This popular Berkeley bar returned last year after a brief hiatus. Drinkers will find a former Irish pub transformed into a sexy date-night spot at the new Tennyson Street digs, with playful touches everywhere from decor to cocktails. The Sweater Weather, which consists of Rittenhouse rye, apple brandy, Monkey Shoulder Scotch, and Benedictine, provides warmth in any season.

By the owners of beloved Arvada Tavern and Union Lodge No. 1, Tatarian brings cocktails to a stylish little escape in the Berkeley neighborhood. The Golden Gate is made with amaretto, Fernet Branca, egg white, lemon juice, and orgeat; the Kapok features whiskey, Combier, orgeat, banana raspberry oleo, pineapple and lime juices, and Tiki bitters.

With big talent behind them, both bars at Zeppelin Station are worth a visit. Kiss + Ride, on the main level, is a good bet for a quick, daytime drink or a glass of bubbly. Big Trouble, in a mezzanine lounge, is the place for late-night highballs, Mai Tais, and larger cocktails for sharing.

Improper City brings a very Colorado mix of options for fun to RiNo. There’s a food truck park, concert venue, and all-day beer and cocktail bar, all located next door to a rock climbing gym. The 12,000-square-foot patio offers stadium seating, Astroturf, and fire pits.

When the Denver bar veterans behind the Squire Lounge and 715 Club took over the former Bar Fausto earlier this year, they decided to take the then-buttoned-up cocktail bar in a new, more casual direction. But even though the renamed bar now stocks cheap beer and shot combos, its cocktail game is as strong as ever. The extensive list of offerings is heavy on classics, including a sazerac, a negroni, and a paloma. But there are also several house originals. The #26 pairs yellow small-batch bourbon, yellow chartreuse, and cynar while the #109 consists of gin, camparino liquor, lemon juice, and sherry.

Denver barman Sean Kenyon (see also Williams & Graham and Occidental) opened his latest concept on Larimer Street along with a team of decorated local bar owners and bartenders last year. The relaxed setting serves up an easy-to-love $8 mint julep and Old Fashioned.

New York City transplant Death & Co opened in 2018 inside the Ramble Hotel with all-day offerings from a cafe and lobby bar to a (summer) rooftop garden and new moody mezzanine lounge. The first floor provides plush seating and a very pretty bar for enjoying these famed cocktails. Upstairs, Suite 6A is an intimate 22-seat space that’s much more like the brand’s New York original.

The whiskey bar in Denver’s Dairy Block boasts more than 700 bottles inside a lodge-like space that’s covered in tartan and taxidermy. Top options include the Sazerac, Manhattan, and Old Fashioned. For more fun, find pool tables and frequent live music along with lots of quiet nooks and crannies.

It’s time to drink on the 16th Street Mall again with the opening of LeRoux this season. The new Pan-European restaurant from chef Lon Symensma also features one of the prettiest bars in town now. The Bee Sting (pictured) is made with Leopold Bros. gin, honey, chamomile, and an absinthe foam.

From the owners of RiNo Yacht Club comes this new French restaurant’s next-level bar offerings, which spotlight natural wines, perfect martinis, and full-on tea, Chartreuse, and Génépy services. A spot at the bar here with a couple of drinks, oysters, and hors d’oeuvres is a fine way to spend an evening.

New to Blake Street, this all-day hangout set in a historical building offers bottled and tap cocktails, next-level (but reasonably priced) bar food, and a lofted lounge for late-night parties. The space reads like a sexy game lounge popped up in a grandmother’s basement. The house Paloma and a beef and noodle salad are a worthy combo.