Good news: bars and restaurants all across Milwaukee are teaming up to give us cocktails next week. Thanks to MKE Cocktail Week – taking place Monday, Sept. 26 through Sunday, Oct. 2 – you can wet your whistle with special, one-of-a-kind beverages all around the city.
More than a dozen headliner or events will take place throughout the special week, giving you plenty of things to check out – and, of course, tasty drinks to imbibe. And with the event coming right around the corner starting next Monday, you should probably start planning what delectable drinks and entertaining events you'll want to check out. Here’s a breakdown of all the events and locations:
Special menus
Throughout the week, you can head out to several bars and restaurants throughout the city to check out MKE Cocktail Week specialty cocktails, one-week-only drinks that each feature a spirit of a single distillery. The special cocktail menu is available at any time, and some restaurants will even have food and cocktail pairing menus for you to check out. No matter where you are, what your budget is or how much time you have, you will have a chance to enjoy a specialty cocktail this week, so be sure to check it out.
Here is a list of the participating businesses:
milwaukeecocktailweek.com/special-menus.html
Cocktail dinners
Another aspect of MKE Cocktail week you don't want to miss are three different cocktail dinners. Each dinner features five paired courses plus a reception sparkling. Here are the three restaurants hosting these special dinners:
Bacchus: Stop here on Tuesday, Sept. 27 for a Glenmorangie Scotch dinner. The reception starts at 6:30 p.m., and plates hit the table at 7 p.m. The meal costs $85 a person. If you are interested, make your reservation and see the menu here: tockify.com/milwaukeecocktailweek/detail/19/1475019000000
Goodkind: The Get Low cocktail dinner takes place Wednesday, Sept. 28, featuring low-ABV cocktails. The reception starts at 6:30 p.m., and plates will be served starting at 7 p.m. It’s $100 a person – and very popular – so reserve your spot here: tockify.com/milwaukeecocktailweek/detail/15/1475105400000
DanDan: This "Straying from the path" dinner will be an unique take on cocktail dinner, featuring Prohibition-era food with a modern twist served along with spirits from Milwaukee’s own Twisted Path Distillery. The special meal costs $100 and begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m. before the plates arrive to the table at 7 p.m. Reserve your spot for the first ever cocktail dinner at DanDan here:
tockify.com/milwaukeecocktailweek/detail/20/1475191800000
Nightly events
Every night during MKE Cocktail Week, nightly headliner events and themes will be scattered across Milwaukee, giving you a chance to explore the city (with a tasty drink in hand). Check out what’s happening each night:
Monday, Sept. 26: MKE Cocktail Week special menus will start on this day. You can kick off the week's celebrations by joining the party at Rogues Gallery.
Tuesday, Sept. 27: Tuesday is tiki night, so enjoy as bars and restaurants across the city take on tiki drinks. A special happy hour will take place from 4 to 7 p.m., with four bars – Bryant's, Lucky Joe's Alchemy & Eatery, The Kimpton Journeyman Hotel and Lost Valley Cider Co. – featuring a different spirit from a distillery. You could enjoy the rooftop at The Outsider to start your evening out right!
The main event of the night, however, is a tiki takeover at Wolf Peach by Lost Lake, starting at 8 p.m. Lost Lake, one of the best cocktail bars in the country, is coming from Chicago to show you its take on tiki.
Wednesday, Sept. 28: Come out to Milwaukee’s oldest cocktail bar, Bryant's, to satisfy your sweet tooth and sample the five different famous ice cream cocktails they have to offer.
Thursday, Sept. 29: It’s margarita night! Head to one of the many special locations to sample the bars and restaurants' different takes on the classic Margarita. Also, you can attend the headliner event for the night, "Meet the Wisconsin Distillers," featuring distillers gathering at the Rumpus Room to give you samples of their spirits to try – all for free – starting at 4 p.m. You can wrap up the whole night by heading to Boone & Crockett for its "Grapes of Wrath" event, where, starting at 8 p.m., you can try out grape-themed booze, eat tacos and knock back some tasty tequila.
Friday, Sept. 30: It’s rye day, so try cocktails around town featuring Rye whiskey. Each bar will feature a different concoction. During Happy Hour, you can head to Stack’d Burger Bar to build your own Old Fashioned. You can choose from a selection of spirits, syrups, bitters and even flavored ice cubes to make it your own special version of an old classic.
Saturday, Oct. 1: Explore the city and check out all the venues to see the special menus around town. During the night, you can hit up the Tap Takeover and Record Release party at Company Brewing, featuring specialty cocktails and local music wrapped up into one good night.
Sunday, Oct. 2: After six days of delectable drinking, some rest and recover will likely be on the menu for the last day of MKE Cocktail Week. But why not drink a little too while resting and recovering, as you can check out all the featured hangover brunch spots and drink more with the brunch cocktail menus.
Then, in the afternoon, check out Vanguard for a Southern Fried BBQ, featuring chicken, ribs and backyard-style cocktails. Close the whole week with a night with Tanqueray, which is a bartending contest with $1,000 in prizes. See the full details and how to enter here: tockify.com/milwaukeecocktailweek/detail/29/1475458200000
For more information on MKE Cocktail Week, check out the website here. But most importantly, get ready for seven days of delightful drinking.
