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The 27 Best Bars in Denver

Denver's bars run from a 1933 martini room to new openings that put three of the city's bars in the 2026 Spirited Awards Top 10 for the country's best new cocktail bar. The best bars in Denver start in Cole at Yacht Club, a nerdy cocktail bar, natural wine bar and dive in one, which took the 2024 Spirited Award for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar and is No. 67 on the 51-100 list of North America's 50 Best Bars 2026. The same team runs Rougarou in Five Points, which reached the final four for that new-bar award in 2026, as did The Peach Crease Club. On Tejon Street, Williams & Graham, the 2015 Spirited winner for Best American Cocktail Bar, keeps over 60 classics and 500 bottles, and Lady Jane in the Lower Highlands mixes seasonal, local ingredients. Death & Co Denver fills the Ramble Hotel lobby in RiNo, and The Cruise Room at the Oxford Hotel, opened the day after Repeal, is the city's longest-running bar and takes no reservations. These are the twenty-seven we would start with.

Browse every Denver barBest cocktail bars in Denver
  1. Yacht Club
    ★ TOP 10NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail Bar

    Yacht Club

    Self-described as the "anti-club club," Yacht Club at 3701 N. Williams Street is the bar that put Denver on the global cocktail map, ranked No.41 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2025 and No.67 on the 2026 extended list. Owners Mary Allison Wright and McLain Hedges, both 2026 James Beard Award finalists for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service, built the program around elevated highballs, natural wines, and a now-legendary hot dog combo that has become an unlikely calling card. The room is deliberately unprecious, vinyl records, neighborhood regulars, and the kind of warmth that makes first-time visitors feel like they have been coming for years. Yacht Club proves that world-class cocktails and a total absence of pretension are not mutually exclusive. It won Best U.S. Cocktail Bar at the 2024 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.

    3701 Williams St, Denver, CO 80205Mon & Wed-Sat 4pm-2am; Closed Tue
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  2. Death & Co Denver
    ★ TOP 10NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail Bar

    Death & Co Denver

    The Denver outpost of the New York institution occupies a RiNo space at 1280 25th Street that splits between a main bar, a coffee operation (DC/AM), and private event space, a multi-format approach that reflects the brand's evolution beyond the single-room cocktail bar. The menu carries Death & Co's signature precision, spirit-forward builds, balanced sours, and a seasonal rotation that incorporates local Colorado ingredients, while the Denver team has developed its own identity within the broader network. Open from 3pm daily, which gives it an afternoon-drinking dimension that most cocktail bars ignore. The cocktail program is as structured and well-documented as any in the country, and the training pipeline ensures consistent execution across every shift.

    1280 25th St, Denver, CO 80205Sun-Thu 3pm-11pm; Fri-Sat 3pm-12:30am
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  3. Lady Jane
    ★ TOP 10Cocktail Bar

    Lady Jane

    Lady Jane opened in August 2018 in Denver's Lower Highlands as a neighborhood cocktail bar dedicated to serving drinks in a welcoming and safe space. Its cocktails are bold, seasonal and approachable, built on local ingredients, and the menu changes constantly with the whole team contributing.

    2021 W 32nd Ave, Denver, CO 80211Mon-Thu 4pm-11pm; Fri 4pm-12am; Sat 2pm-12am; Sun closed
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  4. Semiprecious
    ★ TOP 10Cocktail Bar

    Semiprecious

    Opened in May 2025 by Mike Capoferri of Thunderbolt LA fame, Semiprecious at 2839 W. 44th Avenue brings international bar pedigree to Denver's Sunnyside neighborhood in a space that splits the difference between dive bar relaxation and cocktail bar ambition. The program applies the same flavor-science approach that earned Thunderbolt its reputation, clarified cocktails, house ferments, and a technical precision that hides behind a deliberately casual presentation. The room is neighborhood-friendly, the prices are reasonable by Denver standards, and the cocktail list goes well beyond the basics without alienating the after-work crowd. A bar that proves destination-quality drinks can live in a neighborhood-bar format.

