Local pour · checked 2026-09-03

Milwaukee drinks two things: the Old Fashioned and beer, in that order, sometimes in the same hour. The brewing heritage is documented — German brewers Blatz, Pabst, Schlitz, and Miller built the city from 1840 on, and beer is what made Milwaukee famous. The Old Fashioned part is printed on bar menus all over town. The local pour is a $6–$10 Old Fashioned followed by a discounted draft.

The Old Fashioned corridor

The Edison on Broadway in the Third Ward posts Monday–Friday 3–5:30 PM and Saturday–Sunday 3–4 PM: house wine pour $7, martini $8, Edison Old Fashioned $10, jalapeño margarita $8, and $2 off all draft beers. Up on the East Side, Von Trier on Farwell posts a $7 happy hour daily 4–6 PM: $7 Von Trier Old Fashioned, $7 select German drafts, $7 select cocktails, and $7 house red and white wine, with free popcorn all day. Down in Bay View, At Random posts Tuesday–Thursday 5–7 PM with $6 old fashioneds, not on the patio or holidays. Three neighborhoods, three prices, one drink.

Walker's Point pours $5

Black Sheep on Second Street posts Monday–Saturday 4–6 PM: $5 Wheatley martinis and Four Roses Manhattans, $5 house wine pours, $5 house-made sangria, and $10 cheese boards Monday–Thursday. The Manhattan at the same price as the martini is the whiskey drinker's tell: this is a brown-spirits town that happens to like wine too.

How to drink it like a local

  • Third Ward, 3 PM: coal-fired room (Edison) inside the Monday–Friday 3–5:30 window. Old Fashioned first, discounted draft second.
  • East Side, 4 PM: German bar (Von Trier) daily 4–6. Old Fashioned and a German draft, free popcorn.
  • Bay View or Walker's Point: mid-century lounge (At Random) Tuesday–Thursday 5–7 for the $6 pour, or the wine bar (Black Sheep) Monday–Saturday 4–6 for the $5 Manhattan.

Sources

Poured here: The Edison · Von Trier · At Random · Black Sheep