Drink of the Week

I was pleasantly surprised when I strolled into Brix -- a tiny, hip bistro in Cherry Creek North opened earlier this year by Charles Master, whose parents own Mel's Restaurant and Bar -- and saw that it was serving cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon in brown paper bags as a "white-trash" special. "We were trying to be tongue in cheek, to have a little fun with Cherry Creek," says bar manager Tony Maciag. Making myself comfortable at the cozy bar, I asked for Brix's most popular cocktail and was promptly poured the best Sour Apple Martini ($8) I've ever had -- not too sour, not too sweet. Made with Citadel Apple Vodka, homemade sour mix and a splash of DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker Schnapps, this green martini gets its zing from a secret ingredient: a dash of Left Hand Sawtooth Ale. That's just one of the unusual beverages you'll find along the narrow, exposed-brick bar. "What I tried to do was find good products that were off the beaten path, that nobody has ever heard of," explains Maciag. That concept's working, as is the rest of Brix. Named for the system of measuring the total sugar content in grapes, Brix also features an extensive list of affordable wines. Under the motto "good food, good drink, good chat," Brix is pouring new life into the Cherry Creek drinking scene.