Three Denver Spots Nominated as Best New Bars in U.S.

Denver has long been known as a beer town. But the city’s cocktail scene has come on strong in recent years (pun intended), with several recent additions making waves both locally and nationally: Three Denver watering holes are now in the running for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar, as selected by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Spirited Awards 2026 Top Ten Regional Honorees.

The three bars named are Rougarou in Five Points, Semiprecious in Sunnyside, and the Peach Crease Club in RiNo. Also rating in other categories on the contest are Yacht Club, which has been piling up accolades of late, LoHi’s Lady Jane, and the venerable Cruise Room.

For Yacht Club and Lady Jane, such recognition is nothing new. In March, Yacht Club landed on the North America’s 50 Best Bars list, at number 67. While that’s a bit of a slide from the number 41 and 42 positions it scored in recent years, owners Mary Allison Wright and McLain Hedges are likely too busy enjoying their James Beard Award finalist nomination in the Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service to really mind. 

The Cole neighborhood hot spot just landed on the Tales of the Cocktail U.S. Regional Top 10 Honorees list for Best Bar Team in the U.S. West, which makes Yacht Club eligible to win the national award when announced in July; it was already named Best U.S. Bar in 2024. 

LoHi’s Lady Jane, which Westword named best new bar in 2019, is up this year for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar; it joins Yacht Club in the Best U.S. Bar Team category as well. The Cruise Room at the Oxford Hotel is on the top 10 Best U.S. Hotel Bar list…which seems shocking only in that it hasn’t made that roster before (or won already). 

What’s also interesting about this year’s Tales of the Cocktail list is the sheer number of Denver bars listed across the various categories in the U.S. West, with six different spots represented. Last year, only two Denver establishments were included in the Regional Awards list: Yacht Club and Lady Jane.

But the real eye-opener is that three Denver watering holes are in the running for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar. Only Los Angeles has more establishments represented in the category, with five. 

All three Denver entrants are solid contenders. Semiprecious opened to great fanfare last year; it’s backed by cocktail industry pros Mike Capoferri and Jon Hartman, whose L.A. watering hole Thunderbolt made the 50 Best Bars in North America list in 2023. Rougarou, meanwhile,bwas named “Best New Bar” in the 2026 Best of Denver for its deft balance of upscale drinks with swampy Southern vibes and fare. (Incidentally, executive chef JohnDavid Wright is the brother of Yacht Club’s Mary Allison Wright.) And the Peach Crease Club, which husband-and-wife owners Stuart Jensen and Alex Jump opened last year next to Mission Ballroom, was included in our 2026 Best of Denver list for its culinary-inspired cocktails (think borscht-flavored martinis).

Last year, Denver had two bars total on the Tales of the Spirit regional list. This year’s lineup contains the most Denver bars since 2022, which also featured six establishments.

The top four finalists in each category will be revealed in June, with the “Spirited Awards Winners” named at the organization’s annual ceremony in New Orleans on July 23.

Thirsty for more? Browse Westword’s list of the Top 100 bars in the metro area.