Detroit's Castalia Cocktail Bar to Close at the End of the Year Amid Highs and Lows.
In a surprise move, Detroit's beloved craft cocktail bar Castalia, located in Midtown, will be closing its doors for good at the end of this year. The news was announced recently on social media by the ownership, who cited their eight-year run as a reason to "go out on top."
Castalia has been a staple of the city's nightlife scene since 2018, operating from a garden-level space within the Sfumato building, which also houses a perfumery. The bar gained fame for its unique pairing of cocktails with fragrances by Sfumato, creating an immersive experience for patrons.
Contrary to reports of financial or logistical issues, Castalia's co-founder Kevin Peterson explained on a recent podcast that their decision is driven by a desire to evolve and innovate further. "The structures we built to climb higher now constrain us," he said. "We've answered the questions that needed to be addressed when Castalia was born."
In an effort to bid farewell, Castalia will serve its final cocktails throughout the end of the year. The bar has also created a special "Afterlife Menu" to mark the occasion, inviting patrons to come and experience their final offerings.
The news comes as a bittersweet surprise for fans of Castalia, who have grown accustomed to the bar's innovative drinks and welcoming atmosphere. As the ownership bids farewell, they express gratitude to everyone who has visited Castalia over the years, reminding that "a life is like a garden – perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory."
In a surprise move, Detroit's beloved craft cocktail bar Castalia, located in Midtown, will be closing its doors for good at the end of this year. The news was announced recently on social media by the ownership, who cited their eight-year run as a reason to "go out on top."
Castalia has been a staple of the city's nightlife scene since 2018, operating from a garden-level space within the Sfumato building, which also houses a perfumery. The bar gained fame for its unique pairing of cocktails with fragrances by Sfumato, creating an immersive experience for patrons.
Contrary to reports of financial or logistical issues, Castalia's co-founder Kevin Peterson explained on a recent podcast that their decision is driven by a desire to evolve and innovate further. "The structures we built to climb higher now constrain us," he said. "We've answered the questions that needed to be addressed when Castalia was born."
In an effort to bid farewell, Castalia will serve its final cocktails throughout the end of the year. The bar has also created a special "Afterlife Menu" to mark the occasion, inviting patrons to come and experience their final offerings.
The news comes as a bittersweet surprise for fans of Castalia, who have grown accustomed to the bar's innovative drinks and welcoming atmosphere. As the ownership bids farewell, they express gratitude to everyone who has visited Castalia over the years, reminding that "a life is like a garden – perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory."
its been a staple of detroit's nightlife for so long and i loved their unique fragrance pairing concept 
they really outdid themselves with that afterlife menu though lol what a cool way to say goodbye 
cant wait to try those final cocktails! 
do you guys think kevin peterson was being genuine when he said the structures were constraining them or just trying to spin it in a more positive light? 
castalia was one of my fave spots in detroit always loved their unique cocktail & perfume vibes 
cant believe theyre closing down after 8 years what kind of "afterlife menu" r they serving tho? hope the owners are good and not just jumping ship 
anyway gotta say its crazy how much change happens in a city like detroit where u can find hidden gems like castalia every now and then 
its been one of my fave spots in detroit for ages i loved their crazy cocktail & scent combos 
what a shame they're not citing financial struggles tho? sounds like the owners just wanna keep innovating 
anyway, gotta try that afterlife menu 
and i heard it's gonna be really special 
kevin peterson's message about evolving and innovating further made so much sense, i get why they wanna move on now that they've achieved everything they set out to do 
the afterlife menu sounds like a great way for them to say goodbye tho, gotta try all their final creations 
. It's like, what's next for Detroit nightlife? 
I guess we'll just have to wait and see how things evolve (pun intended) 
afterlife menu sounds so cool 
and i'm def gonna be there to toast the good times with them 
the afterlife menu sounds like a great way to bid farewell tho, gotta try those final cocktails 
I've had so many amazing nights there with friends and even met some of my favorite bartenders 
But I guess all good things have to come to an end, right? Can we get a revival or something though? 
their whole fragrance-to-cocktail thing was genius, by the way... can't wait to try those "Afterlife Menu" cocktails 
. it's weird how they're framing this as a positive, like they've got this newfound freedom to create something even better... fingers crossed for what's next 
just heard about castalia closing down and its literally heartbreaking i went there last year with my friends for bday celebrations and we had the best time lol kevin peterson said something so relatable "the structures we built to climb higher now constrain us" like can't say much more than that, am literally shaking thinking about all the amazing memories we'll never make at castalia again 
i'm gonna miss their perfumy cocktail combos so much