Cocktails here are reliably good. Anyone can find something they like--I highly recommend adding this to your cocktail bar crawl list. read more

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Came for the first time here. I absolutely love it. It is a small, well-decorated place with a nice circular bar in the center. Since it has been a few years since their opening, they now have a small selection of bourbon on shelf for purchase. Their cocktail menu is creative, extensive, and well-crafted. It is not that large of a place, so when it gets crowded, it will be hard to find a seat. Fortunately, I came on a day where my friend and I got a seat at the bar. The bartender was very nice and accommodating. I had the Johnny Cream and old-fashioned. Both were very delicious. I will definitely come back to work my way down their whisky cocktail menu. I had to get a bottle of the J. Riddle Peated Bourbon Whiskey. Great place for good cocktails, good conversation, and relaxation. Will be back soon! read more

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This was another stop on my tour of liquor in Detroit. The guys all ordered Moscow mules again as to compare it to the previous stops. I ordered a different drink. I believe it was called the work wife. It had gin and strawberries topped with foamy egg whites. It was quite delicious and wasn't too strong. The guys said this was the best Mule on the stop. Perfect liquor and perfect amount of ginger. The location was also pretty cool. We didn't get to get a tour of the distillery; however, we did get glimpses from the tasting room. They have a glass wall where you can peek thru the barrels on the wall. It was a great vibe and the wait staff was wonderful. Overall I would return again, and possibly buy some of the liquor made on site. As I knew I would be flying home without a checked bag that was no longer an option. read more

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Came on a Friday night.... Parking: free street parking - had to park a block up. Ambiance: classy crowd! It's a smaller place, so when it gets crowded - can't really drink at the bar. Have to drink on the side. Drinks: a bit pricy ($10-15/drink) but, very very impressed with the quality of the mixed drinks! One of the few places that serves Absinthe the right way! Didn't get a chance to try any of the gin drinks, but I've heard they're excellent as well. You can also buy bottles of their gin, whisky etc. Service: bartenders are awesome! read more

Two James Spirits tour is a great experience and Brian is an excellent tour guide, he is very knowledgeable and extremely personable. My husband and I were so impressed with our first tour that we told all our friends. On our second visit/tour, we brought some of our friends with us and the second was better than the first. Brian recognized us from the first tour and he was so nice, friendly and accommodating. They even provided light yet delicious snacks on this tour inside their restaurant Supergeil. Supergeil is such a lovely resturant with a cool vibe and we now have a very cool place to hang and to bring and impress our out of town visitors. Take the tour, it's amazing!!! read more

such a fun place! kevin, Eric and Adam are so nice ! and very attentive. will def be back! they make great drinks too!

Update: it was 2 years since my last visit and the experience could not be more different than the first. After 4 of us hung out for a couple hours on a mostly dead, rainy evening, someone who was not our server came up before closing. We suspected he'd give us our bill and cash us out. Instead he demanded we tell him what we had! In a joking manner, while still holding an Old Fashioned, I said "oh I only had water". Nope, not the best joke, but his demand to recite our tab threw me off so I tried making light of it. Big mistake, apparently, because he snapped back with "I know it wasn't just water". Oh do you? Why did you just ask me what I ordered then? To make it more fun, he apparently DID have a list of what we ordered, and he argued with us while trying to add drinks to our tab. The entire experience soured my friends and I, and I'm not convinced I'll return after that ridiculousness. Old Fashioned was very good so they get 2 stars read more

As a fan of Whiskey and Bourbon, I was excited to hear about the arrival of Detroit's first distillery since prohibition. I went here with a few friends prior to a show downtown. The bartender was very...let's just say ALOOF. Ok, it wasn't a big night, it was Tuesday. I get it. We're in Corktown, the mecca of all things hipster...but just because I don't fall into that genre, that doesn't make me an invalid customer. Any business in Detroit needs people. So stop being so pretentious and strangely snooty. It's not like we walked in there wearing fanny packs and U of M hoodies. Oh wait, hipsters love "ironic" fanny packs. Maybe that was my mistake? On to the cocktails. Yeah...cocktails. Oh and that gets me to my next rant. One friend orders an Old Fashion. He gets a drink with cherries in it. It's strong, it's tasty enough, but it's surely not an Old Fashion. So this other buddy of mine comes in a minute later and orders a Manhattan. His comes with an orange rind...HM....funny that...cause Old Fashions come with orange rinds! Yep. The aloof Mr. Hipster bartender didn't know the difference and he works at a whiskey distillery. What's more? The PRICES. Sweet jesus. Who pays $44 for Whiskey that isn't TOP NOTCH. Sorry Two James that's far too steep for this one. The place itself is cool, but small. It's saving grace- if any- is the actual place itself. There's a circular bar with some pretty mediocre still-in-art-school-artwork on the walls. Being able to see the distillery through the barrels was pretty cool, though. I'll admit that. Just overall, I think it's inflated sense of self in the staff and in the prices is going to be it's undoing. Next time I'll put on my acid washed jeans and fanny pack and maybe I'll get better service. Oh wait, there won't be a next time. Sugar House, here I come! read more

