931 E Main St – oldsugardistillery.com
Back in 2010 when Old Sugar opened their tasting room on Main St, the surrounding area was pretty barren. The stretch between E Washington and the Cap City trail was almost entirely industrial – little if any housing and barely any commercial activity. The only other thing nearby was the High Noon/Brink/Brass Ring complex that opened in 2004. Now the zone has changed dramatically. There’s still plenty of industrial activity, but The Sylvie, Vintage, Robinia Courtyard, Hotel Indigo, and many others have opened their doors since.
Lots of wood inside the bar makes the space feel warm. The beautiful copper still sits behind the bar, protected by a glass wall. There are several large tables inside and a few picnic tables outside. The outside area is excellent. Main St is made discontinuous by MG&E and the Madison Metro garage, so all the traffic is local, and the street is narrow with lots of parked cars, so drivers aren’t able to speed through anyway. You can easily enjoy a quiet drink without someone showing off how loud their car is.
Old Sugar occupies a unique niche in the bar scene. Their drinks are generally quite good. I had a sidecar made with their apple brandy and an old fashioned. Neither blew me away, but I’d happily drink both again. Specialty cocktail bars like Robin Room have a broader variety of exciting spirits (because they’re not making their own) and glassware, so they can offer a wider selection of drinks. But Old Sugar does an excellent job from a value perspective. Somehow they manage to sell most of their drinks for only $8, which is barely more than you’d pay for a rail spirit and mixer from the soda gun at other places. Snacks are also available, but there’s no hot food. A very well-appointed meat and cheese board only costs $16, which feels like a steal for what you get.
Since Old Sugar doesn’t serve dinner, stay open super late, or sit next to a bunch of white-color workers looking to drown their sorrows in a happy hour, it doesn’t immediately appear to serve an obvious function as a booze-purveyor. That said, stop by for a snack and a couple drinks before a night on the town, bring friends who are visiting, or go there on a date. It’s worth making an excuse to visit.
Hungry in Madison 