At the U.P. bar called Remie's, cocktails come by the quart
Posted Sep 6, 2017
BY AMY SHERMAN | asherma2@mlive.com
Want to hit up a classic UP bar that has a feel all it's own, and three sizes of drinks to boot? Then head to beautiful Marquette, Michigan and check out Remie's Bar, a local institution since 1934. We'll get to those crazy cocktails in a minute, first a bit of history.
Remie's, or the more formal name "Remillard's", has a long history in Marquette. Located in the oldest city building that has been used as a tavern, the original bar opened in 1870. It's been both a saloon and a boarding house. The bar has gone through several different name changes over the years, including "John V. Lustila's Saloon" and "Leander Wiinka's".
When Prohibition finally ended in 1933, local prison guard John Baptist Remillard purchased the bar. Three generations of his family proudly owned and ran the bar until 1990, when the current owners, the Moddell family bought the bar.
They made a few changes at Remie's when they took over. Owner Russel Moddell Senior, told us "Our drink lineup and service is a very original, and special indeed. We do small, medium, and large sizes of both beer and drink options, with the 32oz cup being our trademark that we began in 1999."
Before we go any further, please remember to always drink responsibly, and never drink and drive.
Amy Sherman | asherma2@mlive.com
Yep, that is a cocktail being made in a plastic 32 oz container, also known as "Remie's Big Cup".
Remie's offers 100 different cocktail flavors for you to choose from. Owner Russ told us that they've got "classic flavors, like Long Island Ice Tea, or a Long Beach, to Remie's original flavors, such as our best sellers Sex on the Pool Table, Remie's Captain Cream Soda, or Remie's Red Punch, to name a few".
They also offer customized cocktails, known as "Build Your Own Flavors". "We work with our customers individual preferences of liquors, soda, juice, and other flavors, to create a drink experience tailored and customized to their own personal likes. It is interaction with our guests at its finest and just one of our staff's qualities that make the Remie's experience a fun, comfortable, and welcoming one", owner Russ Modell explained.
Amy Sherman | asherma2@mlive.com
The big 32 oz cocktails start off at $6.95 each, a bargain. You can also get a draft beer in the "Big Cup", and those start at $4.50.
Wednesday the big draft beers start at $3.50. Thursdays you can get the big drink specials starting at $4.95.
The drinks are great, but not what they are most proud of. "Your drink is simply a garnish to the overall experience that our bartenders provide", Remie's owner Russ explained.
Picture used with permission of Remie's Tavern.
On Friday and Saturday nights you can also indulge in one of Remie's house made pudding shots. These have been on the menu since 2015 and over 57 flavors have been created since then.
Photo used with permission of Russ Mondell.
Pictured are Russ on the left, Jon Taffer in the center, and Heather on the right.
They are pretty proud of these pudding shots at Remie's, and with good reason. They're made by Russ' wife and business partner, Heather Modell. This chick is no joke, with an amazing resume in the hospitality industry. Trust us, with someone like this behind the pudding shots, you know they're going to be good.
Heather is the former executive pastry chef for Palace Restaurant Management Group (yes that Palace, former home of the Detroit Pistons). She is also a gold medal winner in the Collegiate Culinary Competition. At that time, she was the first female with a Chef title in the history of the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Heather knows what she's doing.
Amy Sherman | asherma2@mlive.com
Cheap drinks, a few pool tables, darts, and a super friendly staff? Sounds like dive bar heaven may be in Marquette.
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