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Great cocktail spot in the heart of Corktown! Spirits galore in an industrial-looking production house with art from local artists on the walls. The circular bar in the center of Two James is a great spot to interact with others and pick the brains of the employees/other patrons. Our bartender Jonathan was more than welcoming, offering outstanding conversation and drink recommendations. Very entertaining and a great host all around. Would absolutely recommend a visit to this place (especially for the Nain Rouge absinthe drip). read more

I was visiting Astro Coffee, and parked in front of what appeared to be an abandoned building. After finishing my macchiato I returned to my car only to see people leaving a somewhat nondescript door beneath an unlit sign that said Two James. Sufficiently curious, my friends and I entered and were pleasantly surprised to realize we stumbled upon the tasting room of a local distillery. In addition to distilling and distributing, Two James, which claims to be the first distillery to open in the area since the prohibition, I was offered a sample in the form of a cocktail. The drinks were top of the line, the service was pleasant and skilful, and the antique cocktail glasses added an appropriately classy touch. 10/10, would drink there again read more

Two James Spirits - Distilleries Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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This place is cool, but kind of hectic. It basically consists of one large circular bar, and then a few tables on the side. But it's definitely sort of intense - bartenders running around this big circle. It can be hard to get their attention. The lighting in here is a bit brighter than it should be for a bar/distillery, in my opinion. I think if it was more dimly lit it would have a lot more atmosphere. I went with a three-liquor flight consisting of their Grass Widow bourbon, their unaged rye (it's clear), and their Smoking Gun blended whisky. It came with some carbonated grapefruit juice to cleanse the pallet. The Grass Widow was the best of these, a woody boubon. I wasn't a fan of the unaged rye; it just doesn't taste like whiskey to me. The Smoking Gun was indeed very smoky, but pretty good as long as you don't mind that. I would come here again for sure, but I'd try to make sure it wasn't during peak hours. read more

Two James Spirits - Distilleries Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

My favorite bar in Detroit! The drinks constantly change and the bartenders are the best in the city. Cocktails are usually $10-$12, and they never disappoint. I believe if you buy 6 bottles of their spirits in the tasting room, there is a 10% discount. My husband and I love this bar so much we got some of our engagement photos done here 4 years ago. read more

Might be hard to spot to find - but it's well worth looking for! Now, as previous reviewers have pointed out, this isn't a place to go if you're in a hurry, but it can be a really wonderful spot to hang out and sip your night away. I've been a few times now, sitting at the bar and having standing room only. It says "Tasting Room" and that's exactly what it is - a tasting room. That happens to have some great ingredients to mix their liquors with. It's not a restaurant, it's not even a full on bar (no jager here folks), it's a tasting room. So I guess, for me, it was terribly off putting that it was fairly lightly staffed and you might have to wait a bit for your drink if it's busy. That said, we've always had lovely bartenders who have helped recommend drinks and responded to us promptly and cheerfully. The atmosphere, especially for a 'tasting room', is really cool. The large circular bar in the middle of the room, creates a situation where you sort of feel like you're at a tasting event with 30 of your closest friends. The lighting, bourbon barrels and reclaimed wood features make it a great place to hang out. The liquor... well, I've only had it mixed with other lovely ingredients, but I've enjoyed every drink. I personally am more a gin than a whiskey fan, but my husband has enjoyed the whiskey drinks, so by proxy I'll give those a thumbs up as well. I will be back here time and time again, guaranteed. If you're looking for a unique tasting room experience, this spot is awesome. read more

