Denver drinking starts with Yacht Club, Best U.S. Cocktail Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2024, and the bench behind it runs deep: we list 11 active bars across the city. Every listing below is verified by BarMagazine, with addresses, opening hours and the signature drinks worth ordering.
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.
Tucked in the alley between Blake and Wazee Streets beneath a red neon "Cocktails" sign, Run For the Roses at 1801 Blake Street offers a seasonal menu of crafted cocktails, rare and vintage spirits, and elevated snacks in a room that channels the golden age of cocktail culture without the museum-piece stuffiness. Owner Steven Waters built the program around classic cocktail architecture, stirred spirit-forward builds, properly balanced sours, and a back bar that includes bottles most Denver bars cannot source. The first-come, first-served policy and no-reservations stance keep the room democratic, and the alleyway entrance gives the experience just enough mystery. A bar that takes the cocktail seriously without taking itself too seriously.
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.
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.
These 10 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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