{"id":590,"date":"2025-12-03T14:00:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andersson-recycling.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/03\/belly-up-to-colorados-best-cocktails-using-this-new-book-as-your-guide\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T14:00:51","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T14:00:51","slug":"belly-up-to-colorados-best-cocktails-using-this-new-book-as-your-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.andersson-recycling.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/03\/belly-up-to-colorados-best-cocktails-using-this-new-book-as-your-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Belly up to Colorado\u2019s best cocktails using this new book as your guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first rule of drinking like a Colorado local is never order a Colorado Bulldog. Despite its name, the cocktail — essentially a White Russian plus Coca Cola — is not a state-sanctioned classic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe secret behind it is that no one orders it unless they are a tourist,\u201d said writer Amanda M. Faison. \u201cSo you’re a dead ringer for like a Texan if you go to a bar in Colorado and order a Colorado Bulldog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faison would know. She spent two decades as an editor at 5280 Magazine, with about half of those specializing in food coverage. During her tenure, she watched the Denver’s hospitality scene explode and find its footing as a destination on par with other major metropolitan cities.<\/p>\n

\""Colorado
"Colorado Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by the Centennial State," by Amanda M. Faison (Cider Mill Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More recently, Faison put her institutional knowledge to work for a book called \u201cColorado Cocktails,\u201d which serves as a guide to more than 100 of the state\u2019s best bars, distilleries and libations. The book, now available via Cider Mill Press<\/a>, traces the modern cocktail movement from Denver to Durango and beyond, so that no matter where you are, you can always find a well-crafted beverage.<\/p>\n

That includes at home. In addition to highlighting local businesses, \u201cColorado Cocktails\u201d includes recipes from each one to spark inspiration for your home bar. The book is one in a series of geographically-focused releases<\/a> that aim to enshrine cocktail culture and must-hit spots in numerous states and cities across the globe.<\/p>\n

So where does Colorado’s story begin? Unequivocally at\u00a0Denver speakeasy Williams & Graham<\/a>, Faison said.<\/p>\n

Opened in 2011 with the entrance hidden behind a bookcase, Williams & Graham was the first to put an emphasis on creating inventive cocktails and stocking interesting spirits. That, in turn, attracted folks who were interested in novel libations and helped build a community of industry personnel who ideated on what craft cocktails could be.<\/p>\n

“It was (owner) Sean Kenyon’s brand of hospitality and the way he presented cocktails to Denver,” Faison said. \u201c(The bar) became like a think tank. So much has spun out from there.”<\/p>\n

Adding to its success was the fact that every drinker was welcome at Williams & Graham, whether you were drinking a Sazerac or had never heard of most classic cocktails.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you wanted something very, very simple, they would make something very, very simple for you. Or if you wanted to go to the other extreme and kind of taste whatever they were working on or something off the menu, you could do that too,” Faison said. “They were so busy, there were lines out the door and they honored every patron.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the years since, Faison said there’s been a “democratization of cocktails” throughout the state. Meaning you don\u2019t have to go to a high end haunt where the staff sports vests and mustaches to find a decent drink. “You can easily just go down around the corner and get a phenomenal Manhattan or a really terrific gimlet,” she said.<\/p>\n

Though Colorado is widely regarded as craft beer country<\/a>, that hasn\u2019t hindered the evolution of local cocktails. If anything, Faison believes it may have benefitted the movement by cultivating more informed and open-minded consumers.<\/p>\n

Denver remains the epicenter of the cocktail scene, where Faison’s book features a mix of old and new tastemakers, for example, The Cruise Room<\/a> and Death & Co.<\/a> But the book travels far and wide, from Fort Collins to Grand Junction and remote enclaves in between.<\/p>\n

Turns out, you\u2019re never too far from a worthwhile drink, even in mountain towns where, a decade ago, you may have expected only to find cheap beer or a crappy glass of wine. As an example, Faison points to the tiny Western Slope town of Ouray, now home to The Western<\/a> hotel and its Prohibition-era saloon. Closer to the Front Range, there\u2019s Fairplay and Snitching Lady Distillery<\/a>. <\/p>\n

One aspect of \u201cColorado Cocktails\u201d that captures the distinct moment at which it was written is its inclusion of non-alcoholic and low-ABV cocktails<\/a>. These are not your average mocktails, Faison is quick to note. They are carefully crafted libations just like any other cocktail \u2013 just sans alcohol \u2013 that reflect the way people are drinking post-pandemic.<\/p>\n