Cocktails

Reader: Go ahead and slam daiquiris, but leave old-fashioneds alone

"There is a thin line between self-indulgence and being a dickhead, a line that any bartender could draw for you." That's how Jenn Wohletz started Friday's piece "five cocktails only a dickhead could love," and dozens of commenters -- bartenders included -- thought she definitely crossed that line w ... More >>

Who's a dickhead? Barman Sean Kenyon's response to Jenn Wohletz's cocktail grievances

On Friday, Jenn Wohletz served up "Five cocktails only a dickhead would order." Shaken, not stirred, Cafe Society contributor Sean Kenyon offers this response: Dear Jenn Wohletz: You don't know us You are not one of us You do not speak for us I woke up Friday morning and, as is my routine, I check ... More >>

Five cocktails only a dickhead would order

There is a thin line between self-indulgence and being a dickhead, a line that any bartender could draw for you. On especially busy nights at any watering hole, there is always at least one person who decides to order some outdated or ridiculous beverage that takes up valuable bartender time, makes ... More >>

Chipotle is now pouring premium Patron margaritas

Drinking your lunch got easier at Chipotle yesterday, when the homegrown Colorado chain introduced premium Patrón margaritas in all 900 of its U.S. restaurants (out of 1,450 Chipotle locations total). Although margaritas were on the menu before this, they were made with a standard mix, and Mark Cru ... More >>

Photos: Gather mixes craft cocktails inspired by local start-ups

Not every work environment has cocktails on-site, but if your office is at Galvanize, that's one of the amenities. Galvanize, the startup-tech common workspace in the Golden Triangle, has Gather to thank for that. Gather, the on-site cafe overseen by ChoLon chef-owner Lon Symensma, is mixing up ... More >>

A semi-lackluster happy-hour experience at Tamayo

Happy Place: Tamayo, 1400 Larimer Street, 720-946-1433. The Hours: Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. The Deals: $3.50 beer specials; $5 specialty cocktails; $3 small plates. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out.

Reader: Randy Layman pours out some love for the cocktail scene

Do you want a shot of attitude with that beer? Laura Shunk's interview with Adam Hodak, the Green Russell bartender who doesn't think bartenders should be pretentious, hit a few people in their funny bones, not to mention wallets lightened by the cost of craft cocktails. The comments keep flowing o ... More >>

Bartending superstar Jim Meehan descends upon the Mile High City next week

We might all be Manhattan and martini connoisseurs now, but not even ten years ago, properly made classic cocktails were a lot more difficult to find not just in Denver, but in any city. And cocktail bars -- at least the trendy cocktail bars that keep proliferating today -- were virtually non-exist ... More >>

Pizzeria Basta will roll out cocktails next week

Changes have been at the works at Pizzeria Basta, the Boulder-based restaurant that has served Napolitano-inspired -- but American-sourced -- pizzas paired to a wine and beer list for the past two years. A couple of months ago, chef/owner Kelly Whitaker rolled out a menu of housemade pastas to suppl ... More >>

Local deals on National Margarita Day

Happy National Margarita Day!​It's National Margarita Day, and although that's not an official holiday, several local restaurants are getting into the celebration with specials today. Among the party places:

Celebrate National Margarita Day with one of Denver's five best

Yesterday may have been a day of indulgence for those of you who used Mardi Gras as an excuse to stuff yourself with pancakes and get sloshed on Hurricanes. But if you're still going strong, you'll want to know that today is probably the best arbitrary hedonistic holiday of the whole year. That's ri ... More >>

At Pinche Taqueria, an irreverent cocktail program complements the food

As Kevin Morrison drew up plans for Pinche Taqueria, a brick-and-mortar version of his Pinche Tacos food truck, he gave a lot of thought to how to best use his newly acquired liquor license, creating a beverage board that would embody the cheeky nature of his brand.

Beer cocktail enthusiasts launch Beermixology.com

We've seen a lot of beer cocktails make best-beverage lists over the past year, and they range in complexity from a glorified michelada -- a classic Mexican blend of lime juice and lager -- to the Naughty Girl Scout, a drink on the list at Euclid Hall that uses a variety of spirits plus Left Hand mi ... More >>

Ask the bartender: What's up with Colorado winning so many contests?

I just returned from a week in Manhattan (New York, not Kansas), where I worked at the BAR 5-day program. The BAR 5-day is a masters'-level spirits and mixology course taught by six men -- F. Paul Pacult, Steve Olson, Andy Seymour, David Wondrich, Doug Frost and Dale Degroff -- who are icons in our ... More >>

Five Denver bartenders mix up vodka cocktails you can make at home

Kevin BurkeThe Gypsy Cocktail by Kevin Burke.​Vodka has been the most popular spirit in America since the 1970s, and there's no sign of it slowing down. As outlined in "Clear Thinking," this week's cover story about Spring44, vodka's popularity keeps growing year after year, expanding into a m ... More >>

Meet Marnie Ward, creator of the Tree Line and winner of the Colorado Cocktail Contest

Mark MangerMarnie Ward mixes her winning drinki at the Colorado Cocktail Contest.​What does Colorado taste like? Sunshine and cherries and whiskey, according to Marnie Ward, who created "Tree Line," the winner of the inaugural Colorado Cocktail Contest. "I love to go to the farmers' markets th ... More >>

Green Tea Mint Julep and Cupp O Spring at Row 14

​I stopped by Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar, the stylish new restaurant in the Spire whose bar is stashed behind floor-to-ceiling, chain-link drapes, just before the Kentucky Derby -- which was why the bartender's suggestion of a Green Tea Mint Julep ($10) seemed like a sacrilege. Some things, lik ... More >>

Under Larimer Square: why TAG | RAW BAR works and Green Russell doesn't

Mark MangerTAG | RAW BAR thrives in a basement spot under Larimer Square.​The basement is a hot place to be right now. Last year, two of Denver's top restaurateurs picked up underground spots in Larimer Square, opening unique concepts right at the edge of LoDo. The first was Green Russell, a ... More >>

Margs Taco Bistro now pouring in LoDo

Margs Taco Bistro.​Margs Taco Bistro, which opened last Friday at 1519 Wynkoop Street, is small and sleek, with a kitchen that specializes in "world tacos" -- offering Caprese, Asian and Moroccan variations on the Mexican staple. "We think there was a real need for something like this on thi ... More >>

Does La Loma make Denver's best white-trash margarita?

