A new bar has opened in Detroit’s Cass Corridor, offering a mix of cocktails, beer, and familiar bar food in a casual setting.
Dirty Shake, at Forest and Second Avenue near Wayne State University, is the latest project from the team behind Freya & Dragonfly, Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails, and The Oakland.
The bar takes a different approach from the group’s other establishments, focusing on a more relaxed and straightforward concept.
“We’re just happy to be here,” Sandy Levine, co-owner of Dirty Shake, said. “This part of Midtown is one of the few neighborhoods where people who lived here 15 or 20 years ago are still around. We want to honor that history while also welcoming students and newcomers. This is a place where all kinds of people can gather, have a good time, and make it their own.”
The drink menu, led by Kamalani Overall, includes beer, non-alcoholic beverages such as Faygo and Hi-C Pink Lemonade, and cocktails with twists on classic drinks. The Strong Island Iced Tea is made with overproof rum, navy strength gin, whiskey, honey liqueur, house sour, and a vanilla Coke float, with a limit of two per guest. Other options include the Daily Rind, a mezcal-based cocktail with watermelon liqueur and a homemade kimchi watermelon rind garnish, and Green Tea, featuring peach tea infused with Jameson and amaretto.
Dirty Shake also serves boozy shakes, including a version of Detroit’s Hummer cocktail, made with rum, coffee liqueur, and Heath dust, as well as a Dole Pineapple Whip with pineapple rum and frozen pineapple.
The food menu, developed by chef-partner Doug Hewitt and overseen by Brian Christie of Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails, includes an $11 double-patty burger with sharp cheddar, pickles, grilled onions, and mayo-mustard on a potato bun. Smoked chicken wings undergo a three-day process that includes brining, curing, smoking, and frying. Other dishes include a house sausage served with kraut and pickles, and a vegan, gluten-free cauliflower dish with pepper jam and cilantro.
“We’re not reinventing bar food, just paying attention to the details,” Hewitt said. “Take our wings — between the brine, the cure, the smoke, and the fry, it’s a three-day process. But at the end of the day, it’s still chicken wings. It’s something that just goes great with a beer or cocktail.”
The bar seats 40 inside, with additional seating for 50 on a patio that wraps around the building. The space features a roll-up garage door, a lounge area with an inactive fireplace, and three TVs that show Detroit sports games or other programming. The bar also includes a Polaroid wall where guests can take and display photos.
Dirty Shake is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and Sunday, and until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The bar is located at 4642 Second Ave.
