A Spooky Immersive Pop-Up Bar Is Coming to Yacht Club

Black Lagoon, an immersive pop-up with plenty of creepy, macabre elements, is coming to Yacht Club in the Clayton neighborhood October 17-31.

Created by bartenders Erin Hayes and Kelsey Ramage, Black Lagoon started last year in Toronto, where Ramage lives and works. After a successful run, the pair decided to expand operations to other areas in North America – eight in total.

“We wanted to go to cities with strong countercultures, like goth kids, and work with amazing cocktail partners,” says Hayes, who was at a preview of the pop-up on August 23. She and Ramage also wanted their Black Lagoon to go to bartender-owned bars, particularly those run by women. 

The idea of Black Lagoon is to immerse guests in a Halloween-themed bar complete with signature cocktails, unique glassware, creepy decor and a whole lot of scary surprises. Much like Miracle Bar, a Christmas-themed pop-up that’s been around the last few years (and is owned by other people), Hayes says Black Lagoon will sell itself as a holiday package for select venues to purchase and promote.

For Denver, Hayes reached out to Mary Allison Wright and McLain Hedges, the couple who own and run Yacht Club at 3701 North Williams Street, which was one of four finalists for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar at this year’s Spirited Awards. Deciding to dedicate their bar to a special menu and decor for most of October wasn’t taken lightly, and it isn’t something the pair would normally go for. But, says Wright, Hayes and Ramage are close personal friends whom she respects as skilled bar women. Plus, she loves the spooky theme and believes Halloween can, and should, be celebrated more than one day a year.

“I am always very wary of pop-ups,” Wright admits. “It can be a great way to experiment and see what works, but that can also be jarring for the guests, and it’s hard to hit that stride and make it dynamic enough and not a waste of time or money.”

Wright and Hedges have no doubt that Yacht Club guests will dig Black Lagoon, which they see as more than a gimmick. The six-drink menu features a carefully curated list of cocktails created by skilled bartenders, like the Blood Rave, a smoky and earthy mixture of mezcal, tequila, Cointreau, lime and beets; or the sparkly Lillith’s Cup, with two types of rum, white vermouth, Aperitivo, passion fruit and edible glitter. 

Yacht Club will also present a spooky spread of food throughout the Black Lagoon run. At the preview, the team experimented with black hot dogs, which they say might make the final cut come October.

Once open, expect lots of Gothic swamp-themed decor, including hanging vines, tombstones, bloody body parts, scary movies projected on the wall, and a whole lot of dark, delicious drinks.