Ahhh, Thanksgiving: the official start to the glorious holiday season, when friends and family are certain to drive you crazy — or at least drive you to drink. And there’s no better place to do that than Charlie Brown’s Bar and Grill, a wonderfully dilapidated Denver drinking institution and a…
When you’re searching for a delicious martini downtown, all you have to do is look up. A bright-blue neon martini glass — complete with a green neon olive and red neon swizzle stick — glows like a beacon on the facade of Marlowe’s, a longtime favorite of tourists, business types…
A century ago, the neighborhood we all know and love as LoDo was teeming with fancy saloons, gambling halls, opium dens, rough cowboys and sinful prostitutes — also known as “brides of the multitudes” or “soiled doves.” Capitalizing on this history of debauchery, the Soiled Dove is still dark and…
It might be chilly outside, but the scene inside Mynt Lounge, a chic new LoDo club, is hotter than Miami Beach in July. Mynt features extensive mojito and martini lineups. Among the martinis is the Strawberry Banana Martini ($7), made with Stoli Strasberi Vodka and crème de banana. Served shaken,…
Legend has it that sake, the Japanese wine made from fermented rice, was originally called kuchikami no sake, which means “chewing in the mouth sake.” An entire village would gather to chew up nuts, rice and other tasty grains and then spit the result into a tub, where the enzymes…
Cool, dark and smoothly sexy — that description applies to both Sambuca Jazz Cafe and its Chocolate Mint Martini. Made with Fris Vodka, DeKuyper Peppermint Schnapps and Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur and garnished with a cherry, this black martini ($8) is served straight-up with a thin layer of ice on…
No bar in Denver celebrates the good life like the elegant art-deco Cruise Room, located off the lobby of the 111-year-old Oxford Hotel. Opened with much celebration on the day that Prohibition was repealed, this long, narrow lounge is still unmatched for its glowing atmosphere, polished service, comfy leather booths…
Start saving your pesos: A night at Tamayo, Larimer Square’s upscale, modern Mexican cantina, could wind up costing you a pretty penny. Or leave work early, because hora feliz, Tamayo’s version of happy hour, is one of the town’s best bargains. From 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, Tamayo…
With ceiling fans spinning lazily over the old wooden bar, sexy bartenders, and Gloria Gaynor blasting from the speakers, JR.’s is the perfect place to spend a naughty night. This is definitely one of Denver’s most happening gay bars, and the Blow Job shot ($5) is one reason why. Made…
The Cosmopolitan, a cocktail made famous by the sassy, serially unattached women on HBO’s Sex and the City, is the ultimate single woman’s drink — and there’s no better place to down one than the Cool River Cafe, suburban Denver’s ultimate pickup joint. At any given happy hour on any…
While the players prepare to hit the ice for the 2002-’03 Colorado Avalanche season, Brauns Bar and Grill offers Le Puck, a martini created especially for Avs fans. If you love licorice, this dark cocktail ($7) made with Pearl Vodka and Romana Black Sambuca and garnished with two red licorice…
That crazy Aussie Steve Irwin may make his living pouncing on snakes and alligators in the untamed wild, but all you have to do to snag such a beast is order a Dirty Alligator at the Cherry Cricket. The Dirty Alligator is one of the Cricket’s specialty shots, served in…
As Michelangelo discovered in the Sistine Chapel, creating an Italian masterpiece takes time. Mixing a great cocktail does, too — but the Limon Cello at Campo de Fiori is more than worth the wait. Poured from a glass decanter into a frozen shot glass, the Limon Cello mixes a simple…
Ready for some monkey business? Follow the brightly painted arrows on Colfax past Kitty’s and right into Dulcinea’s 100th Monkey, Denver’s newest jazz venue. This no-frills dark den fills up nightly with the town’s hipper cats, who lounge on comfortable couches and listen to live jazz; Colfax regulars, who make…
Rocky Balboa’s glass full of raw eggs won’t prepare you for the Knockout, the signature martini at Sullivan’s, a swank LoDo steakhouse named for legendary pugilist John L. Sullivan, the “Boston Strong Boy.” This killer cocktail is made with fresh Hawaiian pineapple slices that have been marinated for seven to…
“Wasted away again in Margaritaville…” You can practically picture Jimmy Buffett, who made it fashionable to fritter away sunny days, spending an idle August afternoon in Lakewood, belly-up to Gordo’s bar, while Sixth Avenue traffic speeds past in the distance. Gordo’s, which roughly translates as “Fatso’s” in Spanish, was founded…
As Russell Crowe strutted around the Colosseum — a scantily clad warrior seeking revenge — he should have challenged his opponents to the Gladiator drop-shot at the Foundry Cafe and Billiards Club: It would have brought them to their knees. To deliver this knockout, the Foundry fills a pint glass…
Cucina Colore 3041 East Third Avenue 303-393-6917 Columbus proved that the Earth isn’t flat — but you could be flat on your back after one too many drinks honoring Italy’s most famous explorer. Cucina Colore’s refreshing New World Sangria — the creation of owner Venanzio Momo — is a fruit-filled…
Denver may be totally landlocked, but even so, a tropical storm blew into town this winter when Gumbo’s opened in LoDo and began serving its potent Hurricane. According to legend, the bright-red cocktail was created during World War II when brown liquors, such as whiskey, were in short supply; in…
With the mountains and plains of Colorado drier than a tinderbox, the best way to get Rocky Mountain high this summer could be to sip a Blue Sky Martini inside the cool, cavernous Blue Sky Grill. Made with Skyy Vodka and Blue Curacao and served straight up with a lemon…
If you’re on a hot date and looking to score, take her to Hapa Sushi and show off your sensitivity by sipping a naughty pink G Spot. The word “cocktail” has never sounded more appropriate than it does at Hapa Sushi, a swank Cherry Creek sushi grill and sake bar…
The classic remedy for soothing the pain of a bee or wasp sting is to apply a cold compress and baking soda. But if you’re stung by one of the nasty little buggers this summer, the contemporary treatment is to head to the Hornet for a medicinal Rum-O-Rita. Served on…
