Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/935769
44 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 { elevating the rockies } ONE CAN EITHER look to the history books or current headlines to confirm Denver is practically built on booze: Purportedly founded over a barrel of whiskey in 1858, the city serves as the epicenter of a state consistently ranking third or fourth nationwide in both beer and spirits production. And in the midst of an extended hospitality boom that's yielded a staggering array of new bars, there's no better time than the present to drink it all in. Consider the diversity in just a handful of recent openings. On a typical evening in the Mile High City, a very ambitious itinerary might unfold as follows: You could indulge in a sci-fi–inspired libation behind the freezer door of an ice cream parlor at Retrograde; shop for collectible sneakers over orange-clove Whiskey Sours at nightclub- meets-shoe gallery SneekEazy; sip spiked punch while bowling strikes in the control tower of the old Stapleton International Airport, now home to Punch Bowl Social; sample dry-hopped Sauvignon Blanc in the former break room of a midcentury aviation factory taken over by urban winery Infinite Monkey Theorem; or splurge on a $350 glass A sampler of the house spirits served at The Family Jones House of Spirits in Denver. At the Denver location of Death & Company, Co-Founder Alex Day is aiming for "high-quality product and execution with a local tie-in." Where Denverites Are Drinking Now IT'S HIGH TIME TO EXPLORE THE MILE HIGH CITY by Ruth Tobias PHOTO: KATIE HOSS PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO: ADAM LARKEY PHOTOGRAPHY