Central Standard Crafthouse & Kitchen Officially Kicks Off Milwaukee Rooftop Season with May 12 Sunset Acoustic Set From Local Favorite Joe Wray

To officially launch rooftop season here in Milwaukee, Central Standard Distillery Co-Founders Evan Hughes and Pat McQuillan will host local musician Joe Wray for a special sunset acoustic set on the Central Standard Crafthouse & Kitchen rooftop, 320 E. Clybourn St. in downtown Milwaukee, May 12 from 6-9 p.m.

“While Pat and I love tailgating, lake house and hunting seasons, our No. 1 favorite time of year in Milwaukee is summer rooftop season,” Hughes said. “There is nothing better than gathering good friends, drinking craft cocktails and enjoying live music outdoors on a great rooftop in our city.”

Local legend Joe Wray, a Milwaukee-based acoustic guitarist, will play from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, May 12 as the sun sets over the Crafthouse view of the Milwaukee skyline and Lake Michigan. Attendees can enjoy a wide variety of cocktails from the rooftop bar, such as Central Standard’s Door County Cherry Vodka Mule and North Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned.

“On May 12, we’re launching our first full season of having the rooftop at the Crafthouse & Kitchen,” McQuillan said. “We can’t wait to get folks — cocktails in hand — up on our roof to enjoy the 360-degree views of the city and the lake. It’s truly a unique spot, especially in summer, here in Milwaukee.”

The Midwest’s First Urban Distillery & Restaurant

In August, Hughes and McQuillan opened their Central Standard Crafthouse & Kitchen, the Midwest’s first new urban distillery and restaurant.

The distillery’s new home, complete with a tasting room, tour operation, restaurant, private-events space and rooftop patio, replaced the formerly vacant Wisconsin Leather Building, which was built in 1874 and remains one of the oldest structures in downtown Milwaukee. In addition, the 11,700-square-foot, three-story Crafthouse & Kitchen houses a 100-gallon pot still that will produce all spirits served and sold on site.

Central Standard: Your Local Midwest Craft Distillery

Central Standard Craft Distillery, a small batch, craft distillery in Milwaukee and the fastest growing top-10 Wisconsin-based distiller, handcrafts award-winning, bourbon, whiskey, vodka and gin from locally sourced ingredients. Founded in 2014, Central Standard spirits have won 37 medals across multiple categories for their craft distilling.

Central Standard’s portfolio of premium spirits includes Red Cabin Bourbon, Door County Cherry Vodka and North Wisconsin Brandy*. Door County Cherry Vodka is a blend of Central Standard’s award-winning 100% handcrafted vodka infused with Door County cherries, which are mellowed with a touch of local-harvested, fresh honey. North Brandy, which is handmade in small batches and aged for a minimum of two years, is finished in Central Standard bourbon barrels. Red Cabin Bourbon is aged to perfection and then finished in California Cabernet wine barrels. Thanks to the red-wine-barrel-finishing, Red Cabin Bourbon – which won a Gold Medal at the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits competition in 2019, delivers a complex-yet-approachable taste.

“When you think of our entire lineup – Door County Cherry Vodka, North Brandy and Red Cabin: They’re all perfectly handcrafted for enjoying here in the Midwest or wherever your travels take you,” McQuillan concluded.  

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.