If you are looking for the best cocktail and mocktail bars in Denver, there is no shortage of places to grab a drink, but I am much more interested in bars that make the experience interesting too. Give me a hidden entrance, a cool atmosphere, or a mocktail that feels like someone put thought into it and I am happy.
And because I do not drink alcohol, I pay a lot of attention to the mocktail menu. I do not want sparkling water with lime pretending it belongs on a $14 cocktail menu. I still want the fun glass, interesting ingredients, and the same overall experience as everyone else.
These are the Denver cocktail and mocktail bars I would put at the top of the list, including several I personally tried and a few that are firmly on my list for next time.
If you are really into cocktails, Death & Co should probably be near the top of your Denver list.
The Denver location is inside The Ramble Hotel in RiNo, and this is much more of a cocktail-first experience. The drinks are creative and technique-driven, with unusual ingredients and flavor combinations that go far beyond the standard cocktail menu.
It also has a strong reputation for putting real thought into non-alcoholic drinks rather than simply removing the alcohol from a regular cocktail, which immediately made it more interesting to me.
The space itself feels polished and glamorous, so I would put this high on the list for a date night or a more elevated evening in RiNo.
If you are spending more time in the neighborhood, my One Day in RiNo Denver: Where to Eat, Shop, and Explore guide will help you plan the rest of the day around it.
Williams & Graham is the one I would choose if you want the classic speakeasy experience. You enter through a bookstore-style front before heading into a dark, intimate cocktail bar with a huge selection of classic and original drinks.
Compared with Run for the Roses, this feels more traditional and old-school. Run for the Roses is moody and modern, while Williams & Graham gives you that classic hidden-speakeasy feeling.
The bartenders are also known for helping guide you based on what you like, which makes the menu a little less intimidating if you are not sure what to order. The Zipline has gotten especially strong recent praise from guests, while the Blackberry Sage Smash is another good option if you want something fruity without being overly sweet.
If you do not drink, the zero-proof menu is worth paying attention to too. Windowshopper is fresh and herbal with berry tea and mint, while Imposter Syndrome is a little more complex and botanical.
If the secret entrance is half the reason you want to visit a speakeasy in the first place, this is probably the Denver bar I would choose.
Poka Lola Social Club is inside Dairy Block and is one of the easiest places on this list to casually work into your evening.
It feels much more open and relaxed than Run for the Roses, so I would come here if you want a fun drink before dinner or just somewhere easy to hang out.
I ordered an alcohol-free version of their Espresso Martini, and it was easily one of my favorite drinks here. It still had that rich coffee flavor and creamy espresso-martini feel without the alcohol.
The atmosphere has a stylish retro feel, and we really enjoyed stopping in while staying at The Maven. If you are considering staying right in Dairy Block too, I have a full The Maven Hotel Denver Review: What to Expect covering the room, location, parking, and my experience there.
They also offer a small food menu with things like soy-garlic wings, ranch fries, a Wagyu dog, and a chicken sandwich. If I went back, I would probably grab another mocktail with the wings and ranch fries.
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Honey Elixir immediately caught my attention because the alcohol-free drinks are not treated like an afterthought. Their menu includes alcohol-free “potions” made with things like raw honey, botanicals, herbs, fruits, cacao, and non-alcoholic spirits.
That makes this feel more like a true mocktail destination than simply a cocktail bar that happens to offer a couple of NA drinks. If the non-alcoholic menu is your biggest priority, this would probably be one of the first places I would try on my next Denver trip.
If you are looking for a cocktail then the Honey Bear is one of the customer favorites and a good introduction to Honey Elixir Bar’s honey-forward cocktails. If you want something more unusual, La Bruja gets especially strong praise from Denver cocktail drinkers and comes in a skull cup. For something spicy, try the Queen Bee or RiNo ShRuB with mezcal.
Union Lodge No. 1 is all about old-school American cocktail culture. The drinks are inspired by pre-Prohibition styles, with categories like punches, sours, fizzes, juleps, and smashes.
This one appeals to me because it is not just about drinking the cocktail. There is a history behind what you are ordering, and the vintage, intimate atmosphere fits the concept.
The Union Gin Fizz is the drink reviewers mention over and over and is probably the closest thing Union Lodge No. 1 has to a must-order cocktail. It comes with a huge frothy top and is one of the bar’s signature classics.
If you do not drink, the menu also includes a couple of thoughtfully made zero-proof options. Endless Summers combines matcha, basil, strawberry coconut cream, and lime, while Grapes of Wrath is more tart and botanical with red grape shrub and verjus.
Kachina Cantina is a little different from the other places on this list because it is really a restaurant first. But I still think it deserves a spot because it is such an easy option when you want a fun mocktail with a full meal instead of planning a separate cocktail stop.
It is located right inside Dairy Block and has a colorful, casual Southwest atmosphere. I ordered the Agua Fresca, made with lemonade, guava mint, and blackberry basil. It was delicious!
This is not where I would go for Denver's most serious cocktail program, but it is a really good option if you want dinner and a fun drink at the same time.
