Vikre Distillery.

Vikre is easily one of my favorite distilleries in Minnesota. Between their incredible botanical spirits and wildly creative cocktail program, they've carved out something truly special in Duluth.

Now, I'm going to say something potentially controversial: skip the whiskey.

I toured Vikre back in their early days, and I remember how excited they were about becoming a serious whiskey distillery. And while I appreciate the ambition, their whiskeys have just never done it for me.

But their gin? Oh, their gin. Vikre makes some of my favorite cocktail gins anywhere, particularly their Boreal expressions. It's like someone took an entire Minnesota pine forest, stuffed it into a bottle, and said, "Here, make something delicious with this."

And delicious it is.

Their gin brings this beautiful, woodsy, botanical complexity to cocktails that takes an otherwise ordinary drink somewhere entirely new. It's unmistakably Minnesota, and I love it.

But the gin is only the beginning.

Their Chartreuse-inspired herbal liqueur is fantastic, and their rhubarb-forward aperitivo is one of those secret weapons every home bartender should have tucked away. Think of it like St-Germain—a little splash of something that suddenly makes everything more interesting. Sweet, tart, complex, and ridiculously versatile.

For someone who loves experimenting with cocktails, Vikre's spirits are an absolute playground.

And speaking of playgrounds, their tasting room might be one of the most creative cocktail experiences in the state.

Every season brings a completely new menu, and I don't just mean new drinks. I mean an entirely new concept.

One season, the cocktail menu was literally a board game, with different drinks scattered across the board. Another time, it was packaged like an old-school CD, complete with a jewel case and liner notes listing the cocktails.

Who does that?!

And the best part? The drinks actually live up to the presentation.

Vikre's bartenders aren't afraid to get weird. Passion fruit foams, unexpected house-made ingredients, wild flavor combinations—it's all fair game.

I once had a pitch-black squid ink gin sour that completely messed with my senses in the most wonderful way. Your brain sees this dark, mysterious liquid, but your taste buds get something bright, botanical, and delicious. It's the kind of cocktail that makes you stop mid-sip, laugh a little, and immediately want to know how they pulled it off.

That's what I love about Vikre. They're playful without sacrificing quality. Their cocktails can be completely over the top, but somehow the flavors still work beautifully.

I'm in Duluth pretty regularly for work, and Vikre has become one of my favorite stops. Every visit brings something different, and I almost always leave with a smile on my face.

If you're passing through Duluth and appreciate a great cocktail, make time for Vikre. Try something strange. Trust the bartenders. And don't be surprised if you leave with a bottle or two.

Just make sure one of them is gin.