After catching you half-way through your first underaged beer, the old man laughed when your face turned green. Fast-forward to a legal age, and now the conversation has shifted.
This Father's Day, Eater compiled a list of Denver's nine manliest drinks that you can take dad out for this week-end after you have a very manly meal. The cocktails aren't fussy and they're certainly not flowery. These drinks don't brag about its white-tea syrup and handcrafted hibiscus bitters. That's about as manly as Liberace. Instead, Eater has gone straight to the Essence of Man and placed dad among the ranks of Harrison Ford, Paul Newman, and Sam Elliott. Happy Father's Day!
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Order: Unrefined Ruffian or Old-Old Fashioned.
Sean Kenyon and team are the Librarians of Liquor, Barons of Booze, and Sultans of Spirits. Whether you’re picking from the extensive mezcal collection or ordering an original cocktail, the W&G bartenders engage you as a guest. Either order the Unrefined Ruffian (David Wondrich’s suggestion in Esquire Magazine for this fine establishment), or the Old-Old Fashioned. If you order the Old-Old Fashioned, you get what it should be: a shot of whiskey, sugar, and a dash of bitters.
Order: a simple whiskey cocktail.
As one of Esquire’s newly acclaimed America’s Best Bars, either order exactly how David Wondrich suggested (a Johnny Walker Black Manhattan) or order a Famous Grouse with a dash of bitters if you don’t want to pay for overpriced whiskey. If dad ever wanted to make it to Kennebunkport, take him here, where men have un-ironic anchors on their ties.
Order: the Uncle Jesse.
The Uncle Jesse – it’s been a staple since the old Bean opened its doors. And it liberally honors Jesse Duke from the Dukes of Hazzard: Old Grand Dad bonded whiskey, cherry, and cynar. It’s a strong-ass whiskey drink for a strong-ass man.
Order: whiskey (with or without ice).
Whiskey. That’s what you get at Bull & Bush. Ice is optional. Add something off the draft list. Let the bartender choose for you. Don’t overthink it. This is low-maintenance drinking. You’re there to spend time with your father, not to spend time obsessing about the nuances between 12-year-old W.L. Weller and 12-year-old Pappy Van Winkle.
Order: pick a beer. Any beer.
For the dad who opts for beer over spirits, immerse yourself in some good conversation at one of the pioneers of Colorado's craft beer. If your dad is a Guinness drinker, order the 3Point7 Milk Stout; if he’s a light-lager drinker, opt for Joe’s Pilsner. If he’s the beer nerd, Avery basically built the double IPA style with Hog Heaven – it’s the ground zero for hops, bold beers, and the I-don’t-care-what-you-think attitude in craft beer.
Order: Bartender’s Choice.
Voted year after year as having the Best Bartender’s Choice cocktail, have the team behind the stick at Colt & Gray serve up a class cocktail for dad. Go for a Negroni (gin, Campari, and vermouth) or a Manhattan. Or, if you’re feeling frisky, have dad combine the two for a Boulevardier.
Order: Smoked Sherry.
On the bottle of Laphroaig it states that it’s the “Most flavorsome of Scotch Whiskys.” The Smoked Sherry cocktail at this cocktail emporium brings together Lustau Pedro Zimenez Sherry, grapefruit, lime, and Angostura Bitters creating a beefed up and ‘roided out Rob Roy cocktail.
Order: Will Comply.
The Bitter Bar: the bar that brought the cocktail gospel to Colorado. Opt for the Will Comply original cocktail – mezcal, Benedictine, and Cocchi Americano. While the opening team is long-gone, the legacy of cocktail-minded bartenders remains.
Order: the Sloe Starter.
Steuben’s certainly has the array of classic cocktails guaranteed to please dad. Or order one of Steuben’s fantastic original cocktails, like the Sloe Starter – Plymouth Sloe Gin, Green Chartreuse, lemon, and Peychaud’s bitters. It’s a bit of the reach-around, a smack-on-the-ass-but-totally-appropriate kind of cocktail for dad.
Order: Unrefined Ruffian or Old-Old Fashioned.
Sean Kenyon and team are the Librarians of Liquor, Barons of Booze, and Sultans of Spirits. Whether you’re picking from the extensive mezcal collection or ordering an original cocktail, the W&G bartenders engage you as a guest. Either order the Unrefined Ruffian (David Wondrich’s suggestion in Esquire Magazine for this fine establishment), or the Old-Old Fashioned. If you order the Old-Old Fashioned, you get what it should be: a shot of whiskey, sugar, and a dash of bitters.
Order: a simple whiskey cocktail.
As one of Esquire’s newly acclaimed America’s Best Bars, either order exactly how David Wondrich suggested (a Johnny Walker Black Manhattan) or order a Famous Grouse with a dash of bitters if you don’t want to pay for overpriced whiskey. If dad ever wanted to make it to Kennebunkport, take him here, where men have un-ironic anchors on their ties.
Order: the Uncle Jesse.
The Uncle Jesse – it’s been a staple since the old Bean opened its doors. And it liberally honors Jesse Duke from the Dukes of Hazzard: Old Grand Dad bonded whiskey, cherry, and cynar. It’s a strong-ass whiskey drink for a strong-ass man.
Order: whiskey (with or without ice).
Whiskey. That’s what you get at Bull & Bush. Ice is optional. Add something off the draft list. Let the bartender choose for you. Don’t overthink it. This is low-maintenance drinking. You’re there to spend time with your father, not to spend time obsessing about the nuances between 12-year-old W.L. Weller and 12-year-old Pappy Van Winkle.
Order: pick a beer. Any beer.
For the dad who opts for beer over spirits, immerse yourself in some good conversation at one of the pioneers of Colorado's craft beer. If your dad is a Guinness drinker, order the 3Point7 Milk Stout; if he’s a light-lager drinker, opt for Joe’s Pilsner. If he’s the beer nerd, Avery basically built the double IPA style with Hog Heaven – it’s the ground zero for hops, bold beers, and the I-don’t-care-what-you-think attitude in craft beer.
Order: Bartender’s Choice.
Voted year after year as having the Best Bartender’s Choice cocktail, have the team behind the stick at Colt & Gray serve up a class cocktail for dad. Go for a Negroni (gin, Campari, and vermouth) or a Manhattan. Or, if you’re feeling frisky, have dad combine the two for a Boulevardier.
Order: Smoked Sherry.
On the bottle of Laphroaig it states that it’s the “Most flavorsome of Scotch Whiskys.” The Smoked Sherry cocktail at this cocktail emporium brings together Lustau Pedro Zimenez Sherry, grapefruit, lime, and Angostura Bitters creating a beefed up and ‘roided out Rob Roy cocktail.
Order: Will Comply.
The Bitter Bar: the bar that brought the cocktail gospel to Colorado. Opt for the Will Comply original cocktail – mezcal, Benedictine, and Cocchi Americano. While the opening team is long-gone, the legacy of cocktail-minded bartenders remains.
Order: the Sloe Starter.
Steuben’s certainly has the array of classic cocktails guaranteed to please dad. Or order one of Steuben’s fantastic original cocktails, like the Sloe Starter – Plymouth Sloe Gin, Green Chartreuse, lemon, and Peychaud’s bitters. It’s a bit of the reach-around, a smack-on-the-ass-but-totally-appropriate kind of cocktail for dad.
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