Best Liquor Store — Selection 2019 | Molly's Spirits | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Liquor Store — Selection

Molly's Spirits

While "spirits" is right there in the Molly's moniker, that doesn't mean the store ignores beer lovers. Indeed, a Molly's Spirits booth is regularly found at local beer festivals — an indication that the owners want to offer as many kinds of potent potables as they can. In addition to an excellent array of wine from around Colorado, not to mention the rest of the world, and an equally deep and wide collection of other liquors, the store makes room for a diverse mix of bombers and twelve-packs for every taste and budget. And if you're not sure what you want beyond a good tippling experience, don't worry: The Molly's crew includes experts in pretty much every sort of imbibable, and their advice is sure to hit the spot.

Readers' Choice: Argonaut Liquor

Best Liquor Store — Price

Costco

When new regulations went into effect allowing grocery stores and other chain outlets to offer full-strength beer, wine and spirits, the Arvada Costco was ready to roll. It devotes an entire aisle to booze (next to the chips section, appropriately enough), with a prominent space reserved for its own Kirkland line of craft beers. But the cavernous warehouse also peddles plenty of additional brews, including many really good local beers. The major difference between this Costco and other liquor purveyors: The offerings here are often 30 to 50 percent less expensive than they'd be at the sort of retailers that once handled them exclusively. When it comes to cost, this Costco is Denver's new liquor price leader.

Readers' Choice: Argonaut Liquor

Best Wine Shop

Boulder Wine Merchant

The Boulder Wine Merchant has long been owned by master sommeliers (founders Sally Mohr and Wayne Belding passed the torch to Brett Zimmerman in 2010), making it a training ground for people interested in uncorking a career in wine. This benefits the discerning buyer in a few notable ways. First, staff expertise here is second to none in the region, which means you're going to get a well-thought-out recommendation, whether you're looking for a sub-$10 table wine or a special-occasion stunner. Second, the collection is both expansive and carefully considered, with several labels that you won't find anywhere else locally. And third, educational opportunities aren't just for staffers: The Merchant hosts a variety of tastings and events, and is quick to provide one-on-one tutelage when you stop by the shop.

Readers' Choice: Argonaut Liquor

Best Cooking Classes

Metro Caring

Metro Caring's mission is simple: to connect the community with healthy food by removing economic barriers and other stigma attached to the traditional food-bank model. In fact, the nonprofit has taken that model and turned it upside down, creating a market where residents can "shop" for their food, and offering cooking classes that incorporate seasonal fare into easy-to-execute recipes. Sessions are taught on site in English and Spanish, with a focus on nutrition, diabetes prevention, culturally relevant recipe-sharing and family-cooking experiences...and the results are nourishing for teachers and students alike.

Readers' Choice: Create Cooking School

Best Business Incubator for Refugees

Food Bridge Marketplace

Refugees are enduring unfair criticism these days; in truth, most of them are hardworking people just trying to make a better life for their families. The Lincoln Park job incubator Food Bridge Marketplace encourages that goal by giving Middle Eastern and African refugees a practical lesson in American entrepreneurship. Here they can sell specialty kitchen staples to neighbors, as well as offer a taste of their exotic homeland cuisines at food-vendor booths. As a result, Food Bridge Marketplace is not just a critical step for those trying to find success in a new land; it's also a delicious place to visit for those who were born here.

Best Farmers' Market

Boulder County Farmers' Market

Juliet Wittman

Long before farmers' markets popped up in just about every neighborhood in the metro area, there was the Boulder County Farmers' Market, a twice-weekly gathering of local growers, ranchers, dairy farmers and purveyors that consistently lured a large community of shoppers, chefs, browsers and socialites. That market — held on Saturdays from April through November and also on Wednesdays from May to October — has only gotten better with age, adding food trucks, makers, cooking demonstrations and live music over the years. The model's been so successful that market managers have spun off satellite markets in Longmont and Lafayette and at Denver's Union Station. Still, it's worth a trip to the original: Go early if you're after tip-top ingredients, later if you're into the social scene.

Readers' Choice: Old South Pearl Street Farmers' Market

Best Re-Blossoming

Plant Garage

We loved the tiny Golden Triangle gardening shop Urban Roots from the very beginning, when Diane Stahl opened it up more than fifteen years ago — and it was a sad day when Susanne Wood, who eventually took over the store, retired and closed its doors last fall. But then ten-year Urban Roots manager David Gesink, landscape manager Meagan Murray and Jim Henry teamed up to revive the space under a new name, Plant Garage. Indoor plants now abound inside as the new owners rev up for their first spring gardening season. Here's to upward growth!

Best Houseplant Haven With Folk Art

Green Lady Gardens

Bold color meets greenery in the loveliest way at Green Lady Gardens, which captures the spirit of a Mexican patio garden, only indoors. Mexi-colored walls and Latin American folk art adorn the shop, but the real stars of the show are the plants, with regular shipments bringing new life to the premises every week. An emphasis on indoor plant-care tips and personalized customer service make Green Lady Gardens a beginner's paradise, as well as a standby where old hands with green thumbs can refurbish their collections.

Best DIY Flower-Arranging Workshops

Little Lula Rose

The charming Little Lula Rose is blooming in the grit of East Colfax, and the shop invites you to dig into the nuances of creating your own gorgeous arrangements. Little Lula Rose offers workshops that will help you transform store-bought flowers into lovely bouquets; the pros here will also advise you on how to plant your garden with a goal of creating a bountiful harvest of flowers perfect for making full-blown arrangements at home.

Best Indoor Herb Garden

edn

No, edn doesn't specialize in that kind of herb, so check your dorm-room fantasies at the door. A local company founded in 2016, edn combines a love of technology, design and nature in a smartgarden that allows you to grow herbs, flowers and other plants in any room of your home. There's no need for natural sunlight; there's no need for rain. These smartgardens give you control of the weather, notify you when your plants are thirsty or ready to cultivate, and guide you through the whole process from seed to harvest. The company even offers a subscription service for seed pods based on cultivation cycles, or you can purchase single units based on your needs. In a world of limitless connectivity, edn has found the way to connect you to your indoor garden.

edntech.com

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