A Look Inside Duluth’s Top Destination for Fantastic Cocktails

Vikre Distillery at the base of Duluth’s iconic Aerial Lift Bridge gave its cocktail room a makeover this summer, adding seats and comfort to this popular spot to drink. The added space, variety, and one epic snack are all built to lure the city’s visitors during its famously short summer season.

Initially, Emily and Joel Vikre opened the distillery with a variety of gins that quickly began converting sworn gin haters while simultaneously pleasing gin lovers. The bottles play up spruce, juniper and cedar flavor respectively. The now-expanded product line includes aquavit, hand-blended whiskey, vodka, sugarbush whiskey, single malt, and more. This summer also saw the launch of a canned cocktail twist on the French 75, called Frenchie that’s available in metro area liquor stores.

Refreshing the cocktail room meant moving the bar, that was the first thing you saw when you walked in, upstairs and in the back. That means when walking in on a busy night, the first thing to greet a drinker, isn’t a big line. Upstairs, it’s easy to saunter in, scope the room, and find a place to perch in the plush chairs. More seats were added by taking out office space on the upper level.

In addition to the array of cocktails on the menu, the cocktail room has added on particularly epic snack plate. It’s a board that includes salmon from nearby Northern Waters Smokehaus, salami, beet pickles, sweet spiced nuts, blue cheese ball with caraway brittle, dill butter, goat cheese, and rye crackers.

Vikre’s cocktail room is open all summer long in Canal Park seven days a week.

John Yuccas/Eater Twin Cities