An Evening of Historic Cocktails at Eagle Tavern

A total step back in time, thanks in large part to the gracious and wonderful hosts as well as having Eagle Tavern and GV morph into your own personal playscape.
Drinks were interesting and, for the most part, quite tasty. Lukewarm beer is something that the 1800’s can keep however.
Food and music was cheerful and period appropriate. A great time!

I am fan of history in general, so when you mix in history, drinks, and food, you have a great night. The event got off to a good start by Calvin the proprietor showing around and greeting you. The fact that you are standing in an actual old time tavern is a great feel. The Drinks was also great. My favorites was the maple bourbon sour and the Calvin. I also thought the beer was good and the mint juleps was OK (my 1^st time having one and its just like a mojito to me) My favorite thing of the night was the Reuben croquettes. It was so good, i probably could eaten two trays by myself. Also loved the blueberry fool and the meats and bread. A good night, good times and a great Unilocal event like always, can’t wait until the next one.

This was a well planned, well put together event. From the greeting at the door by Clavin, the Proprietor, to the drinks and food that were period specific, to the prizes of visits to the Henry Ford or Rouge Truck plant. It was fun.
The food was good, they had mushrooms stuffed with rabbit and Reuben croques (corned beef & cabbage in ball form then fried). While I’m not sure if deep frying was common in the 1850s, I know that eating rabbit & mushrooms was! The food set up in the buffet line was cured meats or pickled eggs. I wish the meats had been labeled, so I would know what I was eating, but I’m always up for trying new food so it didn’t matter much.
The drinks were great. I had the maple bourbon sour, which was really rather sweet, and my guest had the sarsaparilla drink. We heard that the mint juleps were good as well. I tried the strawberry soda, which I thought they would mix up in front of me like they did the drinks, however it came out of the fountain drink machine. While the preparation was anticlimactic, the drink itself was fizzy, sweet & refreshing.
The music was wonderful, and the band were very talented. In all, it was a great evening. I would love to do something like this again, only perhaps get more into it by requesting songs, or trying to dress in period specific clothing. As soon as I find some…

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this event. I have fond memories of visiting Greenfield Village as a child and this having been to the evening of historic cocktails makes me want to visit again!
From the moment we entered the tavern all of the employees were in character. The host was particularly funny with his stories and anecdotes. They offered three different drinks; the maple bourbon (made with Michigan maple syrup!) was my husband’s favorite; I enjoyed the mint julep.
The food offered was meat-​heavy, but it was good nonetheless. The blueberry fool dessert was delicious as well!
The band was awesome — the musicians were very talented and made for an entertaining evening.
Overall the event was very well-​organized and makes me want to return to the Village!

The only REAL complaint that I have about this event is the fact that they use strange meats in their dishes… without warning too!
Aside from that, it was an enjoyed evening. The staff were a bunch of characters, and a lot of fun!

I was very excited to get invited to this event, which is my first elite event. I LOVE the museum and village and take any opportunity to visit either. They hold a lot of great childhood memories. This is the first time I’ve driven down Eagle Lane (pretty cool)!! I’ve been in the Tavern before, but it was great to have the place to ourselves. The music was great, the presenters from the Village were friendly and of course, the company was awesome! I sat with Heidi and her guest, who both were very friendly and let me know that they haven’t been to an Elite event they didn’t like. I look forward to many more good times with the Elite! Thanks, Annette, for putting on a great event at a great location!

That was an impressive event! I already had positive thoughts about Eagle Tavern (and finally wrote a separate review for that), but this event was the whole package, from our «Inn Keeper», lively band (I wish some Unilocalers liked to dance ;), well crafted cured meats, to the always beautiful interiors. And of course, the cocktails! Like Adela said, those went down nice and easy! I had the maple bourbon drink with sarsparilla — a pleasant surprise and not too sweet.
We took a short walk around the Village and loved the old timey-​ness. I do like it now, but I wished I came here as a kid!

Everything was wonderful! Henry Ford Village is such a beautiful place and inside this wonderful village is the Eagle Tavern. Luckily there is a parking lot right behind the structure and us Elite UnilocalERS were allowed to park there — free of charge of course. Upon entering Eagle Tavern a man in midcentury attire welcomed us to his tavern! His name happened to be Calvin Wood. Since we were two women he escorted us into the tavern — very nice. He then showed us around the tavern explaining different things to us.
Immediately we took one of our drink tickets and we both got a Mint Julep — very tasty, but when you got to the bottom it was quite sweet — I guess the sugar went to the bottom of the glass. We sat with Liz and her plus one who is very nice. The table was like a picnic table with individual wooden chairs. Very rustic ambiance — hence mid-​century. The chandeliers had candles in them which were not lit, I am sure this would be a fire hazard. Pictures on the wall and the whole tavern was mid-​century style.
Went to a station where there were different types of food, such as sausage, eggs, bread, and different types of appetizers. Ladies in midcentury attire were walking around with trays of other types of appetizers. One of them I was a little afraid of — it was a stuffed mushroom and inside there was rabbit meat! I couldn’t eat it, but the other appetizer which was corned beef (I believe) deep fried coated with breading and in a ball shape. Very delicious! For dessert the ladies brought around a pastry which was called Blueberry Fool! It looked like a pastry shell with cool-​whip infused with blueberries with a heavier type of cream on top of that and on top of that were a couple of blueberries. Since I am lactose intolerant I gave mine to Liz’s plus one!
All in all had a great time, the music was awesome. One of the band members played 3 different instruments, 2 of the members played 2 instruments and the other one played something very old, forgot the name of it, but it was pre-​piano (I believe). Would I go — an astounding YES! Had a great time and everyone was oh so nice.