Original is good... strawberry is better.​We tasted a lot of house margaritas in preparation for our Best of Denver 2011 issue, and the marg at El Camino was hands down the Best House Margarita, as well as one of the most simple, true to the classic roots of this Mexican cocktail. At most Amer ... More >>

Top five martinis in Denver -- good, better, Best!

​We sipped our way through many martinis in our search for the best, and you know what we learned? Any bar can ice down three ounces of vodka or gin and pour it in an up glass" and CALL it a martini -- and many do -- but there are very few that do the classic version of the cocktail right. A c ... More >>

Reader: Skip the Big Gulp for a sotol margarita at Lola

Enter here for one of Lola's sotol margaritas..​Sean Kenyon is back from one of his many trips as this state's premier alcohol ambassador, pulling together the final details of the Colorado Cocktail Contest and offering some advice about making margaritas -- just in time for the warmer weather ... More >>

Ask the bartender: Denver is not Margaritaville

​Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource ... More >>

Happy National Margarita Day: Here are five great places to celebrate

​Fun fact: Today is National Margarita Day. And while February seems like a strange month to celebrate tequila mixed with lime (the margarita tastes like summer to us), we'll happily use this as an excuse to suck down one (or three) of the cocktails, especially since today's weather is almost ... More >>

Ask the bartender: Keep it simple, bartenders!

​Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource ... More >>

Ask the Bartender: What's the ideal Colorado cocktail?

Sean Kenyon mixes it up.​Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Be ... More >>

Ask the bartender: More on martinis

​Sean Kenyon knows how to pour -- both drinks, and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource ... More >>

James Lee leaves the Bitter Bar and Big Red F for a restaurant in Salida

James Lee and Dave Query​The explosion of cocktail culture in Colorado was ignited by a legion of talented bartenders working to prove that their craft is more than mixing rum and Cokes; it's creating drinks that reflect their deep understanding of spirits. And few bartenders have done more t ... More >>

Get happy at Denver's fifty best happy hours

Fat Tuesday's Pina Colada at the Tavern Downtown

Sean Kenyon raises the B.A.R. at Domaine De Canton competition

Nancy LevineSean Kenyon takes top spot at Domaine De Canton competition​ Last night Domaine de Canton and brand ambassador Bryan Dayton of Frasca hosted the semifinalist round of the Domaine de Canton bartender competition at TAG. Beyond bragging rights, the winner of the competition won a tri ... More >>

Staffing Up: More ideas for Mojitos

​ Both readers and restaurateurs had a lot of suggestions for what to do with the former home of Mojitos -- which isn't surprising, considering that this spot at 1120 East Sixth Avenue is a good location just begging for a good operator to go into it. And while I've already reported the new ... More >>

Nate Windham dishes dirt on the "dirty" martini

Behind the Bar: Ann Whitley of the Rio Grande

Nancy Levine​ On Saturday, August 15, the Rio Grande will celebrate ten years of pouring on the fun -- and pouring out the booze -- in LoDo. This homegrown chain is a margarita powerhouse; with only six restaurants, the Rio Grande restaurant group claims to be the largest seller of Jose Cuervo ... More >>

Taste of the Nation mixologists shake, stir and pour for a good cause

Lori MidsonHoney smoked peach cocktail from TAG's Jared Boller At last night's Taste of the Nation event at Mile High Station, nine Colorado mixologists muddled, shook, stirred, poured, begged, stole and offered bribes to the throngs of charitable party-goers who voted with dollar bills and tokens ... More >>

Rhubarb Martini at Olivea

Party down with Bob Schaffer's margarita

Did you miss this weekend's Cinco de Mayo festivities in Civic Center Park? You can still get a taste of them by picking up a bottle of Coyote Gold Premium Margarita -- the margarita that former U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer's wife, Maureen, is marketing along with her Fort Collins business par ... More >>

Colorado Bartenders Guild hosts first cocktail competition

For Colorado bartenders, taxes aren't the only thing due on April 15. That's also the deadline for submitting recipes to the first cocktail competition of the year organized by the Colorado Bartenders Guild (COBG). And I'll be helping to judge the results at 6 p.m. April 26 at Trios Enoteca, along w ... More >>

Cheers! The winner of the 2008 Holiday Cocktail Competition

'Tis a pleasure to drink in Colorado. On Saturday morning, I awoke with visions of sugerplums -- and whipped cream, and gingerbread, and chocolate sprinkles -- still dancing in my head. Just a few hours earlier, I'd sampled the last of sixteen entrees in the 2008 Holiday Cocktail Competition. I was ... More >>

Justin's Sweet Tea

A taste of honey.

Loca Hot

Rioja

Milago Taco Bar

Craven, craving behavior.

Black Mexican Martini

Lola

First, Do No Harm

First, Do No Harm

Prime 121 Martini

Prime 121

Sparkling Blue Eyes

Ventura Grille

Saketini

Sushi Sasa

Basil Mojito

Panzano