Happy Hours in Detroit, Michigan

A price ladder repeats across Detroit's newer restaurants: $8 cocktails, $7 wine, $4 beer. Takoi on Michigan Avenue lists exactly that. So does Grey Ghost on Watson Street, swapping in $5 drafts. Cibo on West Lafayette lists $8 cocktails and wine with $4 beers, and Supergeil back on Michigan Avenue moves the top number to $10 and holds the beer at $4. Once you have seen it you cannot stop seeing it, and it makes the outliers easy to spot.

The outliers are worth the drive. Adam's Apple on West Warren Avenue lists $2.25 beers with $3.50 wells, daily from 3 to 8. La Lanterna on Griswold Street lists $4 Stroh's and Miller, which is the correct beer to discount in this city. Z's Villa on Piquette Street lists $3 Miller Lite, and The Alley Deck on Woodward lists 50 cents off everything, seven days a week.

Woodward Avenue holds the most listings, with Michigan Avenue through Corktown second and Cass Avenue, Griswold Street, Monroe Street in Greektown and West Vernor Highway in Mexicantown behind it. La Jalisciense on Vernor lists $7 margaritas with $6 beers, and Eastern Market Brewing on Riopelle lists $4 rotating craft brews.

Half the windows open at 4 PM, one in eight waits until 5, and roughly one listing in nine covers a weekend.