The Monarch Club

The Monarch Club occupies the penthouse of the Metropolitan Building, a neo-Gothic tower built in 1925 (long known as Detroit's "Jewelers' Building") that sat vacant for decades before its restoration into the Element Detroit hotel. The rooftop bar takes its cues from Detroit's mid-century rooftop lounges, with deep blue, red, and gold interiors, leather seating, and three outdoor terraces — The Tower, East Court, and West Court — that open onto 360-degree views of downtown, Comerica Park, and the Detroit River.

The non-alcoholic list is built as its own named section, "Zero Proof Libations," rather than a single token mocktail. The Golden Court mixes guava purée, pineapple juice, lavender syrup, honey, ginger ale, and Tajín; the Pea Tea SD is butterfly pea tea with lemon juice and honey; and the Root Chakra combines lemon, ginger, lavender, and tonic water. Athletic Brewing's NA IPA is also on offer for anyone who wants a zero-proof beer to go with the skyline view. Detroit Metro Times has separately singled out the bar's mocktail program in its roundup of the city's best non-alcoholic drink spots.

Downtown Detroit's rooftop scene is compact — the Monarch Club, along with a handful of hotel bars nearby, gives visitors a view-driven option that also takes sober and moderation-minded guests seriously, with dedicated non-alcoholic drinks built to the same standard as the cocktail list, not a syrup-and-soda afterthought.