High Street Speakeasy
3862 High Street
303-298-9333
I've always wished I could have partied through the Roaring '20s -- with their bathtubs full of gin, fabulous fashions and gangster-owned, back-alley bars. But now, at the High Street Speakeasy, it's easy to go back in time and drink to everything that the 18th Amendment didn't stand for. High Street, opened by former Williams Tavern owner John Wallace in a reputed former brothel, is well off the beaten-to-death LoDo path in the Cole neighborhood and has the aura of a secret club where a whispered password is required for entry. Inside, the molded ceilings are high, the jukebox is loaded with jazz and blues, the pool room in back is a good place to try your luck, and the shelves behind the large wooden bar are stocked with high-end liquors that the snazzily dressed and knowledgeable bartenders use to mix deceptively stiff concoctions. My favorite is the Tom Collins ($7), a mixture of Hendricks Gin, fresh-squeezed lime and lemon juices, and a splash each of Rock Candy Syrup and 7-Up. Served on the rocks in a tall, frosted glass, the Tom Collins tastes as innocent as sweet lemonade -- but drink two, and you'll be doing the Charleston on the dance floor with me in no time. Other illicit treats include the Gone Tropo, Iced Diva and a mean Manhattan. If you manage to find the place, I'll be the mysterious lady at the end of the bar in a feathered headpiece. -- Julie Dunn
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