If food is just as important as the drinks on your Denver trip, my DIY Denver Food Tour: Best Places to Eat in Denver Colorado has more of the places I would build into a food-focused day.
The Peach Crease Club is probably the bar I am most curious to try on another Denver trip. The cocktail program is built around full-proof, low-ABV, and non-alcoholic drinks, with some very creative food-inspired flavor combinations.
This is not where I would go if I wanted a basic margarita. I would go because I want to see what in the world a cocktail inspired by something like banana bread or papaya salad tastes like.
The space also has a vintage, music-driven feel with records and a DJ setup, which makes the whole concept sound even more fun.
Run for the Roses was easily my favorite cocktail and mocktail experience in Denver.
It is an underground cocktail lounge hidden beneath Dairy Block, and even finding it is part of the fun. You follow the little roses toward the cocktail sign, walk down a dark hallway, and check in through this cool old-fashioned host booth before being seated.
Inside, it feels dark, romantic, laid-back, and upscale all at once.
This is the bar I would pick if you want cocktails to feel like a part of your night rather than simply stopping somewhere for a drink.
I have a full Run for the Roses Denver Review: Is This Speakeasy Worth Visiting? with everything you need to know about finding the entrance, what we ordered, food, prices, and what to expect.
This was actually one of the things that impressed me most about Denver. Yes. There are enough bars here creating real zero-proof drinks that you can still have the full cocktail-bar experience without drinking alcohol. And that is exactly what I want.
I do not need twenty mocktails. I just want a few good ones that someone clearly cared about making.
For me, Run for the Roses was the standout because it combined the hidden entrance, atmosphere, and mocktail experience better than anywhere else I tried.
But Denver also surprised me with how many different options there are depending on what you actually want from the night. You can do a serious cocktail program, an old-school speakeasy, a casual drink in Dairy Block, or make the mocktail itself the reason you are going.
Most importantly for me, being the person who does not drink alcohol did not mean sitting there with sparkling water while everyone else got the fun drink.
That alone makes Denver a pretty good cocktail city in my book.
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Compare flights to Denver on Skyscanner.
If this is your first trip, start with A Weekend in Denver Colorado: The Perfect First-Time Itinerary or use The Perfect 3 Days in Denver Colorado if you have an extra day.
My Denver Airport Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Denver International Airport also covers what to expect when you arrive.
You can compare Denver hotels and current rates on Booking.com.
For more ideas beyond bars and restaurants, see Top Things to Do in Denver Colorado.
I also use Secret Food Tours when I want a food-focused way to explore a city.
Pack your bags... ✈️🧳My hiking and road trip gear shop just got a refresh, and this is everything that actually earns a spot in my bag. The dry bag pulls double duty for beach days and trail days, the Osprey backpack is the one I grab for anything motorcycle or day-hike related, and the GoPro comes with me literally everywhere at this point.
Nothing on this list is filler it’s all stuff I’ve used, packed, and repacked more times than I can count. Full shop linked in my bio if you want to build out your own kit before your next trip.
Filing this one under “go now before it gets cold.” Bonneville Hot Springs is one of those trips where fall access is honestly the sweet spot the campground road is open, the hike in is short, and you skip the snow-and-gate situation we dealt with when we went in March.
September and early fall mean clearer trails, easier parking, and pools that are just as good without the extra mile of hiking to earn them. Fewer than 10 people out there when we visited, a rustic changing booth, zero amenities, and pools that range from “relax” to “actually scalding” until you move some rocks around and mix in river water. Small waterfalls feeding in, mountains in every direction, not polished, and that’s exactly the point.
Full breakdown on parking, what to pack, and timing it right is linked in my bio.
Summer’s not even over and I already have the itch. Fall hiking season is calling and I am answering.
Save this if you feel the itch too.🍁
Columbus hotel roundup because “just find something downtown” isn’t a strategy✈️
I stayed across the price spectrum on this one so I could actually compare notes. Hotel LeVeque is the splurge Art Deco lobby, marble bathrooms, and a restaurant (The Keep) worth visiting even if you don’t book a room. If you want to walk everywhere, Le Méridien puts you right in the Short North with murals and shops outside your door. And if budget’s the priority, Aloft gets you clean and modern near Ohio State without the markup.
Want a full escape from the city instead? Hocking Hills lodges and Gervasi Vineyard are both an easy drive out and worth the detour.
Not every hotel on this list is for every trip... that’s kind of the point. Full breakdown by neighborhood and budget, link in bio 🍂
Thousands of motorcycles, decades of history, and one very hot infield. 🏍️
I went into Mid-Ohio Vintage Motorcycle Days expecting a bike show. What I got was closer to a small town that pops up once a year camps stretched across the hills, swap meet tables piled with parts I couldn’t name, and bikes older than some of the people admiring them parked next to restorations that looked showroom-fresh.
Fair warning: this is not a quick stop. Give yourself the whole day, wear real shoes, and don’t skip the racing watching pre-war machines and modern superbikes share the same track is worth the sunburn.
Ohio keeps surprising me. Full recap on the blog link in bio. 🔗
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