    2839 W 44th Ave, Denver, CO 80211Tue-Thu & Sun 4pm-12am; Fri-Sat 4pm-2am; Closed Mon
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  5. Rougarou
    ★ TOP 10Cocktail Bar

    Rougarou

    Named Best New Bar in the 2026 Best of Denver by 5280, Rougarou at 2844 Welton Street brings Southern roots to Five Points with a cocktail program that draws on New Orleans, Louisiana Cajun country, and the American South. Owned by the same team behind Yacht Club, Mary Allison Wright, McLain Hedges, and chef JohnDavid Wright, Rougarou serves drinks like the muffaletta martini and the bananas foster julep alongside Southern-inflected food in a room that is a little bit fancy and a little bit funky. The wine and cocktail program complements rather than competes with the kitchen, creating an integrated dining-and-drinking experience that most bars-with-food struggle to achieve. The pedigree of its ownership ensures the cocktail execution matches the culinary ambition. It was a Top 4 finalist for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar at the 2026 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.

    2844 Welton St, Denver, CO 80205Daily except Wed, 5pm-12am
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Flavour Blaster
  1. The Cruise Room
    ★ TOP 10Hotel Bar

    The Cruise Room

    The Cruise Room opened in the Oxford Hotel the day after Prohibition was repealed in 1933 and calls itself Denver's original cocktail bar, running continuously ever since. Its art deco room was modeled on a lounge aboard the RMS Queen Mary, and it is known for its martini and for a bartender's-choice happy hour.

    1600 17th St, Denver, CO 80202Mon-Thu 4pm-11pm; Fri-Sat 4pm-12am; Sun 4pm-10pm
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  2. The Peach Crease Club
    ★ TOP 10Cocktail Bar

    The Peach Crease Club

    The Peach Crease Club is the first joint project from the husband-and-wife bar veterans Alex Jump and Stuart Jensen, in a 1970s-inspired Denver room with a twelve-seat bar, vintage records and a dedicated DJ booth. The list runs full-proof, low-ABV and non-alcoholic cocktails drawn from culinary dishes and the couple's travels, alongside minimal-intervention wines, uncommon sakes and light bites.

    4180 Wynkoop St, Suite 130, Denver, CO 80216Mon 4pm-12am; Tue closed; Wed-Thu 4pm-12am; Fri-Sat 4pm-1am; Sun 2pm-10pm
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  3. Call Me Pearl
    ★ TOP 10PINNACLEHotel Bar

    Call Me Pearl

    Call Me Pearl is the cocktail lounge of The Rally Hotel at McGregor Square, opened in November 2023 in a two-story room under a large chandelier, with windows onto Coors Field and a mountain silhouette running the length of the back bar. The menu runs to some 28 pages, with spirit-free drinks, cocktail and caviar pairings, oysters and seafood snacks, and each drink is sketched by a local artist. It holds one pin in The Pinnacle Guide, the only pinned bar in Colorado when the 2026 pins were announced.

    1600 20th St, Denver, CO 80202Daily 4pm-11pm
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  4. Williams & Graham
    ★ TOP 1050 BESTSpeakeasy

    Williams & Graham

    The bar that launched Denver's speakeasy movement, Williams & Graham hides behind a functioning bookshop door at 3160 Tejon Street and has been executing at an elite level since 2011. The cocktail program runs deep, classic structures built with precision, seasonal menus that rotate quarterly, and a back bar stocked with enough rare spirits to support any off-menu request a knowledgeable drinker might make. The room is handsome, dark, and deliberately old-fashioned, with a full kitchen that sends out food worthy of the drinks. A second location at Denver International Airport extends the brand to departing travelers, but the Highland original remains the definitive experience. Denver's founding cocktail bar, and still one of its best.

    3160 Tejon St, Denver, CO 80211Daily 5pm-1am
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  5. B&GC
    ★ TOP 10Cocktail Bar

    B&GC

    B&GC is a hidden bar below the Halcyon hotel in Cherry Creek, set in the former Cherry Creek Post Office and reached from the alley. The bar takes its cue from American cocktail culture in the years after the Second World War, with a cocktail list and a short food menu. Reservations go through OpenTable or by text message, and checks carry an included 20 percent service charge.

    245 Columbine St, Denver, CO 80206 (Halcyon Hotel, alley entrance)
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  6. Traveling Mercies
    Cocktail Bar

    Traveling Mercies

    Traveling Mercies is a small oyster and cocktail bar on the third floor of Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, opened in December 2023 by chef Caroline Glover and Nelson Harvey of the nearby restaurant Annette, in a room that once overlooked an airport runway. The cocktail list leans on rum and lesser-known classics, alongside sherry and gin martinis and coastal wines with plenty of acidity. Food centers on the raw bar, with oysters and shrimp cocktail, plus comfort plates such as wedge salad and rice pudding.

