the hot sauce and the lobster rolls (basically a lobster po'boy) and the shrimp and grits, the Sardine Room has a vaguely New Orleansean vibe, so it seems only fitting to sip on a Sazerac (the drink that originated in the Big Easy over 150 years ago) while you're here.

Bubbling under Valentine Distillery (Ferndale), Gastronomy (Southfield), Zingerman's Roadhouse (Ann Arbor), St. Cece's Pub (Corktown), Vellum (Ann Arbor), Great Lakes Coffee (Midtown), Union Woodshop (Clarkston), the Raven's Club (Ann Arbor), Imperial (Ferndale), the Bar at 327 Braun Court (Ann Arbor), the Laundry (Fenton), the Root (White Lake), Torino (Ferndale), Lena (Ann Arbor)

[HOT LIST] Plymouth

Photo from the Sardine Room on Facebook.

Plymouth: that mysterious Middle Earth that lies somewhere between Ann Arbor and the rest of greater metro Detroit. For many Plymouth is merely a drive-by city, a place you pass on the way to Ann Arbor and only take note of because of the prominent water tower in plain sight of the freeway. But Plymouth is a fantastic city with a vibrant, bustling downtown filled with independently-owned shops and restaurants, flanked by historic Colonial and Cape Cod-style homes on hilly tree-lined streets. It's quiet and quaint, charming and absolutely adorbs. (There is a reason CNN Money Magazine named it one of the best small towns to live in 2009.)

In addition to being so cute you want to pinch it, the community is also committed to maintaining a rich cultural identity. Home to a variety of events including the Plymouth Ice Festival, the oldest and largest free ice carving festival in North America attracting 400,000 visitors annually, and Art in the Park, Michigan's second-largest art fair held every year in downtown Plymouth's fab Kellogg Park (which just so happens to be this weekend), Plymouth remains something of a best kept secret for the 10,000 or so people who call it home.

Photo from the Sardine Room.

#1 The Sardine Room
The name may be a bit misleading as there really aren't an abundance of sardines in the Sardine Room; just roll with it. (To their credit, they do have a Portuguese sardine snack plate.) The Sardine Room is Plymouth's newest restaurant (from the same people behind Plymouth's Fiamma and Compari's) and is already a huge hit with the locals. It's a raw bar and tapas restaurant  that focuses on shellfish with a smattering of high-end odds-and-ends items (like American Wagyu beef, Loch Duart Scottish salmon and rilettes). Mussels, clams, scallops, shrimp, crab and LOTS of oysters dominate the menu, with a lot of love left over for that most magical of animals, the pig. (Porchetta sliders; pulled pork POUTINE.) They have a nice selection of Michigan and American craft beers plus some fun and funky imports (Cuvee des Jacobins all day every day please), and their Sunday brunch is like a little taste of New Orleans. But the best part of all is their buck-a-shuck happy hour, Monday through Friday 4 to 6 p.m. in the bar. $1 oysters, $2 PBR, $3 shooters, $4 cocktails, and $5 cheese plate.

#2 Zin Wine Bar
With new ownership and an ambitious young chef, Zin Wine Bar is poised to become one of metro Detroit's top dining destinations. Hyper-local, somewhat experimental (pushing the envelope of molecular gastronomy about as much as meat-and-potatoes metro Detroiters can handle, anyway), hyper-seasonal, and ridiculously affordable for what you get, Zin is a win -- right down to the wine and beer list crafted with consultation by beverage whiz kid Joseph Allerton of Roast fame.

#3 Cellar 849
As Michigan's first certified Neapolitan pizza recognized by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) -- the "pizza polizia" -- of Naples, Italy, Cellar 849 adheres to the strict regulations that respect the tradition of true Neapolitan pizza, including a custom wood-burning oven, hand-rolled dough, and fresh, all-natural ingredients. They use some of the highest-quality imported ingredients available, including Fior di Latte mozzarella, Denominazione di Origine Protteta (DOP -- the produce polizia) San Marzano tomatoes, Italian extra virgin olive oil, prosciutto di Parma and Caputo flour. Their Italian-built wood-burning oven is the same as those used at the flashier Pizzeria Biga joints, and the remainder of the menu is just as delightfully Italian, including the (somewhat predictable) wine and beer lists.

#4 5ive Restaurant
5ive, located inside the AAA four-diamond-winning Inn at St. John's overlooking a sprawling 27-hole golf course, offers the full dining experience -- breakfast, lunch and dinner (as restaurants inside hotels usually do), but also custom chef's table menus with wine pairings prepared personally by Executive Chef Jason Stoops. They've also got a beautiful outdoor terrace with fire pits and views of their impeccably landscaped gardens, and plenty of plush lounge seating inside.

Photo from EID.

#5 Plymouth Coffee Bean
Astro it ain't, but what it lacks in post-third-wave coffeehouse appeal it more than makes up for in the adorability factor. Claiming to be Michigan's longest-running independent coffee shop (open since 1993), Plymouth Coffee Bean is housed inside an historic old home. There are multiple different rooms and two spacious tree-shaded patios for lounging and/or lively discussion, with WiFi aplenty. They have a variety of homemade snacks, sandwiches and crepes made to order. In that early-'90s tradition of the coffeehouse-as-iconoclast hub, works from local artists adorn the walls and they regularly host live music, open mic nights, poetry readings and ... *cough* ... "Tweet-ups" (our early '90s forefathers are rolling over in their flannel shirts and Doc Martens). The coffee ... well, you can't win 'em all. They're still stuck in that Starbucksian sense of drowning the taste of stale beans in scalded milk and sugary syrups, but the place has enough character where that can be overlooked in favor of its other fine attributes (an Italian soda or tea works just fine, but if you absolutely must, stop first for coffee at Espresso Elevado nearby which roasts their own).

Bubbling under Liberty Street Brewing Company, Compari's on the Park, Espresso Elevado, The Box Bar, Main Street Pizza, Fiamma Grille, Crawford's Kitchen, Sweet Afton Tea Room, Sean O'Callaghan's