I had the opportunity to try out the new Norseman Distillery Cocktail Room a few weeks ago for a friend’s birthday.

We had a pretty large party, but were lucky to score one of the couch seating areas due to some intense creeping next to some who were getting ready to leave. Standard.

Service:

I don’t usually start with service, but this was a huge factor in this place not being enjoyable for us. Being a distillery with craft cocktails and limited bartenders, you already expect to wait a little longer than necessary. Unfortunately, they were completely overcrowded for what they were capable of handling. They did attempt to placate their guests and apologize for the wait by handing out a Rum Punch (pictured), which was pretty boozy, (rum and alcohol content…my favorite combination), but that didn’t make up for the fact that we sat for 10 minutes before our server came over, we waited another 20ish minutes for our drinks, and then had to flag our server down to get our checks.

Drinks:

I ordered the Blood + Honey which is made with their vodka, blood orange juice, lime, and honey. It was good and a nice combination of sweet, tart, and boozy.

Looking at their menu I was intrigued to try a few others, like the Penicillin, Harvest Whiskey, Lemon, Ginger, and Honey, and the Alaska, gin, Yellowstone, and Orange Bitters, but again, there was no way we were going to stay longer when we were trying to celebrate a Birthday with a large group.

The prices are similar to many of the craft cocktail bars and drinks are within the $10 range.

Food:

We were warned by the server that the kitchen was extremely backed up, but a  couple in the group still ordered a couple snacks, which they seemed pleased with; the Silver Platter Pizza, which is served with 13 hot sauces and ranch, and churros, served with passion fruit caramel.

Atmosphere:

The decor was a fun mixture of down home and modern. There were a couple nice couch seating areas around a fireplace as well as a range of tables. It was in a warehouse so the ceilings were high and they had some adorable lights strung up off the pipes.

Overall, it was a cute place with a lot of potential. I’d definitely be willing to try it out again, but possibly during a weeknight when they may not be as busy. They do have a little bit more preparation to do to be a well oiled machine.

Norseman Distillery Cocktail Room
451 Taft St. NE #19
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Monday – Thursday: 5PM – 11PM
Friday: 4PM – MIDNIGHT
Saturday: 1PM – MIDNIGHT
Sunday: CLOSED