MNfusion: Lawless Distilling Opens In Minneapolis

Minneapolis' latest watering hole is now open for business.

Lawless Distilling Company opened its own cocktail lounge on June 23.

It is located within the Hub of Hell, an area of Minneapolis' Seward neighborhood once known for its debaucherous history.  As owners Nate and Kirsten Karnitz and Chris Kulzer explain on their website, in the 1920s the intersection of 26th Street and 26th Avenue was the epicenter for tippling houses, speakeasies and other seedy properties.

Designed to be a callback to that era, Lawless sits far back on 28th Avenue, behind a parking lot in front of an industrial warehouse.

The inside is dimly lit, with a bright back light behind the bar.

"We want you to lose track of time," Kirsten said. "We want it to have the feel of an old style bar."

A few dark booths and small tables, decorated only by a votive candles, sit on the left side of the restaurant. The bar – in the far right back.

The back wall is open, looking almost as if in the midst of construction.

After taking a few moments to adjust to the lighting, one can see the wooden barrels of vodka and gin sitting behind the crisscrossing wooden planks of the wall's skeleton.

Founded in 2014, Lawless has been distilling its Tippling House Vodka and Greenway Gin for two years before opening the spot in which locals can imbibe their libations.

The grain alcohols are made from wheat grown in Cold Spring and the distilling process takes place right in Minneapolis. Each drink is made with one of the two grain alcohols, and features a symphony liqueurs, syrups and bitters.

All liqueurs and syrups are made on the premises, while Bittercube, the brainchild of Nicholas Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz, is consulting on the bitters program.

"Unlike regular bars, we have to make everything that goes into our drinks on the premises," Kirsten said.

Part of this process involves using Mexican soda. The bartender will pour half of the soda out and mix the Tippling House Vodka or Greenway Gin into the bottles. These syrups are then mixed in different combinations to provide a variety of flavors. Some of the flavors echo other alcoholic beverages, such as rum or champagne.

And while the physical space may be reminiscent of 1920s prohibition, the drinks are a call back to the 1960s tiki phase.

There are a few classics – a mimosa, a bloody Mary, a French 75 – but others evoke a sense of the tropics bursting with tropical and citrus flavors like coconut, banana, grapefruit and pineapple.

The Chi Chi combines vodka with pineapple, coconut cream, Jamacian #1 bitters and a Bomb popsicle. The Lord Jim is a mixture of vodka, cacao nib liqueur, lime, banana syrup and pineapple, served in a pineapple shaped glass. And the Royal Hawaiin uses gin, pineapple, lemon, orgeat and orchids.

If none of the cocktails speak to Lawless patrons, they are invited to create their own concoctions.

The "Build Your Own Daisy" card contains four categories – spirits, liqueurs, syrups and bitters. Guests can pick one from each section to create their personalized drink.

All highball drinks run $7, while cocktails run $9. Pink gin shots, gin infused with Washington Island bitters and hibiscus, are $5. Pretzels and beef jerk are provided as snacks for $4 and $6.

And, of course, guests can purchase bottles of the Tippling House Vodka or Greenway Gin on the premises.

Joining Tattersall Distillery, Wander North, Norseman Distillery and Du Nord Craft Spirits, Lawless is helping to increase awareness of the Twin Cities ever-growing hospitality and craft brewing/distilling scene.

Lawless Distilling is located at 2619 28th Avenue in Minneapolis' Seward neighborhood. It is open from 4 – 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursdays and 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. Friday and Saturdays. For more information, visit Lawless Distilling online.