Cocktail barModern cocktail bar$$$downtownWed-Sun 17:00-24:00 (Fri-Sat to 02:00)
Standby in The Belt alley off Gratiot serves modern cocktails in downtown Detroit since 2015. Order the house cocktail, often barrel-aged. At 225 Gratiot Ave.
Signature drink: House cocktail, often barrel-aged
Food: Composed small plates
Tip: Entry is from The Belt alley; reservations through OpenTable. World's 50 Best Discovery list.
Cocktail barCraft cocktail speakeasy$$$corktownMon-Sun 17:00-02:00
The Sugar House on Michigan Avenue in Corktown serves Prohibition-era craft cocktails in Detroit since 2011. Order the prohibition-era classics.
Signature drink: Prohibition-era classics
Food: Small bites and bar snacks
Tip: Walk-ins Monday through Thursday; Friday and Saturday need reservations. Tin ceiling, old bar.
Cocktail barJazz club and supper room$$$downtownWed-Sat 17:00-24:00, Sun 16:00-22:00
Cliff Bell's on Park Avenue has poured cocktails in Detroit's downtown since 1935. Reopened 2006 by Paul Howard, it is the city's premier live jazz room.
Signature drink: Classic Manhattan
Food: Steak frites and chophouse classics
Tip: Tickets for the band run separately. The dining room is half the room; cocktails at the bar.
Cocktail barJazz club$$$new-centerMon 19:00-23:00, Tue-Fri 16:00-24:00, Sat 18:00-02:00
Baker's Keyboard Lounge on Livernois has poured drinks in Detroit since May 1933 and started booking jazz pianists in 1934, the oldest continuously operating.
Signature drink: Old-fashioned
Food: Soul food kitchen alongside
Tip: Only 99 seats; tilted mirrors let the audience watch the pianist's hands.
Cocktail barDistillery tasting room$$$corktownMon-Thu 12:00-24:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-01:00, Sun 12:00-20:00
Two James Spirits on Michigan Avenue in Corktown is Detroit's first licensed distillery since Prohibition. Order the old cockney gin and tonic.
Signature drink: Old Cockney gin and tonic
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Backyard patio looks at Roosevelt Park and Michigan Central Station. Patio in summer.
Cocktail barBrewery taproom and cocktail bar$$$eastern-marketMon-Wed and Fri 11:00-22:00, Sat 11:00-22:00, Sun 11:00-20:00, closed Thu
Atwater Brewery Tap Room on Joseph Campau in Rivertown has served beer in Detroit since 1997. Located in Eastern Market. Order the atwater dirty blonde lager.
Signature drink: Atwater Dirty Blonde lager
Food: Pub menu
Tip: Atwater Arcade for the bar games. 225 cocktail bar reopens for summer evenings.