It's a Tough Job, but Someone's Got to Do It: Choosing 100 Favorite Bars

One hundred may seem like a large number, but every year, it's a challenge to fit everything we love about drinking in metro Denver into "Drink Here," our annual list of the 100 bars we can't imagine living without.

As the new year approaches, we've dropped the 2024 edition just in time for the biggest drinking day of the year: Thanksgiving Eve. Check out the new list here, and before you start challenging our choices, we'll answer the question:

How do we make the picks?

It's a year-long process that involves a spreadsheet full of notes, with past choices and an ever-evolving list of new recommendations from Westword staffers, contributors and readers, as well as anyone I end up talking with in bars while I'm out imbibing. This latest edition includes 61 spots that retained their place in the mix, along with 39 more either making a comeback or appearing for the very first time.
The list is totally subjective, of course. One person's favorite watering hole might be their reliable neighborhood go-to, while another person might be looking for the cheapest drinks, the most carefully crafted cocktail or the best beer selection. Some people like a rowdy spot; others prefer to sip the evening away in a quiet corner.

With "Drink Here," we aim to cover all the bases. That means a decades-old Colfax dive such as PS Lounge has a place right next to a snazzy newcomer like Ay Papi. For every spot like Lakeview Lounge, which is known for its mystery shots in brown paper bags, there's a pick like Death & Co., where the upscale cocktail menu is arranged in sections dubbed "Elegant & Timeliness" and "Rich & Comforting." Breweries and distilleries are fair game, as are places like Pony Up and Hops & Pie, which toe the line between bar and restaurant.

Our picks are not limited to Denver city limits, but span the metro area. From the Lazy Greyhound in Littleton, which is modeled after British gentlemen's pubs, to the Stockroom in Arvada, a bar that's hidden in the back of a liquor store, to the 100-year-old Sink in Boulder, a good bar knows no geographic limits (as long as it's within Westword's circulation area).
Our goal is to offer up places where we're always happy to meet people, spots we go to for an escape, and the bars that we'd definitely miss if they were gone.

If you're up for a boozy challenge, follow the lead of a pair of readers who successfully drank their way through last year's edition, doling out their own gold- and silver-medal ratings along the way, as well as a few skull-and-crossbones.

One of those "beware" designations went to Carioca Cafe, better known as Bar Bar, which is still in our top 100 favorites, because not every bar is for every person. That's a fact we celebrate: This city would be a lot less fun if every bar was the same.

So raise a glass as we head into another year of good drinking in the Mile High City!