Aug. 23, 2021

A new cocktail lounge in downtown Sioux Falls features liquor made in South Dakota.

Glacial Lakes Distillery and Brewhouse opened last week at 10th Street and Main Avenue.

The tasting room is filled with sunlight from the west-facing, floor-to-ceiling windows.

Eventually, all-glass garage doors will arrive, which will open out to the large patio that stretches from the building to the sidewalk.

“The vibe’s going to be pretty chill,” said Quentin Robertson, who owns the Watertown-based Glacial Lakes Distillery with Phil Klein. “Honestly, it’s going to be a nice place to have some artisan, small-batch, hand-everything cocktails here.”

The cocktail menu likely will change quarterly, he said.

“We’ll introduce probably a monthly new cocktail, something like that, maybe even weekly; we’ll see how it goes.”

Customers also can request drinks that aren’t on the menu, he said.

“Some people might want a Manhattan, which we don’t have on the menu right now, but we can make it.”

The opening menu features seven classic drinks and seven crafted cocktails, which are made with Glacial Lakes’ liquors: vodka, white rum, dark rum, gin, brandy – and its newest spirit: bourbon.

The tasting room also has 12 taps, which feature local craft beers and a couple of pre-mixed cocktails.

The plan is to add charcuterie, but customers can bring in food from other restaurants, Robertson said.

He’s planning to add a Sunday charcuterie brunch with mimosas, sangria, bloody marys and beer.

Hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 2 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Glacial Lakes is planning a grand-opening party for Aug. 27.

Fast-paced project allows century-old building to reopen as distillery taproom