Located in the vibrant Longfellow neighborhood of South Minneapolis, Du Nord Craft Spirits was the first cocktail room to open in the Twin Cities. The space is rough-hewn and welcoming, dominated by a giant industrial spool that serves as a common table. The distillery serves seasonal cocktails made from their spirits, and the bar always offers Fitzgerald gin & tonics or L’Etoile vodka martinis.

Though only a few years old, Tattersall has a lot of history. The Thorp Building where it's located once housed General Mills Mechanical Division, which manufactured top-secret military equipment during World War II under the watch of the FBI and CIA from the guard towers. Today, the industrial chic space serves more than three dozen cocktails made from more than a dozen spirits including vodka, gin and aquavit. Food trucks and live music add to the contemporary yet comfortable vibe.

Duluth's booming beer scene isn't the only exciting thing about drinking in this great northern port. Vikre Distillery puts out three varieties of gin, plus whiskey, a bold aquavit, and other seasonal spirits available for sampling in the cocktail room that sits in the shadow of the city's famous Aerial Lift Bridge.

Should you find yourself in the northwest corner of the state, the tiny town of Hallock (population 981) boasts one of the region's hottest distilleries. The sophisticated flavor profiles and design-forward packaging of Far North Spirits have landed the distillery's products on store shelves across the United States, and their Alander spiced rum and herbaceous Solveig gin can be found in bars and restaurants throughout the Twin Cities.

Proudly touting its status as Minnesota's first legal whiskey distillery, Panther Distillery of Osakis also makes bourbon, gin and spiked apple spirits. The distillery offers tours and tastings, with an opportunity to buy distillery memorabilia if you're so inclined.