Sorry Gorgeous Is Upping Denver's Rooftop Bar Game

“We are fortunate enough to have our reputation as a group to get approached to do something that was pretty unique,” says Nicole Lebedevitch of the Culinary Creative Group (CCG), the company behind spots such as Bar Dough, Mister Oso, Kumoya, A5 Steakhouse and more.

In October, the group debuted Sorry Gorgeous, a sleek rooftop bar and cocktail lounge on the twelfth floor of Novel RiNo by Crescent Communities, which is also home to another CCG concept, chef Carlo Lamagna's new Filipino eatery, Magna Kainan.

Lebedevitch is a seasoned pro in the spirits community, having climbed the ranks in the Boston food and beverage scene before making her way to Denver. After curating the beverage program for CCG's Mediterranean concept Ash’Kara, Lebedevitch took the reins as a managing partner and director of beverage for the group, opening its Cherry Creek bars Forget Me Not and Ay Papi. She has impeccable attention to detail and a keen understanding of how to provide a welcoming atmosphere for any occasion. Now, with Sorry Gorgeous, the sky’s the limit.

While rooftop bars have long been a staple in major cities, including Denver, Sorry Gorgeous is bringing something new to the city's nightlife scene. Floor-to-ceiling windows and an outdoor patio with fire pits ensure that guests take in the dazzling view of the mountains and the city skyline simultaneously. Lebedevitch explains that when people hyper-fixate on mountain views, ”you forget that there's a heart and soul [to these spaces], and that heart and soul is the city of Denver. To get the view of both of those things is so beautiful.”
And the views are just the beginning, as Sorry Gorgeous offers an array of high-end spirits and innovative cocktails. “We play with flavors,” says Lebedevitch. “Serving a martini with a spoonful of caviar as an option alongside it, for example, makes this space a destination to get that next-level experience.”

While Lebedevitch loves to get creative, she is conscious of covering the fundamentals, too. “The world is run on agave, let's be honest. Tequila is the end all be all and it's where people find comfort," she notes. "And so making sure that you've got your bases covered with great tequila selections as well as tequila cocktails is there.” The Journeyman, a cocktail similar to the La Pina at Forget Me Not, is a specialty cocktail with light floral notes from lemongrass and Thai basil that round out the velvety combination of pineapple juice and tequila.

While having a wow factor is important, taste is always the priority, Lebedevitch notes. “Make sure that it's great first, and then you can incorporate some of the trends, be it fancy garnish, cool glassware, large shared drinks, unique modifiers and cool flavors that people are looking for," she says, cautioning that chasing trends could compromise the quality.

The bar also offers a limited selection of bites including meat and cheese platters, burrata, flatbread and summer rolls. “We don't have a traditional kitchen in any of our cocktail bars, so that limits us to what we can do, but it doesn't stop us from being creative and exploratory,” says Lebedevitch.
Running a cocktail bar attached to a residential space presents particular challenges, she admits, but those challenges bring opportunities for inventive adaptations. “You're playing in complement to what [residents] are looking for because they're our natural guests,” she notes, but the Sorry Gorgeous team is also constantly fine-tuning its approach, from noise level to flow of service, events and specials, to avoid being pigeonholed as just a resident clubhouse.

“I think that's what makes our cocktail bars so special, is that they can be a little bit of everything to everybody," says Lebedevitch. "You know, a date night, a super girls' night out, a place to just blow off some steam, or an intimate little cozy spot to just hang out and have a drink.”

She is also taking note of the community culture in RiNo to ensure that Sorry Gorgeous is a worthy destination for those not living in the immediate area. “Meeting expectations for someone who is coming to a destination is more challenging than someone who just walks into a bar," she notes. "They spent the time to get here. They spent the money to take an Uber or to find parking or all of those things. So we're making sure that we're meeting those expectations.”

Heading into winter, Lebedevitch says to look out for a hot drink program. Cold temperatures "don't mean that you can't sit outside and have a really great hot drink by the fireplace," she says, noting that Sorry Gorgeous is a year-round experience.

Sorry Gorgeous offers reservations for tables and banquettes, while bar and patio seating are first come, first served.

“I want everyone to know that this is a cocktail lounge that looks over the city of Denver and gives you a new perspective on the city and on the drinking and nightlife culture that we're building here," Lebedevitch concludes.

Sorry Gorgeous is located at 1350 40th Street and is open from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. to midnight Wednesday and Sunday. For more information, visit sorrygorgeousrooftop.com.