The Crow's Nest Is a Golf Bar for Non-Members Only

The Crow’s Nest, a cocktail bar extension of the South Broadway Country Club’s (SBCC) location at 4200 Tennyson Street, opened to politely quiet applause on December 10. It's named after the clubhouse at the Augusta National Golf Course, but it aims to be more accessible than its namesake. It is, as its motto reads, for “non-members only.”

There's no direct affiliation with the Augusta Crow’s Nest; the name is simply a nod to the golf institution that owner Kelly Huff grew up idolizing. “[It’s] an homage to Augusta National’s upstairs quarters, where the amateurs get to stay during the Masters,” he explains. “Being that I’m from Georgia, the Masters is sacred to me.”

Huff, a professional golf instructor, opened the first SBCC on South Broadway in 2017. Since then, he’s added the Tennyson location, with a third SBCC slated to open in Fort Collins this spring.

Both SBCCs include bars, but when the Pilates studio that occupied the second floor above the Tennyson location closed, Huff seized the opportunity to create a golf-themed bar, versus a bar inside of a golf club. To him, it’s an important distinction. “Our goal with the Crow’s Nest was to offer a more elevated version of our other locations," he notes. "It’s a slightly different vibe, with more of a cocktail lounge feel."

The Crow’s Nest is an extension of the brand, but it’s not as golf-forward. There’s one Trackman simulation machine, but the focus is on cocktails. Huff hired Jennifer Mattioni as bar manager and beverage director. Her resume includes being one of the original co-owners of Q House, which received a James Beard award nomination for Best New Restaurant in 2019, and cocktail creator for the Colorado Five in 2019, 2020 and 2021; she also serves on the board of the Colorado Bartenders Guild. “Golf is the draw, but this is a space where people can come hang out and have a cocktail or a glass of wine and sit in a cool bar,” say Mattioni, who admits that she is not a golfer herself.
Although the menu is whiskey-forward, it was important to Mattioni to offer something for everyone. “There are boozier, spirit-forward drinks, but also citrusy, lighter cocktails,” she notes. The menu features inventive takes on whiskey classics such as the Old Fashioned, but offers balance with drinks like the Green Jacket, made with two types of gin, Chareau aloe liqueur, Italicus bergamot liqueur, cucumber and lemongrass.

Keeping with the golf theme, the cocktails are playfully named, with options like the Who’s Your Caddy. Garnished with dehydrated apple and made with apple Scotch, Honeycrisp apples and honey infused with apple blossoms and turmeric, it “highlights local, seasonal produce and spirits we like to work with as well,” Mattioni says, which was one of her goals when creating the menu.

She also wanted to be inclusive of non-drinkers. “I’ve always thought that’s really important. You should never assume that everybody drinks alcohol,” she adds. The menu boasts a range of non-alcoholic beverages, and most of the cocktails can be made with Seedlip non-alcoholic distilled spirits.
The N/A menu keeps the golf theme going with drinks like On the Green, made with Seedlip Garden, serrano, cucumber, lemongrass and lime. "It is like a refreshing N/A margarita meets a spa water," says Mattioni.

The Crow's Nest itself is a large, airy space, complete with a wraparound rooftop patio that will be open in the summer months. It's accented by a green wall and rattan furniture, reminiscent of Huff’s Southern upbringing. “[It] speaks upscale, Southern charm to me,” he says.

The Crow's Nest is located on the second floor of 4200 Tennyson Street and is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit southbroadwaycc.com/tennyson.