American Fifth Spirits

Landing in Lansing.
I was invited by friends a month or so ago to Lansing’s newest distillery. I’ve been three times. I’ve never quite been excited to return but I feel they’re worth another try.
The parking lot needs attention and love for growth. You can fit maybe 10 cars in the lot. They are awkwardly parked and for people who’ve come to drink that’s not the smartest idea. In terms of encouraging public transit and walking yes but realistically speaking they need more parking.
The décor is modern and chic. The floors, the glass windows displaying the distilling equipment in all of its grandeur and the penny lacquered bar make it inviting. They give tours and detailed stories of what they have done and plan to do as they grow.
They distill only vodka at this time. They are focused and creating something unique. The vodka is the smoothest I’ve tasted ever. My vodka library is limited to popular brands (Smirnoff, Belvedere, Grey Goose, Absolut, Kettle One etc) so I may not be the best judge but I am impressed. It is velvety and soothing and un-​interupting.
They have a menu full of gourmet cocktails that are appetizing. Some fall flat and others quench and allure. The appetizers available are not served consistently and they should offer more in the way of things to fill up on before drinks. It feels more like a bar than a speak easy so they should accommodate with less fancy finger food options. They need to turn the fancy down a notch.
Each time I’ve gone, my crowd has been most of the business happening and the music has been stale. The seating feels like restaurant seating and is not quite comfortable. The place is a bit too stuffy to make me want to sit and have a few. They need better music and more comfortable seating with tables. The lounge areas feel like wait space for a restaurant and have small center tables so everyone has to hold their drink and awkwardly reach for shared appetizers.
Better music, more comfortable seating and more tables in the lounge areas. It’s also a bit bright for a bar that focuses on drinks alone.
I’ll probably return but this place has some kinks to work out.

This place had some growing pains as it first got started — as any new establishment will — but they have really come into their own. They offer a wide variety of vodka and whiskey cocktails hand-​made from fresh ingredients. The menu changes each month.
Because of the work that goes into the cocktails, there is sometimes a longer wait for your drink, but they are well worth it. Don’t expect this to be like any regular bar. It’s a tasting room.
The management are happy to give tours of the distilling area and talk to you about the spirits and the cocktails, and the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable.
I would highly recommend American Fifth to anyone looking for a good experience in Lansing. Stop by, have a cocktail, and learn a few things about the distilling process.

The wait staff is awesome, the drinks are creative and good! Skip the mainstream bars for a night and try some artisan spirits… j/​k do them both

Great drinks and awesome atmosphere. Rhubarbarann drink is AMAZING. The staff is super nice and we were offered a tour of the distillery. Fun place to hang with friends after work.

I’d been keeping an eye on American Fifth since before they opened because I thought a distillery would be a great addition to Lansing. We visited first during their opening week, and had some complaints that I just chalked up to growing pains. However, after this, my second, visit, my disappointment has been solidified.
To be fair, the interior is lovely: tastefully renovated with exposed brick and a cool art deco vibe. The staff is, in my experience, attentive. However, no amount of loveliness and attention can cover for the fact that their cocktails are fundamentally lacking. In a city like Lansing, where the cocktail scene is floundering at best, making a good cocktail shouldn’t be too difficult.
Take, for example, this evening. I ordered a strawberry balsamic fizz, which is described on the menu as «Hue vodka, strawberries, basil leaves, balsamic vinegar, bubbles.» I took my first sip, expecting to have my tastebuds a bit shocked by the tartness of vinegar, and a cocktail full of flavor. What is not communicated by the menu is that «bubbles» actually means soda water (not soda, or sparkling wine, or anything else with a little flavor). So. I’m paying for a weak, $ 7 cocktail that is at least half *actually* water, and tastes like it too.
My disappointment is amplified by the fact that they still only have vodka, which really limits their cocktail repertoire. Although they say that other spirits (whiskey, gin) are coming «soon,» we watched as that were «soon to open» for more than six months… So I’ll believe it when I see it. Until then, my cocktail business will go elsewhere.

Thought it was great! Mike was an awesome and accommodating host! You go for handcrafted drinks and a little snack if you like with good company, not to get hammered. It’s definitely a unique place! We will return!

The owners and staff are so nice that I wish I could rate this establishment higher but I just don’t really love any of their drinks. The décor is nice and it’s a cool place to meet friends as it’s not really busy or loud and the seating is comfortable. The owner took us on a tour of the distillery side and talked about the whole process and you can tell that he and the co-​owner really take pride in what they do. I had the bloody mary and one of the coffee flavored drinks both oh which I did not like. Several of my friends had other drinks and the flights of vodka and all said they liked theirs so I think it’s just me. The guys really liked the root beer infused vodka. They use a vinegar based simple syrup for their drinks that I just don’t care for. But solid service and nice ambiance.

