Northeast’s Incoming Earl Giles Distillery Hosts a Preview Pop-Up in North Loop

Northeast Minneapolis’s hotly anticipated Earl Giles Distillery will preview its lineup of liquid wares and sparkly, sustainable fruit garnishes with an inaugural pop-up on Thursday, August 19, at North Loop’s upscale sports bar Thr3 Jack.

Co-owner Jesse Held will take over the bar from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. to show off what Earl Giles Distillery has in store upon its January 2022 debut, which includes cocktails, elixirs, syrups, citrates, and disco citrus.

What’s disco citrus? It’s dehydrated fruit rounds that are hit with copious amounts of edible glitter to create a playful garnish reminiscent of a nostalgic arts-and-craft project. Disco citrus is more than a shimmery accessory, though; it is an intentional decision to utilize every aspect of the fruit — not solely the juice and chucking the rest — as part of Earl Giles’ move toward total sustainability and its overall unconventional approach to the classic cocktail movement.

Specialty cocktails and a collaboration cocktail with Thr3 Jack will be available for $10 each (729 N. Washington Avenue).

Earl Giles/official photo

The distillery itself will soon be housed within a massive historic warehouse — or as Held refers to it, “16,000 square feet of magic” — in the heart of Northeast Minneapolis. Exterior construction is just about 85-percent done and workers are beginning to move renovations inside soon.

Held hopes to break assumptions surrounding the word “distillery,” as Earl Giles Distillery will be much more than a production facility. The versatile setup, which will also house a bar, fast-casual counter-service pizza joint, and event space, is designed to welcome drinkers, nondrinkers, and families alike.