Came here for the Unilocal event, lots of fun, cool old fashioned drinks and live band playing period instruments/​music, cool prizes too.
I’ll come back the next time I’m in Greenfield Village, the drinks were delicious. I had a Maple syrup/​Bourbon sour cocktail and it was the bomb, wish I had one right now.
The menu looked interesting with lots of good sounding appetizers like meat and cheese trays and soups, sandwiches etc.
The band was great too.

An interesting visit to be sure, I was immediately greeted by the in-​character proprietor, who gave a hearty and informative welcome. Usually, I’m really put off by that sort of thing, but they pull it off at The Eagle Tavern. Maybe it’s the self-​awareness, or maybe it’s just people who are passionate about what they do. In any case, the proprietor could have easily found work on Deadwood, if it was still airing.
I was so impressed by this, it took me a few minutes to recognize that wonderful, chilly feeling on a hot June day. Yes, The Eagle Tavern is very well air-​conditioned, which makes it a permanent destination when visiting Greenfield Village in the summer.
The adult beverages were better than I had anticipated. The Maple Bourbon Sour was outstanding, but The Calvin was where it’s at in my mind. «How did it taste?» like root beer and liquor… but better. The Mint Julep wasn’t bad, though really sugary, and filled with mint leaves. If you want to get girl-​drink drunk, there’s your ticket.
Food was thoroughly interesting, and delicious. This isn’t the place for vegans or the meek to dine. Sausage, hard cheese, picked eggs, and rabbit abound — and that’s just appetizer fare.
Of course, full disclosure: I went on a Unilocal outing. Whether or not this is a typical experience is hard to say — but I’ll say this: It was intriguing enough that I plan to find out what a «normal» visit is when I go back… and I’m going back really soon.

This was my first Unilocal event and what a lovely party. The appetizers were great ! I loved all the different cheeses and meats they offered. The eagle Tavern was a fabulous host and did such a wonderful job on making us all feel welcomed. I only wish there was more interaction with other Unilocalers. Everyone kind of sat to them selves and I would have loved to have gotten to know some of you better.

… An interesting event… as soon as I stepped up on the porch I felt like I had stepped into a different era as the host welcomed us. Great venue! I was amused by and appreciated the presentation of Eagle Tavern’s history by staff, in-​character! The band set an appropriate ambiance for the event. I enjoyed the drinks & hors d’oeuvres, but very meat-​oriented. The old-​fashioned theme was played out all the way down to the pasta straws in our drinks. Still, I was expecting something a little more interactive…

This was my first Elite event, and it was so much fun! Despite there being no vegan-​friendly food for me to eat, the drinks were delicious, the bartenders were friendly and accommodating, the music was awesome, the venue was perfect, and the company was fantastic. Can’t wait for the next event!

This was a lovely evening in a really cool historic venue. When we arrived, we were greeted by the innkeeper who set a fun mood and greeted us warmly. We then picked up our name tags and drink tickets and headed to the bar.
The drinks were delicious and very unique. I had the maple bourbon drink and it was very tasty… it almost went down a little too easy for the generous pour of alcohol the bartenders gave. They also had Redpop on the fountain and I love Redpop, so that was an added bonus for me… The bartenders were very friendly and the atmosphere was very relaxed.
The light bites were very nicely presented as well. The cold cut and cheese trays were of exceedingly high quality and were freshly prepared. There was a delicious soft cheese that was truly exceptional with the bread bites that were served. My next favorite was the blueberry fool… as my father (who accompanied me to the event) said: «It is foolishly good!» I told my dad I would include his line… it made me laugh. The Reuben bites were delicious and I definitely would have liked more than one of those. The rabbit stuffed mushrooms were quite tasty as well, reminding me of a crab stuffed mushroom I have eaten before.
The servers were very proficient and the innkeeper circulated through the room talking to the guests and even bidding us farewell as we left the inn. The young lady who brought around the rabbit stuffed mushrooms was especially sweet and friendly, always making sure to offer us another bite or ask us how we were enjoying the evening.
The musicians really completed the evening with their fabulous musical skills and election of folk tunes and classics. They even took a request from my father and worked out how to play it together right there on the spot. Their fine music was another wonderful addition to the period flair of the evening.
The icing on the cake of this fun, friendly and fabulous evening were the ticket raffles! I was fortunate enough to win the Ford Rouge tickets and I am eagerly looking forward to this very cool tour in the near future!
Both my father and I had an amazing time at this event and I would like to thank Annette, The Henry Ford and the Eagle Tavern staff for making this a wonderful and enjoyable evening! :)

They had the best mint juleps ever! Yes I am that shallow that that will be the first and last thing I will mention in this review. It was like spearmint Christmas ribbon candy, it gave me warm fuzzies as that was my Gran’s fave holiday thing. It also helped that the bartenders serving them up were so charming as well as talented.
Annette as always delivered on a fun gathering. Loved the historic venue. The rest of the staff was friendly. Passed apps of rabbit stuffed mushrooms and rueben croquettes were tasty. The salumi, cheese and pickled eggs on the side buffet really worked too.
The drinks were just awesome, alcoholic and not. The setup with bottled waters and coffee were very handy. The Eagle Tavern and Annette seemed to have thought of everything. Even fun music and prizes raffled off.
My husband and I need to come back. Mint juleps after a day at the village or the museum sound awesome.