I’m not a liquor expert, but I thought I would try this place on Be A Tourist In Your Own Town day, thinking this would be a good time to learn about the distillery process and try a drink here.
I walked in with a friend. We normally like to sit at the bar, but all the seats were taken, so we sat at a table right next to the bar. When we came in, no one acknowledged us, so we waited patiently for someone to greet us at the table. I counted 5 employees wandering around, most of them drinking behind the bar, and not one of them brought us a menu or even acknowledged us. There was no room at the bar to approach the bar and ask questions and the bartenders did not look friendly at all. We sat uncomfortably for about 10 minutes and then walked out.
I later read an article that their ideal customer is a cocktail connoisseur, so apparently they didn’t want my business because I’m not already knowledgeable about their product. I really wanted to learn about it and give them a try, but I wasn’t even given the chance.

We went into American Fifth for the first time earlier today and were incredibly disappointed without even managing to order a single thing off the menu, believe it or not. The bar was mostly full, so we decided to sit at a table where we were the only two of the dozen or so people in the entire place to be seated at a table… directly in front of the bar, mind you. We were not greeted and were not even visited by any one of the minimum five employees working, so we eventually just walked out after ten minutes of being ignored. At least three employees looked directly at us and ignored us at the same time, with one of them indulging in their own product at the time. I can understand spotty service with a packed establishment and minimal staff, but not with a dozen people and a minimum of five employees. $ 9 for a drink and the service sucks while you are a brand new joint in town… located behind a homeless shelter? No thanks.
To continue with the entitlement/​hipster attitude, this past Saturday, American Fifth set up a booth at the Beerfest at the Ballpark that was manned with three of their employees the entire time. As like any other alcohol festival, patrons can purchase VIP tickets to gain access one hour earlier than the general public and avoid the long lines. American Fifth showed up 45 minutes late, leaving tons of irate customers that were left staring at a table with their name on it and that was it. Sometimes people get lost in new towns, I get it, but for those of you who are unfamiliar, American Fifth is located across the street from the damn stadium! Once they got set up, the people were beyond rude to the customers, many who were first time samplers, leaving some patrons to make comments to the staff members about their attitude. Not only did they show up late, they were one of the first vendors to leave as well. These festivals invite breweries and distilleries, they certainly do not hold a gun to their head and make them show up (plus the brewery or distillery gets paid quite handsomely too). While the service is a huge reason for their rating, the drinks flat out suck compared to any other distillery I have been to. They seem to overthink the cocktail theory way too much, with flavors that are just plain awful, as was evident this past Saturday by people getting a drink from their booth, taking a sip, and immediately dumping the rest out on the grass with a bitter beer face look… and those were basically free! Try paying the $ 9 per cocktail while being treated like you are a burden to them. If you want quality, you usually have to pay for it, but if you pay for quality and get crap, then it leaves a bitter feeling. So to those who keep insinuating that all the bad reviews are purely cost-​related, get a clue. Walking into a shiny new building with an impressive facility is not enough when your product and service are below par. I would much rather walk up Michigan Ave., hit Moriarty’s or Stober’s, drink their well vodka or whiskey, get treated like an actual customer by their staff, and leave with a few extra bucks. This is a great place for hipsters who think they are spirit aficionados in their own mind and will prove so by overpaying for cocktails next to a homeless shelter and single-​A minor league baseball stadium.

This place has potential. Nice atmosphere, very friendly staff and owners.
They have vodka available at the moment, with gin and white whiskey coming soon. The menu has multiple cocktails available, and various choices of ‘infused’ vodka. They emphasize that anyone can do the same at home (for example, they use root beer barrel candy for their root beer infused vodka).
I am not a fan of flavored vodkas, and wanted to stick with their original product — the vodka has a very sweet flavor on its own.
Overall not up to the caliber compared to distilleries in Detroit as far as atmosphere and product, but a nice addition to downtown Lansing and hopefully they will continue to get better.

After waiting 15 minutes we finally got our drinks. All really good. But we made the mistake of ordering the popcorn appetizer. Do NOT order this. They give you a cereal bowl size bowl of popcorn and charge you $ 6. My friends and I actually loved our drinks, but I am so offended by how overpriced the popcorn was that I am considering never coming here again. Service was pretty slow for a not very busy crowd. But I know this is a new place so they will probably get it together soon. I honestly don’t mind pricey places but the price on that app was flat out insulting and if I do go back I would not even consider ordering food.