Coloradans certainly love their craft IPAs and locally distilled spirits, but there are plenty of good reasons—pregnancy, addiction, driving, calorie-counting—to go alcohol-free. Until recently, that mostly meant missing out, but not anymore. Bartenders and artisans in Denver and beyond are concocting complex sips with the same thoughtfulness and care they put into their cocktails—minus the giggle juice.
DEPARTURE RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
Halcyon Hotel, 249 Columbine St., 720-722-5020, departuredenver.com
We thought it was impossible to make a proper old fashioned without whiskey, but Departure’s Darjeeling version says otherwise. The stirred blend of black tea, turbinado syrup, angostura bitters, and lemon is served over a crystal-clear ice cube with a Luxardo cherry and lemon twist garnish. It looks— and, more important, satisfies— just like the original.
DRAM APOTHECARY
dramapothecary.com
Dram co-owner Shae…