    2501 Dallas St, Unit 311, Aurora, CO 80010Tue-Thu 4pm-9pm, Fri 4pm-10pm, Sat 3pm-10pm, Sun 3pm-9pm, closed Mon
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  7. Pigeon
    Cocktail Bar

    Pigeon

    Pigeon is a screen-free listening bar in Capitol Hill, opened in April 2026 by Andy Rauworth with Eric and Alison Corrigan, the team behind Pon Pon. Records play on turntables instead of TVs, tables light up as chessboards, and the bar mixes cocktails and old-fashioned sodas from house-made syrups. A counter called Toad, run by chef Elliott Delka, serves Colorado-sourced Japanese dishes such as gyoza and tofu katsu.

    1431 N Ogden St, Denver, CO 80218Sun-Mon 4pm-12am, Wed-Thu 4pm-12am, Fri-Sat 4pm-1am, closed Tue
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  8. Pony Up
    Cocktail Bar

    Pony Up

    Pony Up is a LoDo bar known for its French dip sandwiches and inventive cocktails, decorated with neon signs, a portrait of an imperial bulldog and references to The Outsiders. Its signature shot pairs George Dickel whisky with a roast-beef jus chaser, and the kitchen stays open until 1am, which makes it a late stop for hospitality workers. A sibling, Side Pony, runs on West Colfax as a coffee and cocktail bar.

    1808 Blake St, Denver, CO 80202Sun-Thu 4pm-1am, Fri-Sat 4pm-2am, Kitchen Everyday 4pm-1am
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  9. American Lore
    Whiskey Bar

    American Lore

    American Lore is a bar and custom cowboy hat shop on Tennyson Street in Berkeley, from the hatmaker Parker Thomas, where guests can have a felt hat shaped while they drink. The bar side has a full back bar stocked with whiskey and tequila, house cocktails and cheap cold beer, under low light with local sports on the screens.

    3965 Tennyson St, Denver, CO 80212Tue-Thu 12pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-12am, Sun 10am-10pm, closed Mon
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  10. Ay Papi
    Cocktail Bar

    Ay Papi

    Ay Papi is a Puerto Rican and Latin themed cocktail bar in Cherry Creek North, built around a mural of the owner as a child with his father in Yauco, Puerto Rico. The drinks lean on rum and frozen cocktails, with snacks, DJs on Friday and Saturday nights and regular art, fashion and music pop-ups. It belongs to the same group as Forget Me Not and Sorry Gorgeous.

    248 Detroit St, Denver, CO 80206Mon-Thu 3pm-12am, Fri-Sat 3pm-1am, Sun 1pm-12am
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  11. ESP HiFi
    Wine Bar

    ESP HiFi

    ESP HiFi is a records-only listening bar on Santa Fe Drive, modeled on the Japanese jazz kissa, where the bartender also plays vinyl from the shelves through a valve-amplified sound system. The drinks lean on minimal-intervention wine, with highballs, cocktails, coffee and charcuterie alongside. It also runs a wine and record club.

    1029 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204Mon-Tue 5pm-11pm, Wed-Thu 5pm-12am, Fri 4pm-12am, Sat 11am-12am, Sun 11am-11pm
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  12. Forget Me Not
    Cocktail Bar

    Forget Me Not

    Forget Me Not is a cocktail lounge in Cherry Creek North, set in a former florist's shop, with a patio and a list of cocktails, large-format drinks, wine and bar snacks including an oyster program. It is run by the group behind Sorry Gorgeous and Ay Papi, opens every afternoon and turns livelier late at night. A 20 percent service charge is added to every bill.

    227 Clayton St, Denver, CO 80206Daily 3pm-2am
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  13. Fort Greene
    Cocktail Bar

    Fort Greene

    Fort Greene is a small neighborhood bar in Globeville, opened in 2015 in a building that has housed bars for decades, furnished with plants and mismatched vintage chairs. The menu offers nearly as many non-alcoholic drinks as cocktails, plus natural wines and beer, with food from a resident kitchen. It hosts DJ sets, patio cookouts, tarot readings and drawing classes, and takes no reservations.

    321 E 45th Ave, Denver, CO 80216Mon-Wed 4pm-11pm, Thu-Sat 4pm-12am, closed Sun
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  14. Occidental
    Cocktail Bar

    Occidental

    Occidental is the loud, casual sibling of Williams & Graham on the corner of 32nd Avenue and Tejon Street, opened in 2015 by Sean Kenyon and Todd Colehour. Behind open garage doors it pairs irreverently named house cocktails, each credited to the bartender who made it, with cheap beer and a zero-proof list. Last call is at 1:30am.

