Drink of the Week

I rarely look forward to going to the 'burbs, but this weekend I'm getting the hell out of downtown and Cherry Creek. I know that some people are really excited about the All-Star Game and all the hoopla (read: hype) surrounding it, but I'm not a basketball enthusiast, and to me it sounds like stepping through the gates of hell: big crowds, adolescent groupies and stupid drunks. While I know I'm not going to get any good-citizen awards from Downtown Denver for suggesting that people flee the city, even thinking about going out in LoDo -- where streets will be closed off for the all-powerful Michael Jordan -- is a really good way to harsh on my buzz. Better to keep that buzz alive by heading to Fleming's, one of my favorite new bars out in the Denver Tech Center, and one that lacks the Barbie-and-Ken clientele you'll find at other joints in the Land of Steakhouses. At this haven from over-the-top plastic surgery, I like to order the Platinum Tea ($8.95): Skyy Vodka, Jose Cuervo 1800 Reposado Tequila and Grand Marnier topped with Coke and freshly squeezed lemon. It's a grown-up version of a Long Island Iced Tea, one of my standby cocktails when I enjoyed big crowds, adolescent groupies and stupid drunks. If you're looking for something even more grown-up, Fleming's Classic Martini ($10.95), made with Ketel One, sweet vermouth and blue-cheese olives, is very adult. As the saying goes, though, you can only be young once -- but you can be immature forever.