The only thing better than enjoying craft cocktails and handcrafted cuisine is enjoying them for a good cause. Tomorrow night, the 2nd annual CRAFT event will take place at Eastern Market’s Shed 3, raising funds for both the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan and Eastern Market Corporation.
From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., attendees can enjoy food and cocktails, as well as entertainment including live art, live music and cornhole tournaments.
“Eastern Market offers an incredibly unique venue, which will be filled with local Michigan distillers, Detroit area restaurants and live entertainment from the Mitten, as well,” Megan Brown, special events coordinator for the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan, said.
Detroit City Distillery, Two James Spirits, Valentine Distilling, Journeyman Distillery, Our/Detroit Vodka, Atwater Brewery, Griffin Claw Brewing Company, Brown-Forman and Infinium Spirits will provide the evening’s beverages. As for the food, those who attend will be able to sample dishes from Sala Thai, Antietam, Blackfinn, Bacco Ristorante, Russell Street Deli, Rattlesnake, Levy Restaurants, Garden Fresh and Sha La Cynt’s Popcorn.
An evening out wouldn’t be complete without some live entertainment, now would it? Local acts will be abundant at CRAFT, including The Crane Wives, Stevie Soul, Red Bull House of Art and Detroit DJ Entertainment.
The goal of CRAFT is to raise funds for both the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan and Eastern Market Corporation equally, in order to further both organizations’ missions of positively impacting health and sharing the importance of nutrition.
“We wanted to create a unique and exciting event following the trend of farm-to-table, while also fundraising for our demographics served,” Brown said.
The event not only benefits two great organizations, but will also offer up some great samples of the area’s best food and cocktails.
Andy Mohr, partner at Two James Spirits, believes that the craft cocktail trend continues to flourish in Metro Detroit because of the quality bars, restaurants, bar staff and craft producers of spirits in the area.
“The focus on utilizing fresh, local ingredients from the agricultural abundance that Michigan provides to create unique and delicious spirits and cocktails will continue to make this area a destination spot for delicious libations,” Mohr said.
At CRAFT, Two James Spirits will be serving up a unique craft cocktail called the Two James Cucumber Cooler, made with Two James 28 Island Vodka, cucumber syrup, fresh lemon juice and fresh lime juice.
Tickets to CRAFT are available online, where there are several different ticket types to choose from. VIP admission costs $100 and gets you early admission at 6 p.m., along with 12 beverage tokens, unlimited food samples, a door prize, roped seating area and exclusive cocktails and food selections.
A starter ticket is the basic admission at $30 a pop (five drink tokens, unlimited food samples), or you have the option of the boosted ticket for $50 (10 drink tokens along with unlimited food samples). Designated driver tickets are also available, and if you’re unable to attend the event, you can make a donation of any denomination online.
For more information on CRAFT, visit the official website or Facebook page.