Summer in Detroit is signaled by boats on the river, the packed beaches of Belle Isle, fresh produce at Eastern Market, and busy restaurant and bar patios filled with great food, drinks, and music. Here are some outdoor spots offering light and refreshing cocktails that will help you forget about the heat for a bit.
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15 Spots to Drink Outside in the Detroit Area This Summer
Beat the heat with these refreshing cocktails

Prost Wine Bar & Charcuterie
This contemporary wine bar’s patio is completely shaded by a large awning, umbrellas and living green wall, and its large couches allow you to kick back and relax all summer. Every month features new cocktails — with some available by the can — and you can build your own charcuterie and cheese boards with anything from jamón serrano to blueberry stilton with 14 different accompaniments, from fig and almond cake to cornichons or even dried mangoes. To drink, try a Cheeky Peach cocktail made with Grey Goose Essences White Peach & Rosemary, Thatcher’s Organic Prickly Pear, lemon juice, and topped with Serena red wine.
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Too • Ra • Loo
This Rochester sports bar offers 80 beers on tap, thin-crust pizza, and large sliding doors that open to S Main Street. While you’re people watching and checking out the Italian-influenced menu (including Neapolitan pizzas) sip on a Grey Goose Essence Spritz, made with Grey Goose Essences, soda, and a large fruit garnish.
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Detroit Fish House: Steak and Oyster Bar
The spacious patio is enclosed by gorgeous florals, greenery, and weekend live music, providing the perfect backdrop for a hot summer day. Mule Kicks, a Grey Essence mule with your choice of Grey Goose Essence flavors pairs well with their large seafood, raw bar, and steak offerings like seafood beignets, oysters Rockefeller or your choice of steak cuts with toppings like crab bearnaise or cajun cream sauce.
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Sidecar Slider Bar
Here, there are three concepts under one roof, so there’s something for everyone: the Sidecar Slider Bar, Shift Cocktail Lounge, and Slice Pizza Kitchen all take up space in this Birmingham spot that is known for its late-night (we mean 2 a.m.) offerings. Sidecar Slider Bar serves gourmet burgers, shareable plates, and pub-friendly fare alongside its long draft list and spirits menu that features drinks like the Grey Goose Spritz.
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Bistro Joe's
Inside Papa Joe’s organic market you’ll find Bistro Joe’s, an American bistro with a view of the market or sunroom seating under their yellow awning. Try a Grey Goose Essences Spritz made with your choice of Grey Goose Essences (White Peach & Rosemary, Strawberry & Lemongrass or Watermelon & Basil) topped with soda and a citrus as you dine on dishes made with the market’s fresh ingredients, from raclette-stuffed crab cakes to wild mushroom flatbreads.
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The Rock on 3rd
This rockin’ pub has a jukebox set to classic rock, oldies, Motown, jazz, and blues, and the patio behind the building lined with lush hanging baskets transports you away from the busy downtown of Royal Oak. Order some burgers, sandwiches, wings or ribs with a Third Street Spritz in hand, made with a mix of your choice of Grey Goose Essences, soda, fruit juice and citrus — it’s the perfect accompaniment to catching some sun on the patio.
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O'Tooles Tavern
This Irish-American sports bar is the perfect spot to beat the heat and root for your favorite sports team — their open doors fill downtown with energy the later it gets. The Royal Oak bar offers bar fare like loaded tater tots and baked pretzels, 40 draft beers, and a refreshing Grey Goose Spritz cocktail menu. They’re serving up everything from their Classic Spritz made with Grey Goose vodka to their Strawberry Lemongrass Spritz, Watermelon Basil Spritz, and White Peach Rosemary Spritz made with Grey Goose Essences.
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Pronto!
Open since 1991, this funky, bright-walled cafe is a cornerstone of the LBGTQ community. Pronto offers an ample menu of dishes to try, but the real attraction may be the events calendar, with live performances and after parties on the Pronto Patio. And after some dancing, one of their fun summer cocktails is sure to take the heat off. Try the Summer Splash made with Grey Goose Essences Strawberry & Lemongrass, limoncello, triple sec, cranberry and lime or the Melon Cooler made with Grey Goose Essences Watermelon & Basil, watermelon pucker, sour and lemon lime soda.
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Otus Supply
This Ferndale music venue and eatery offers a large amount of shady seating a few blocks from the busy intersection of Woodward and Nine Mile. Shows are back on at Parliament Room at Otus Supply, with a full summer lineup of bluegrass, folk, and jam bands coming through. But when you’re not catching a set, head out to the patio for some fresh air and a refreshing cocktail. Their summer menu is filled with cocktails like the Tears of the Dragon, a sake-tini made with unfiltered sake, Grey Goose Essences Strawberry & Lemongrass and strawberry syrup, or the Rainmaker made with Watermelon & Basil Grey Goose Essences, Midori, watermelon syrup and lemonade. Otus Supply is also partnered with The Ferndale Patio Project, meaning you can grab a cocktail at Otus and walk around downtown with it.
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Soho
This neighborhood LGBTQ+ bar in Ferndale serves up refreshing drinks — like a Grey Goose Mule made with Grey Goose Essences— along with a weekly line-up of trivia, karaoke, and dance parties, and their food menu is filled with snacks you’ll love once it gets late, from grilled cheese to a fried chicken sandwich and hand cut garlic parmesan french fries.
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Brass Rail Pizza Bar
This restaurant, located just blocks from Comerica Park, offers an airy hangout with a menu featuring clever pizza pies, burgers, and a full bar. Watch the game from one of their many televisions while sipping a Grey Goose Essence Spritz made with your choice of Strawberry & Lemongrass, Watermelon & Basil, or White Peach & Rosemary Grey Goose Essences with soda.
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Cornerstone Barrel House
Known for their whiskey and bourbon offerings, this brick-walled cocktail bar also offers a variety of lighter options, like the vodka-based Grey Goose Essences Spritz. Sit outside in the downtown breeze and order anything from their chopped caprese salad to their salmon BLT.
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Checker Bar
This downtown dive bar staple, which will transport you back to the 80s with collaged fashion ads plastered on the walls and vintage video games not only dishes out one of the best bar burgers around but also offers some of the most unique beverages to keep guests cool on their smaller patio. Weekend slushees and Grey Goose cocktails on draft like the Watermelon Sugar (Grey Goose Essences Watermelon & Basil, triple sec, cranberry juice, lime juice) or Peach Palmer (Grey Goose Essences White Peach & Rosemary, lemonade, iced tea) are a great way to cool down between each juicy bite of the signature Checker Burger, served with potato chips.
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Moose's Martini Pub
Dearborn’s casual corner pub’s patio is filled with large umbrellas offering a shaded escape from bustling Michigan Avenue. Moose’s offers hundreds of specialty martinis and mixed drinks alongside light bar snacks. Order the Peach-Teeny, a mix of Grey Goose Essences White Peach & Rosemary, peach puree, and a splash of lemonade, or the Patio Strawberry Lemonade made with a mix of Grey Goose Essences Strawberry & Lemongrass, strawberry puree, Grand Marnier and lemonade.
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Palmer House Bar & Grill
This Westland bar serves traditional food and drink fare that locals have come to know and love. With its rotating weekly specials, cornhole on the patio, beers in frozen glasses and a cocktail menu filled with Grey Goose Essences, it’s the perfect setting for bar favorites and a great place to hang out late with friends. Try the Goose & Juice with Grey Goose Essences White Peach & Rosemary, lemon juice, honey syrup, orange juice and prosecco as well as the Watermelon Basil Mojito made with Grey Goose Essences Watermelon & Basil, simple syrup, mint, club soda and Sprite.