Best Strong Drink 2004 | Mario's Double Daughters Salotto | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Strong Drink

Mario's Double Daughters Salotto

What do you get when you combine seventeen liquors with a smidgen of water? At Mario's Double Daughters, it's called Succo Vaffanculodi Mario, which translates roughly into English as "Mario's go-fuck-yourself juice." While the super-strong recipe is a well-guarded secret, the bright-red concoction is on display front and center in this whimsical LoDo bar, mocking weak stomachs as it gurgles in a glowing brass-and-steel tank riveted behind the long bar. If you're smart enough to pair the potent cocktail with a slice of greasy pizza from next-door sibling Two-Fisted Mario's, you might not black out after two glasses. But don't count on it.

Best Beer List

Falling Rock Taphouse

Falling Rock's long list of "best taphouse in the nation" honors includes a fresh nod from Celebrator Beer News, and the house lives up to the acclaim. Over seventy taps of the world's best beers -- as well as a hefty collection of classic and obscure bottled beers and knowledgeable staffers serving them in a great relaxed atmosphere -- make Falling Rock a mecca for local and visiting brew fiends alike.

Best Specialty Margarita

Cielo

Good margaritas are a dime a dozen in this town. But Cielo raises the tequila bar with its Hot & Cold margarita, a hot twist on the cool classic. Made with triple citrus and chile-infused Chinaco Silver, a splash of dry vermouth and olive and serrano-chile juices, this marg bursts with exotic flavors and leaves a warm, spicy afterglow on your tongue. Douse the fire with complimentary nibbles in the candlelit Hacienda Bar, which spills out onto Cielo's stucco patio -- an ideal spot for springtime sipping.

Best Cask-Conditioned Beer

Bull & Bush

The Bull & Bush's award-winning India Pale Ale gets even better when it's served off the beer engine at the B&B. The cask-style Man is a hazy, golden nectar for hop-heads, loaded with verdant, thrilling hops flavors and a complement of pale malt tastes and alcohol. Yeah, Man.

Best Strong Drink

Mario's Double Daughters Salotto

What do you get when you combine seventeen liquors with a smidgen of water? At Mario's Double Daughters, it's called Succo Vaffanculodi Mario, which translates roughly into English as "Mario's go-fuck-yourself juice." While the super-strong recipe is a well-guarded secret, the bright-red concoction is on display front and center in this whimsical LoDo bar, mocking weak stomachs as it gurgles in a glowing brass-and-steel tank riveted behind the long bar. If you're smart enough to pair the potent cocktail with a slice of greasy pizza from next-door sibling Two-Fisted Mario's, you might not black out after two glasses. But don't count on it.

Best Beer List

Falling Rock Taphouse

Falling Rock's long list of "best taphouse in the nation" honors includes a fresh nod from Celebrator Beer News, and the house lives up to the acclaim. Over seventy taps of the world's best beers -- as well as a hefty collection of classic and obscure bottled beers and knowledgeable staffers serving them in a great relaxed atmosphere -- make Falling Rock a mecca for local and visiting brew fiends alike.

Best Brewpub Beer List

Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery

Take a seat in the front room of the Mountain Sun and enjoy the wondrous array of world-class beers served here. Peek into the brewery at the back of the pub, and wonder how such a tiny operation can craft so much liquid treasure. Brewmaster David Chichura's lineup is astounding, from the Sun's hoppy gems to its finely crafted ales, wheat beers and the legendary Java Porter. A rich roster of guest beers gives this brewpub the finest suds selection in the state.

Best Cask-Conditioned Beer

Bull & Bush

Evan Semón
The Bull & Bush's award-winning India Pale Ale gets even better when it's served off the beer engine at the B&B. The cask-style Man is a hazy, golden nectar for hop-heads, loaded with verdant, thrilling hops flavors and a complement of pale malt tastes and alcohol. Yeah, Man.

Best Microbrew

Trippel

Most people know Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewing for its huge-selling Fat Tire, but serious beer nuts love its more ambitious beers. And Trippel is the best of New Belgium's bolder bunch. This honey-hued, bottle-conditioned wonder is brewed with a Belgian yeast, by a Belgian brewer (the revered Peter Bouckaert), and blessed with Saaz hops. Better and more elegant than most of its brewed-in-Belgium counterparts, Trippel delivers a crisp malt profile, hints of herbal bitterness and a deceptive 8.5 percent alcohol by volume.

Best Bartender

Sharon Guisinger, High Street Speakeasy

Sharon Guisinger is the only O.B. (original bartender) left at the High Street Speakeasy, which opened just a year ago, but in our book, she's the best anywhere in town. It's telling that Guisinger -- a registered nurse by day -- is studying to become an emergency-room nurse or Flight for Life EMT, because she's cool under pressure and able to multi-task at warp nine when her bar's packed. (She generally works Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays.) But when the Speakeasy's down to just a handful of customers, Guisinger's truly at her best. She's a naturally feisty conversationalist, as well as an excellent listener -- and both are prime bartender traits. She also mixes a mean drink, especially her own original concoctions. Try the sticky but tasty Astronaut (sorry, secret recipe) or, better yet, her Iced Diva (fresh coffee, Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur, half and half, Baileys and Kahla).

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