Two James Spirits - They open the garage door on nice nights! - Distilleries Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Two James is Detroit's first distillery since prohibition. All of their spirits are distilled in house including their Catcher's Rye whiskey, Barrel Reserve Cockney gin, and Naine Rouge absinthe and more. Sample a flight or one of their hand crafted cocktails. We came at the end of summer. It was warm so the entire front portion of the bar was open and airy. The bar is a large circle with 360 seating around the bar. There is no additional seating in the facility. We snagged a couple seats at the bar on a Friday night but it got much busier as the night ensued. Cool atmosphere with colorful art and spherical lights hanging over the bar and a wall of large wooden barrels. Their cocktail menu is rotating and ever changing for the season. I had the Kiss with a Twist, which had Elderflower liquer, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, berries and kiwi. It was just ok but the next drink I ordered the Bad and Bouzee was awesome! The Bad and Bouzee had their in house made rum, mango juice, lime juice, coconut milk, and fresh muddled ginger...delish!!! They had two barkeeps and all the cocktails were made with fresh ingredients, fresh fruits, and juices. It was fun to watch the bartenders concoct hand crafted cocktails, cutting and muddling fruit, smashing ice with a large hammer and creating delicious drinks as we sat at the bar. The circular bar is also great for people watching. Most cocktails were $8-$10 and a flight of three spirits was $12. Great tasting cocktails with locally made Detroit spirits in the heart of Corktown. I will definitely be back soon and can't wait to see what's new on the menu! read more

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What a great place!! Located in Corktown but a few blocks from the "popular" stuff we were a little curious how the building and location would be. Upon arriving in our Uber car (of course) we noticed the Two James sign in front. What a great piece of art the sign is. It resembles a still and has running\bubbling water (could be booze but doubt it ) incorporated into the art\sign. The sign itself shows how much detail and thought was put into the remodel of the building. Building is old Detroit brick and they did a good job showing that off. We went during the soft opening 9/15 so there was still some minor work to be done in the building. They have a large garage door on the front that can be open on nice days to give an open air feel. There is a large round bar with lots of seats in the middle of the room and a side room that wasn't open yet. The detail inside is stellar. They make their own whiskey, Bourbon, vodka, and gin and the website has more info about the handcrafted process. At this time they don't serve any food. I ordered a Vodka and water and was impressed with the taste of the vodka. It was a smooth, slightly sweet taste with no burn. I had to have some straight up and it was just as good that way. Friends had the whiskey and Gin and had only good things to say about both. When we went they had a limited drink menu but the web shows some great crafted cocktails that they will be serving. The bartenders were extremely nice and discussed the distillation process, thoughts behind the bar, plans for the bar and so on with us. I'm a dedicated vodka drinker and would buy their vodka "28 Island Vodka" for home consumption. Whoop Whoop!! Really excited and hope this turns into another Corktown gem. The potential is definitely there!! It appears that someone takes a lot of pride in their business. We will be back soon.. and often!! read more

The atmosphere of this place was super cool. The area is totally up and coming. My boyfriend and I shared a flight and didn't care for any of their spirits. We had a typical mixed drink off their menu which was delish. It's a great social atmosphere. read more

I'm a HUGE supporter of folks who have faith/big balls or are visionaries enough to open a business in Detroit. Kudos to you Two James Spirits. The reclaimed warehouse space is beautiful, especially the bar in the round effect including the one-of-a-kind punched tin light pendants. The smartly colored walls and framed art gives the large space warmth. The music was spot on creating a lively ambiance for guests. Seating is at a premium around the bar and along the walls. I came in with several friends after dinner at Mercury Burger Bar. Since I don't drink, I can't personally comment on the quality of the drinks although my friends gave them good reviews. My issues, along with those of my seven friends was that service is exceptionally S L O W and disjointed. There were three mixologists behind the bar, two females, one male and the place was at capacity. The women were hammering out drinks, I mean hustling, but they were obviously understaffed and overwhelmed. The male however, was a certified SLOTH. He couldn't get any slower than what he was. Everyone near the bar picked up on that! Women 1- SLOTH 0. Another issue is the complete lack of communication at the front door to patrons entering the distillery. Do you sit down and wait for service? Go to the bar and order? Bluntly- HOW DO YOU ORDER DRINKS!? We finally figured out the system after standing around that we had to order from the bar directly. I repeat: GO directly to the bar and order your drinks then hawk about to secure your seating. We saw plenty of unused space for additional seating. Like I said earlier, Two James was at capacity and many folks were standing around holding their drinks. Especially women in heels. Once we scored seating for seven, no one from Two James cleaned our table nor the surrounding tables when vacated. That was a little unsettling since cold and flu season is upon us with a vengeance. That night, they needed someone FOH (front of house) clearing, wiping tables and checking up on their guests. And one more thing, a one-stall womens restroom is unacceptable. We have tiny bladders! Six women waiting inside the restroom. Standing around. All in agreement. One stall, no bueno as the lucky one tinkles. Awkward. read more

