First Look: Ale House at Amato’s

Ale House at Amato’s, the latest venture from the Breckenridge Brewing Company, opened at 11 a.m. today with a gorgeous view of the Platte Valley, the Denver skyline and the Rocky Mountains. The highly anticipated LoHi-area beer bar and restaurant is located in the former Amato’s statuary store, at the…

Boulder Beer finally opens on Saturdays

One of the biggest oddities in the Colorado beer-drinking world will be remedied on April 2 when The Pub at the Boulder Beer Company finally opens for business on Saturdays. Until now, the pub, which is located in a Boulder business park and serves sandwiches, salads, burgers, burritos and the…

Ask the Bartender: One last round of Colorado Cocktail Contest entries

Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can…

Three more old-world wines worth checking out

Last week I threw down a challenge: taste an old-world wine next to its new-world counterpart and judge for yourself whether old world wines truly deserve their reputation as best in class. Even though I screwed up and included tasting notes from a Rhône wine instead of the Burgundy I…

Happy Hour hunt: Kicking back at The Lobby

Happy Place: The Lobby, 2191 Arapahoe Street, 303-997-9911 The Hours: Monday through Saturday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The Deals: $3 Colorado microbrews, Miller Lite, and well cocktails; $5 house wine; $6 specialty cocktails; $4-8 food specials. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…

Last call for Colorado Cocktail Contest entries!

Friends, neighbors and bartenders: Since early last year, I’ve made it my mission to discover a cocktail that is truly representative of our great state, much like the Manhattan is of New York City and the Sazerac of New Orleans. Along the way, I’ve been joined on this mission by…

Reader: Skip the Big Gulp for a sotol margarita at Lola

Sean Kenyon is back from one of his many trips as this state’s premier alcohol ambassador, pulling together the final details of the Colorado Cocktail Contest and offering some advice about making margaritas — just in time for the warmer weather. Who makes a great margarita in Denver? Here’s Mantanot’s…

Ask the bartender: Denver is not Margaritaville

Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can…

Two wines that prove old world still rules

There’s been a lot of debate in the wine world of late, the gist of which revolves around whether popular, top-selling new world wines deserve their acclaim. It’s an interesting debate, for sure. Are Napa Valley cabs every bit as good as their Bordeaux-based brethren? For that matter, should fruit-forward,…

Colt 45 rolls out Blast with help from Snoop Dogg

Caffeinated malt beverages may have been pushed off the shelves by lawmakers worried that young, ignorant drinkers would be unable to resist the marketing tactics, but that didn’t put an end to unpalatable alcohol masked by artificial flavoring: fruit-flavored booze-packed caffeine-free replacements are quickly filling the post-Four Loko void. In…

The road to debauchery begins at Wash Park Grille

Happy Place: Washington Park Grille, 1096 South Gaylord Street, 303-777-0707 The Hours: Daily from 3 to 7 p.m. The Deals: $3 select house wine, draft beer, and well drinks; $1 off imported draft beers; half price appetizers. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…

Wynkoop Holdings buys Rocky Mountain Diner, scrambles to fill it

Just a few weeks after they joined forces, the Breckenridge and Wynkoop breweries have taken on an unexpected challenge: slapping together a new concept to fill the former Rocky Mountain Diner space at 800 18th Street, which closed last month after a twenty-year run. The two companies, which are run…