Inventive cocktails served under ornate chandeliers; a speakeasy
"Ferndale’s worst-kept secret hides in plain sight at the Oakland Art Novelty Company, a mainstay on Nine Mile since 2011. The Oakland’s staff whips up classic speakeasy cocktails alongside a dozen or so house specialties, like the Green Badu, with Thai basil, gin, green Chartreuse, and a smattering of summery vegetable ingredients. This spot is mostly for walk-ins, but larger groups should consider calling ahead." - Mickey Lyons
"This season I found the nationwide Christmas cocktail pop-up Miracle back in Detroit and set up at the Oakland in Ferndale; it's decked out in kitschy holiday decor and serves themed drinks like the Christmapolitan (vodka, elderflower, dry vermouth, spiced cranberry sauce, rosemary, lime, and absinthe mist) and the Run Run Rudolph (prosecco, gin, mulled wine puree, lemon, and cane syrup). The pop-up arrived in Detroit three years ago and returns annually in a different location, and creator Greg Boehm of Mace in New York uses it to promote his Cocktail Kingdom barware line. It opens Friday, November 22 at 201 W Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale." - Eater Staff
"In the heart of Ferndale, this friendly neighborhood speakeasy serves whiskey and cocktails under ornate chandeliers. Rounding out the bar’s selection of signature drinks is its invigorating N/A list, featuring Party in the Garden made with arugula, cucumber, pineapple, and soda and a spice-forward house cardamom cola." - Will Reaume
"In Ferndale, the Miracle pop-up at The Oakland is back, decking the space out with over-the-top decorations and offering its own line of holiday-themed spins on classics like the Christmapolitan, a Snowball Old Fashioned with a giant ball-shaped hunk of ice, an apple-spiced, eucalyptus-bitters-infused Koala Cooler, and a rum-based Yippie Ki Yay Mother F*****!; as in previous years, 10 percent of proceeds from glassware sales will go to the Seva Foundation and Miracle runs through the end of December." - Serena Maria Daniels
"Sandy Levine is up for outstanding restaurateur for his ownership of The Oakland in Ferndale." - Mickey Lyons