Drink of the Week

Six degrees of Kevin Bacon. Sometimes Denver seems so small that the concept of six degrees of separation feels vastly overstated. (Say, like when I discover that Patrick Osborn, this paper's Drunk of the Week, was drinking in the very same place I was, as happened this past week.) When I first heard that Francois Safieddine, cocktailing king and owner of Mynt, Lotus and Monarck, was revamping Blue 67 into a restaurant and lounge called 5 Degrees, I thought the name might be a play on the Bacon game. But I was wrong; turns out that five degrees is the temperature at which vodka is chilled for the perfect martini, which would seem to make 5 Degrees ground zero for that cocktail's consumption. So on opening night, I hurried to try the 5° Martini ($8), made with Ketel One vodka, coconut rum, raspberry liqueur and tropical juices -- but not only was it too sweet for my tastes, it was warm. A better option was the Dragon Boat 5° Signature Martini ($8), made with Soho Lychee Liqueur, Grand Marnier and Limoncello Lemon Liqueur shaken with pineapple juice and served with a lemon wedge. My favorite, though, was the Japanese Pear Martini ($8), made with Chopin Vodka and muddled pear served with a slice of pear. As hot as the place will no doubt be, Francois should tell them to keep the A/C down to about five degrees, too.