Central Standard Unveils the Holiday Hideout, a One-of-a-Kind Private Holiday Cocktail Lounge Pop-Up

Scrooges beware. The all-new Holiday Hideout and more than 5,000 twinkling lights are coming to Downtown Milwaukee as Central Standard Craft Distillery transformed a private events space at its Crafthouse & Kitchen, 320 E. Clybourn St., into a holiday-themed private pop-up cocktail lounge today – Dec. 31.

“We thought everyone could use a dose of holiday cheer and some festive craft cocktails this year,” said

Central Standard Cofounder Evan Hughes. “So we converted our first-floor private suite into the Holiday Hideout as there’s nothing like a Winter-Spiced Old Fashioned or two, twinkling holidays lights and some mistletoe to make the season merry and bright.”

Along with over-the-top décor and yuletide spirit, all set to a festive soundtrack, the Holiday Hideout will feature newly created seasonal cocktails including the Cranberry Mule, a warm Holiday Brandy Cider, a spiked Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa and the decadent Winter Spiced Old Fashioned. The Holiday Hideout also offers special Holiday Bites appetizers including eggplant bruschetta, duck wontons, lamb meatballs and must-try lobster hush puppies.

The festive pop-up will offer three daily private 90-minute bookings from 5 – 6:30 p.m.;
7 – 8:30 p.m.; and 9 – 10:30 p.m. Party packages start at $250, which include a round of festive holiday cocktails and a platter of seasonal appetizers from the Crafthouse’s new Holiday Bites menu.

“Whether you’re planning a Secret-Santa exchange, a work-holiday party, a festive girls-night-out or just want to enjoy some cocktails while gift-wrapping, the Holiday Hideout is the perfect destination for seasonal gatherings of 14 folks or less,” said Central Standard Cofounder Pat McQuillan. “It makes a great option if you want to celebrate the holidays or just take a 90-minute break from them.”

Holiday Hideout reservations can be made via https://centralstandardcraftdistillery.tripleseat.com/party_request/33500 and Holiday Hideout guests receive 20% off their purchase of Central Standard spirits and merchandise while at the Crafthouse & Kitchen for their event.

For Milwaukeeans searching for more of a seasonal-sit down party experience for 10-16 guests in an intimate atmosphere, Crafthouse & Kitchen Executive Chef David Sapp created special Holiday Spirits Tasting Dinners, that can be hosted in the distillery’s famed Founders Room. The five-course chef’s dinner pairs one-of-a-kind cocktails featuring Central Standard spirits with menu items including Rappanahannock Oysters, pan-seared Diver Scallops and Pinn Oaks Farms Lamb Chops.

“Our spirits dinners make an unbelievable holiday memory for clients, family or friends,” Hughes added. “If folks instead need a last-minute venue for a larger holiday party for up to 180 people, we also have a couple of dates available before the end of the year in our second-floor events space called, the Mix. Its Cream City brick and large windows make it a festive holiday party venue.”

Holiday Spirits Dinners are $110 per person and can be scheduled via https://centralstandardcraftdistillery.tripleseat.com/party_request/33057.

The Central Standard team has also taken the fuss out of at-home holiday entertaining by creating customizable To-Go Party Cocktail Kits and Platters.

Take-out cocktail kit options – which serve 16 – include a Holiday Spritz, the Cranberry Mule, the Holiday Brandy Cider, the spiked Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa and the decadent Winter Spiced Old Fashioned. “To Go” holiday appetizer platter options include unique cold and hot spreads, as well as a shrimp cocktail, served with charred lemons and a cocktail sauce made from Central Standard’s Guided Trail gin and Wisco Sushi, a Badger-State-twist on traditional sushi. The Wisco Sushi platter includes a ham, cream cheese and dill pickle roll, a maki celebrating Silver Moon Smoked Trout and a Filet Au Poivre nigiri.

“Our ‘To-Go’ Cocktail Kits and Party Platters are ideal for those who want to throw an unforgettable party this holiday season but would rather leave the cocktail making and cooking to someone else,” McQuillan added.

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 including cherries grown in Door County and honey harvested in Germantown. Founded in 2014, Central Standard spirits have won 40 medals across multiple craft distilling categories.

“For us, it’s not about the awards or the accolades,” McQuillan explained. “It’s about making the best-tasting craft spirits with the finest ingredients that bring to life the outdoor lifestyle here in the Midwest.”

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 earned a Gold Medal and received a 93-point score at the prestigious Los Angeles Invitational Wine and Spirits Challenges earlier this year, delivers a complex-yet-approachable taste.

In 2021, a multi-million-dollar project transformed a formerly vacant three-story, 11,700-square-foot building in downtown Milwaukee into Central Standard’s Crafthouse & Kitchen. The distillery’s new home, which was built in 1874 and is one of the oldest in Milwaukee, boasts a tasting room, restaurant, private-events spaces, rooftop patio and a future tour operation.

* You must 21-years of age or older and a fan of great craft cocktails to enjoy our spirits. Please drink responsibly.

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.