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Very cool place to enjoy a drink. You won't go wrong picking this little gem before hitting the downtown nightlife. We sat down only planning to have one and move on to the next stop, well 3 drinks later we still were drinking there. If we didn't have dinner planes we probably would have stayed longer. My husband and I both said we would for sure return there very soon! The do offer tours daily as well, for those of you interested. read more

Two James Spirits - One just isn't enough! The brandy cherries were out of this world! - Distilleries Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Awesome spot with great service. Happy hour Monday through Thursday and ladies night on Tuesday. Distillery tours on the weekend and Beautiful ambience. Keaton Took good care of us and was very knowledgeable. read more

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Great spot for a chill night out. Nice vibe and super friendly servers! Not in the most central location but definitely worth it

Such a cozy/fun spot. We really enjoyed the cocktails. I've always loved their spirits so it was nice to finally check it out.

A consistent favorite cocktail bar in Detroit. Nice ambiance, with it being in a distillery. The bar is circular in the center, concrete and visually stunning with the lights above. The unique bar design allows for seating around the bartenders, which makes it nice to converse with the mixologists when Two James isn't too busy. But that also leaves for a lot of odd spacing around the rest of the room with scanty seating. Cocktails are well crafted using their own spirits, I'm preferential to their gin based drinks but you can't really go wrong with anyhing you choose. Cocktails constantly change, so it's worth to ask the bartenders for recommendations based on your taste preference. Sometimes there is a food truck outside and you can order there and enjoy your food in Two James with your drink. read more

These drinks are well made and delicious they are also made with house spirits. The drink menu has something for every palette and bartender are really awesome. This is a superb spot for date drinks or afterwork drinks. IG: Flirta2012 read more

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I have to thank some friends that took me to this place the other day. Detroit has so many nice establishments now some new and some old that it will take you months to visit all of them This place is located in Corktown not far from the old Tigers stadium. It is a small place with a round bar. It seats about 12 people but also has some standing room. They do their own distilling here. The bartenders are very knowledgeable and they will pour different items for you to try. Plenty selections to choose from. I went with Moscow Mule and I was not disappointed. Definitely will be coming back. read more

Two James Spirits - Moscow Mule - Distilleries Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

The outside is hard to tell it's a whiskey bar or that it's even open. It still looks like a run down and vacant building from the outside. I thought the door bouncer was a homeless man that might try to ask for money to watch our car on the street. This place has a nicer interior and I like the circle bar shape in the middle. I do like the shades around all of the lights around the bar. There is mostly bar seating. Some counter spaces and a few small tables on the one side of the bar. My bf had the pain killer and my step dad had and loved his Johnny butter gun. Very cool and hip hangout with friends. Not fun if you want a spot to sit for a spell, tough getting a seat in this place at all and be okay with standing. My mom wasn't feeling any of the drinks and I had their Goya ginger beer, burns as usual. Some more seating might be nice, if possible. We might have stayed a bit longer if there was open seating in the time we were there. read more

I visited in the afternoon, so it wasn't very crowded. Great atmosphere, although the music was a bit loud for my taste. We sampled four of their spirits: 28 Island Vodka, Nain Rouge Absinthe Verte, Catcher's Rye, and Grass Widow Bourbon. Since we typically do flights in breweries rather than distilleries, this was a new experience for me. It was interesting to sip the various spirits. In hindsight, I should have taken their tour so that I could learn more about what I was drinking. Overall it was a good experience. read more

Great spot for a cocktail on the west side of Corktown! I really like their old fashions, but the widows peak is a close runner up. The place is small which makes it hard for groups but the lighting and set up make it more intimate for a night cap. I really like their circular bar setup and the outside has a classic unique look to it. Really great spot to end your night or kick it off! read more

Two James Spirits - Old Fashion - Distilleries Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Because of my hip friend Carolyn we ended up here. I would have never thought to come in here from looking at the exterior. There is a private lot in the back with a security guy. The place itself is very modern and hip with the barrels on the side. The bar is the centerpiece of the entire place with bar stools surround the bartenders doing their business. There is some group seating off to the side but barely enough if this place picks up. The decor is so fancy. They have these really cool lights that we were contemplating getting for our own apartments. Brightly lit place. The menu is so fancy too. Something for everyone and they fill our drink to the brim. Bathrooms in the back. Fancy too. One stall and a giant fancy sink that looks like it belongs in a spa. Prob could have cut back on the fancy and fit another stall in there. I definitely want to come back. read more

