Photos: Smashing cocktails from the Winter Talent Showcase

An appreciative crowd of convivial drinkers bellied up to the bar last night at Ghost Plate & Tap, the site of Industry Denver's first Winter Talent Showcase, a cocktail-centric bash that pimped the mad mixology skills of several Denver bartenders, including Dante Reesman, Melissa Durant, Matty Durgin, Jason Patz, Anthony Giovanni and Ken Kodys. Each bartender collaborated with a local distillery -- Mile High Spirits, Dancing Pines Distillery, Peach Street Distillers, Spring 44, Spirit Hounds and Leopold Bros. -- and the cocktails (the majority of them, anyway) were worthy of an encore.

I was there for all the revelry, and brought back a gallery of photos that captured the merriment. For a full-on photographic journey of last night's festivities, check out our full Winter Talent Showcase slide show.

See also: - Photos: Beer and cheer at Wynkoop's Parade of Darks - Seven Colorado food and spirits producers emerge as finalists for a 2013 Good Food Award - Ken Kodys wins the 42Below Cocktail World Cup

For more photos, check out our full slide show.