If you’re headed to the airport this holiday season, you’re not alone.
A record 8.03 million people will get on a plane in the period around Christmas and New Year’s Day, according to AAA.
Lucky for us, restaurants and bars at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport have teamed up to bring us some holiday cheer in the form of cocktails, wine and beer.
I got to sip on a few of them during a recent visit to Terminal 1, and there’s lots of good stuff available. Make the most of your two or three hours waiting for your flight with these beverages, listed by location.
Another hot tip for chocolate lovers: See’s Candy has a pop-up kiosk on Concourse C!
Main Mall
The Dubai Chocolate Martini at Cook and the Ox in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
Ike’s Clubhouse: ‘Tis the season for sweet drinks, and Ike’s is pulling out all the stops here with an Apple Pie Manahattan, a Candy Cane Martini and Clubhouse Coffee, spied with Rumchata and Frangelico.
Stone Arch: This craft-brew-focused eatery is staying true to form, with four special holiday beers on tap. South by Southeasts’s Yulefest winter warmer is brewed with cinnamon, cardamom, spruce tips and orange zest. Summit’s Winter Ale, a sweet and fruity dark ale, is well-known around these parts; and the same with Schell’s Snowstorm, a toasty dark lager infused with baking spices. They’re rounding it out with a Cranberry Lager from Castle Danger.
Lake & Wine: Two limited-time wine pours from the state of Washington are being offered. Lulu Rose 2022 and Bitner Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2020.
Cook & the Ox and People’s Organic: Did I mention sweet stuff is on most of the menus? The Dubai Chocolate Martini, offered at both of these spots (they are next door to each other) fits that bill, while also being insanely trendy. It’s chocolate and pistachio in a glass.
Hissho Sushi (And Bottle Rocket in Concourse C): They didn’t have this drink yet when we stopped by, but White Clouds, which includes white cranberry juice, Hendrick’s Gin, St. Germain and mint, sounds delicious.
Concourses C, D and E
The Salted Caramel Espresso Martini at Buffalo Wild Wings in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
LoLo/Republic: Lolo in Concourse E and Republic in Concourse D have outdone themselves with four fun holiday drinks. We tried two of them — the Grinch Games, featuring New Amsterdam gin, Midori, St. Germain, lime and pineapple juice, and the Reindeer Ruckus, an apple spice version of an old-fashioned with Buffalo Trace bourbon, and I can highly recommend both. There’s also Wreathing Havoc with Captain Morgan, sweet vermouth and gingerbread syrup, and Mistletoe Mayhem, a Ketel One vodka drink with yuzu, cranberry and lime juices.
Buffalo Wild Wings: If you’re an espresso martini fan who’s looking for dessert in liquid form, the salted caramel espresso martini here is for you. Salty caramel whiskey is the base spirit here, which is a nice twist.
Concourse G
The Pear-fect Margarita is available at the OTG restaurants in the G Concourse of MSP Airport (Shoyu, Mimosa and Mill City Tavern). (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
The OTG restaurants in the G Concourse (Shoyu, Mimosa and Mill City Tavern) have teamed with Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE) and their Serving Up Hope campaign to offer cocktails that help support employees with children when they face life-altering circumstances like a health crisis, death or natural disaster.
We tried the Pear-fect Margarita, a pear-spiked refresher that screams Mexican holiday, and the Compassion Old Fashioned, made with Stranahan’s Colorado Single Malt and Aperol, which gives it a nice herbal kick.
They’re also offering a whole slate of non-alcoholic cocktails, which is a nice option for those of us who prefer to fly sober.
Related Articles
Cookbook author dishes on Jewish-Mexican cuisine that is ‘kosherísimo’
Easy holiday snacks to kick off any party
Potter’s Pasties opens inside Beer Dabbler Depot liquor store on St. Paul’s West Seventh
How to make bouillabaisse, a French fishermen’s feast
Flour Chicks Bakery in Nevis, Minn., makes thousands of sweet snacks
Leave a Reply