As an industry worker zipping around on your feet all day, the best part of the day is enjoying a shift drink: a post-work alcoholic beverage to decompress, take a load off, and yes, enjoy a nice buzz before heading home to bed. In this series, we’ll be exploring the many fantastic bar programs of Philadelphia where you can treat yourself after a hard day’s work. This time we’ll literally put you in good spirits, by focusing on a place with fantastic distilled spirits!
For this edition of shift drink I visited Philadelphia Distilling located in Fishtown. In December of 2005 Philadelphia Distilling was founded and became the first craft distillery in the state of Pennsylvania to open since Prohibition! After creating and distributing their Bluecoat Gin, Penn 1618 Vodka, Vieux Carré Absinthe and The Bay Seasoned Vodka, Philadelphia Distilling launched their new Fishtown distillery in 2017.
Upon entering the distillery, first you go through the retail shop which has bar accessories, Philadelphia Distilling gear, and of course their line of liquors. After walking through the retail component of the facility the full beauty of the distillery becomes visible. The dining area and bar are housed in a high-ceilinged room with exposed brick, dark wood tables and chairs, and a giant mural of their first spirit creation – Bluecoat Gin.
In awe of the design, I sat on a tan leather stool at the bar which is backdropped by their distilling room. Ready for a drink, I browsed the cocktail menu and read through the options, all of which feature one of their house spirits. The Bull Dog Reviver, for example, has a base of Bluecoat Barrel Finished Gin, complimented with amaro, pineapple, ginger, lime and soda. Philadelphia Distilling is perfect for a post-shift drink because every Sunday is industry night, meaning 50% off all cocktails! So you can sit back and relax among fellow industry comrades while enjoying a heavily discounted beverage. Another Sunday deal is $1 oysters! In addition to buck-a-shuck, they offer a selection of bar snacks: seasonal pickles, hummus, sliders, pierogi and more.
You can watch the spirits being made in their new distillery (and sample them too), a warehouse-turned-laboratory. See for your own eyes the six-step process which creates Philadelphia Distilling’s Bluecoat Gin.
In addition to observing the distilling equipment in action, Philadelphia Distilling offers a craft cocktail bar and lounge, a tasting room for private events, a retail store and an outdoor patio. If you’re interested in learning all about Philadelphia Distilling, take a tour of the establishment and meet the distilling team. For $15 you get a full tour as well as a taste of their line of spirits! Book your tour with this link and tell them COOK sent you!
Address
25 East Allen Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123
Hours (Cocktail Bar & Lounge)
Thursday & Friday: 4 PM – 11 PM
Saturday & Sunday: 1 PM – 11 PM
Hours (Retail Store)
Thursday – Sunday: Noon – 11 PM