    1950 W 32nd Ave, Denver, CO 80211Mon-Fri 4pm-2am, Sat-Sun 2pm-2am
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  15. Ok Yeah
    Cocktail Bar

    Ok Yeah

    Ok Yeah is a small cocktail bar at the back of chef Kelly Whitaker's Hey Kiddo restaurant on Tennyson Street, run by his Id Est Hospitality group. There is no printed menu: bartenders build drinks to each guest's taste and mood, alongside daily hand-roll specials. Seats are booked through Tock.

    4337 Tennyson St, Suite 300, Denver, CO 80212
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  16. Pretty Neat
    Cocktail Bar

    Pretty Neat

    Pretty Neat is a cocktail bar on South Broadway opened in November 2023 by Xanthus and Cristy Be Dell, who previously ran beverage programs for music festivals. The mid-century room has a loft with green velvet seating and board games, and the list sticks to well-made classic and house cocktails at moderate prices, with mocktails and small plates. A private back room seats about 20.

    114 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
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  17. Room For Friends
    Wine Bar

    Room For Friends

    Room For Friends is a wine bar in the Art District on Santa Fe, with wines by the glass priced at 15 dollars or less, a food menu and walls hung with work by local artists. A monthly art and wine flight pairs pours with the art on show, Mondays are karaoke with an all-day happy hour, and Tuesdays carry events.

    846 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204
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  18. Room For Milly
    Cocktail Bar

    Room For Milly

    Room For Milly is a cocktail bar on Platte Street between downtown and LoHi, opened in 2020 and decorated in bright colors and patterns inspired by travel. The menu covers cocktails and alcohol-free drinks with snacks, and the bar runs a cocktail and snack club. Sundays are an all-day happy hour.

    1615 Platte St, No. 145, Denver, CO 80202Mon-Thu 3pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 3pm-12am, Sun 3pm-8pm
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  19. Sorry Gorgeous
    Rooftop Bar

    Sorry Gorgeous

    Sorry Gorgeous is a penthouse cocktail lounge on the twelfth floor of the Novel RiNo building, entered from Walnut Street, with emerald banquettes, moon-like pendant lights and a balcony looking over the skyline to the mountains. Cocktails use ingredients such as saffron gin and bee pollen, with luxe snacks, and on Friday and Saturday nights the room runs a dressed-up late-night program with a dress code. It shares owners with Forget Me Not and Ay Papi.

    1350 40th St, Denver, CO 80205Wed and Sun 3pm-12am, Thu-Sat 3pm-2am, closed Mon-Tue
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  20. The Devil's Drink
    Speakeasy

    The Devil's Drink

    The Devil's Drink is a subterranean bar on Platte Street that calls itself an underworld speakeasy, opened in 2023 by Andrew Harris and moved to its larger current home in September 2025. The red-lit room serves more than a dozen versions of the espresso martini alongside house cocktails, and there is a separate room with pool tables. The owners also run The Upside Down Bar on Mariposa Street.

    1553 Platte St, Denver, CO 80202Daily 3pm-1am
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  21. The Tatarian
    Cocktail Bar

    The Tatarian

    The Tatarian is a neighborhood cocktail bar on Tennyson Street in Berkeley, named after a species of maple and opened in 2018 by Lenka Juchelkova and Mike Huggins, who also run Union Lodge No. 1 and Arvada Tavern. The room is styled after a woodland retreat, and the seasonal list leans on unusual pairings such as Scotch with shochu and miso or aquavit with fennel liqueur. It opens from the afternoon at weekends.

    4024 Tennyson St, Denver, CO 80212Mon-Fri 4pm-11pm, Sat 2pm-11pm, Sun 2pm-9pm
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  22. Union Lodge No. 1
    Cocktail Bar

    Union Lodge No. 1

    Union Lodge No. 1 is a downtown cocktail bar a block off 16th Street, furnished with a rustic, old-school Americana feel to evoke an American bar of the late nineteenth century. The list centers on pre-Prohibition style cocktails, with seasonal additions. It is owned by Lenka Juchelkova and Mike Huggins, the team behind The Tatarian and Arvada Tavern.

    1543 Champa St, Denver, CO 80202Sun-Wed 5pm-11pm, Thu-Sat 5pm-1am
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These 27 are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in Denver, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.

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