American Bonded Reopens February 9 With New Ownership and Food From Soi Kowboi

After finding success with Seven Grand, the whiskey bar at 1855 Blake Street, Pouring With Heart Hospitality is expanding its presence in Denver. The California-based hospitality group recently purchased the Crimson Room in Larimer Square, and is reopening American Bonded at 2706 Larimer Street.

Originally opened in 2018 by Williams & Graham founder Sean Kenyon along with Lisa Vedovelli and Justin Anthony, the bar closed after New Year's Eve for renovations and staff training once Pouring With Heart took ownership. It will keep its name and continue its previous mission to serve affordable high-quality drinks. Pouring With Heart "really just gave us all a place to flourish," says Will Blankenship, a former Seven Grand employee who is now one of the new American Bonded managers.

Guests will get a first taste of the new American Bonded at its Thursday, February 9, grand-opening party,  which runs from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. The event will include a live DJ set by Jake Whiskey from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and a limited menu from the bar's new food partner, Soi Kowboi.

Led by Blake Blacksberg, the self-proclaimed Soi Bois are no stranger to the RiNo area. After a name change in early 2022, Soi Kowboi started slinging Thai hot chicken sandwiches and Spam kimchi sliders at the pop-up kitchen at Gold Point last May. In September, it made the move over to Zeppelin Station as part of a major reboot for the food hall.
But with Zeppelin Station still finding its footing, Blacksberg says it was a no-brainer for Soi Kowboi to make the jump back to Larimer Street when the lease opened up at American Bonded. The opening menu will include some fan favorites, including smashburgers, a vegan burger and spicy chicken tenders.

“The tempting Soi Kowboi food offerings pair really well with our carefully chosen menu of high-quality cocktails and local brews,” says Pouring With Heart’s Denver director of operations, Erbin Garcia.

The new bar menu is built around classically inspired cocktails, including a Red Hook Manhattan, a Flordora, a Boulevardier Negroni, a Rattlesnake Whiskey Sour, a Toki Highball Collins and a Mezcal Paloma. Local beer is on tap as well, including Odell Brewing’s 90 Shilling and Drumroll APA, Stem Cider Hibiscus and Tivoli Brewing Company’s Rocky Man Outlaw.

Pouring With Heart currently operates over twenty venues in California, Texas and Colorado, with a focus on preserving bars and nourishing careers in hospitality.
A dozen blocks down Larimer, the ownership change at the Crimson Room is part of the evolution of historic Larimer Square under North Carolina-based Asana Partners. The block is gearing up for major renovations, which recently led to the closures of Bistro Vendôme (which is reopening this month in Park Hill), Green Russell and Russell's Smokehouse.

Formerly a hidden jazz club and martini bar located under Ted's Montana Grill, the Crimson Room closed in 2020, in part because of the impact the pandemic had on the live-music scene. Now it's slated for a summer grand opening under Pouring With Heart, which will transform it into a tropical rum bar.

Although Pouring With Heart was founded out of state, its commitment to building a team in Denver and promoting from within should fit in well in the Mile High.