We raise our wine glasses to Le Grand Bistro and Oyster Bar

Happy Place: Le Grand Bistro and Oyster Bar, 1512 Curtis Street, 303-534-1155. The Hours: Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. The Deals: $3 Trummer Pilsner and wines by the glass; $1.25 deep cove oysters; $7-$12 small plates. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…

The ten best Colorado beers of 2011

Colorado breweries released dozens of amazing beers this year, further expanding their range and making once-exotic beers easy to find and enjoy. A few stood out above the rest, though. To make this list, the beers needed to have been new year-round offerings, seasonals that will return, old beers that…

Ask the bartender: Tom & Jerry gives a holiday party punch

Growing up, I was a fat kid — things haven’t changed — and I looked forward to egg nog every Christmas. I would drink tons of the stuff — thinking, “It’s milk, so it’s good for you, right?” It wasn’t until years later, during one of my thinner periods, that…

Behind the bar with Kelly Wooldridge at Trillium

Kelly Wooldridge, beverage director and sommelier at the recently opened Trillium, was still in high school when he felt the first stirrings of interest in professional bartending. “There was this guy, Willie Grandison, at the American Restaurant in Kansas City,” he explains. “This bartender had been there since the restaurant…

Five festive cocktails that aren’t just hot chocolate with schnapps

We’ll drink just about anything hot this time (and temperature) of the year, hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps (or some other sort of delicious liqueur) included. But there are a few cocktails on drink lists right now that make us clap our chilled hands with delight: Their warming qualities and…

The twelve wines of Christmas 2011: the rest of the best

With only a few days to go until Christmas, it’s time to ‘fess up: Have you been naughty or nice? For goodness’ sake, here’s hoping you’ve been on your very best behavior this year — because then you’re fully deserving of these six stupendous bottles. Read on for the continuation…

Stranahan’s will release Conundrum Peak Snowflake tomorrow

Stranahan’s built its brand on its original Colorado Whiskey, which grew the company from a micro-distillery to an explosive phenomenon — and then resulted in Proximo Spirits buying Stranahan’s late last year. Over the years, though, Stranahan’s has mixed it up every so often and released special bottles from the…

The Three Lions scores a goal on our roster

Happy Place: The Three Lions, 2239 East Colfax Avenue, 303-997-6886. The Hours: Daily from 3 to 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight. The Deals: $2-$5 bottle and draft beer specials; $3 well drinks; $3 wines by the glass; $3-$4.50 small plates. Were we happy? Flip the page to find…

Justin Biel lays into Justin Timberlake over 901 Tequila (video)

Justin Timberlake has his hands in a lot of culinary pots these days. While his barbecue restaurant, Southern Hospitality BBQ, expands across the country — including in Denver, with the help of One Republic frontman Ryan Tedder — he’s also trying to grow a spirits brand, 901 Tequila. And his…