Yes, please! I love this place. It's so great having a distillery in the neighborhood not to mention one of the best around. Check out the Two James Smoking Gun. Comes with a shot of broth from Jonny Noodle King. Also the flights are pretty spectacular too. read more

First of all, we had a very sweet waitress and great service. My two james sour was yummy and strong. One of my friends ordered a cucumber drink that was to die for but can't remember the name. The bar is decorated really cool, too. It is a must see in Detroit. read more

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My first experience at Two James was very unpleasant as I communicated in my previous review. But hats off to the management at Two James who exercised superb customer service in response to my experience. Not only did I receive an apologetic reply through Yelp, I was also sent a gift card with a handwritten note for complimentary drinks at a future visit as well as an offer for a free tour of the distillery with my guests. I declined the free tour but several months later my husband and I returned to Two James for drinks. We were warmly greeted and our drinks were excellent. Catcher's Rye remains a personal favorite for me. I now have a positive impression of the distillery. read more

The bartenders are friendly and the drinks DELICIOUS. Ginny was a friend of mine, is one of my favorites. It's dangerous lol. read more

Two James Spirits - My third Ginny was a friend of mine. - Distilleries Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Do the distillery tours they are engaging and you get to taste their liquor in every stage of the process and then get to try a lot of their products at the end. They have a gorgeous space with a round bar and all of their drinks are well made. read more

This place, this cocktail bar has probably the best cocktails I had for a long time, the place is lovely and the music was really good ! nice staff very helpful. The place is very clean ! I had a cucomber gin and vodka, very refreshing and super nice ! read more

Two James Spirits - Distilleries Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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Picture perfect drinks that are also delicious. Could spend hours here trying new drinks. Love the atmosphere but on busy nights can be hard to get a seat. The bees knees was so good. They had lavender infused liquor which won my heart. Will be back again and again and again. One drink everyone knows the rules. Overall score 4.8 read more

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Great tasting bar with a different feel than your usual. There was a dj with turn tables and the drinks were unique. Tried a sangre drink with amazing fresh muddled fruits bursting. Really delicious and bartenders are very knowledgeable. Could have used a few snacks on the menu or even some chips and wanted to try their mezcal but there wasn't any yet. Have to wait for their barrels to be ready read more

Two James Spirits - Distilleries Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

This place is super hip - great layout and great craft drinks. Absolutely loved the decor and the vibe. The type of place you wish there was more of. 2 drawbacks for me on my first visit. 1) absolutely no food. I get you don't have a license for a kitchen - but nuts, chips, something if we are going to toss a few back. 2) the mule doesn't come in a copper cup. read more

Two James Spirits - Backside to the entrance , really cool restored brick building - Distilleries Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Two James is such a cool place to take anyone from Out of town. The distillery sits in the center of corktown, which in my opinion is the cocktail central of Detroit. The distillery itself is pretty blocked off and can only be viewed by tours which was a little disappointing. The staff was great and very knowledgeable. The drinks were yummy, but very very pricey which is expected with modern day craft cocktails. I really enjoyed most of their spirits, especially the gin and the absinthe. The reason I am giving this place a 3 star is the price of the bottles. I understand they are craft spirits but the prices are absurd especially for young aged whiskey. But if you want to show your friend a really cool Detroit experience I would recommend going here but maybe sneak in a flask so your bill isn't so high. read more

We stopped by Two James midday on a Saturday for a distillery tour as a stop on my friend's bachelor party. The Distillery has plenty of seats around a bar to order cocktails while you wait for the tour to start. The tour lasted about 1 hour and cost $15 per person. The tour itself is less of a tour and more of a tasting, but we did get to see some of the fermentation process, which was really neat. Our tour guide explained the history of the distillery and provided some insight into the distillation process which was easy to understand for those of us that knew very little to start with. At the end of the tour, we sampled 11 spirits (vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, and absinthe). This was definitely the highlight of the tour, and we were provided some background regarding each spirit. By the end of the samples, everyone in our group was definitely feeling the alcohol and everyone agreed that it was an excellent experience! read more

The indoor space is awesome. It open and a great space for tasting. They have some serious spirits here! The mezcal is a must. It smokey and tastes great with the salt and fried meal worms. Sounds crazy but is awesome. It does take a bit of you are getting a craft cocktail. There is free parking outside on the street. Bring a snack though, they really should have some kind of munchie for tasting! read more

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