Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/935769
{ SOMMjournal.com } 45 of rare Japanese whiskey at Izakaya Ronin, a casual pub in the basement boiler room of a sushi restaurant. And that's only the very tip of the imbiber's iceberg. Two newcomers in particular point to the wealth of ingenuity being expressed within the local scene—and the greater hospitality industry as a whole—these days. One is Bar Helix, a lounge in the white-hot RiNo (for non-Denverites, that's the River North Art District) neighborhood that exudes disco-era glamour right down to its Bump + Bubbles—a spoonful of caviar daubed on your fist to follow a shot of Champagne. As Owner/sommelier Kendra Anderson explains, Denver's hyper-casual bar culture long excluded enophiles, who "had to commit to fine dining to find great wine" and the service that accompanies it. Now Anderson is helping fill that much-lament - ed void via a temperature-controlled cellar filled with geeky picks and a staff trained to "make you feel cooler than you were before you got here"— whether they're presenting sample-size "baby Negronis" to guests wary of Anderson's favorite cocktail or pouring a complimentary round of the house digestif from a silver flask. (Witty bar snacks like lump-crab rangoons and tarts with foie gras parfait only enhance the high-low retro vibe.) The other aforementioned rookie to thrive within the Denver dynamic is The Family Jones House of Spirits, a drop- dead gorgeous distillery and tasting room in LoHi (the Lower Highlands) anchored by a mezzanine-level copper still that shines above the sunken, semicircular bar and kitchen. Here, Bar Manager Nick Touch works with Distiller Rob Masters to yield creations like black cherry–pistachio Gin Sours, vodka-based mango lassis and avocado-passionfruit Daiquiris featuring the house rum (which Touch describes as "grassy and vegetal, like a funky rhum agricole"). Such kitchen-driven stuff is tailormade for pairing with Chef Tim Dotson's seasonal small plates—think chimichurri-laced smoked-trout tea sandwiches or curried lamb–sweet potato stew with pickled raisins. Meanwhile, Touch is experimenting with an inventory of some 150 botanicals to create "a whole library of distillates" they can infuse into their cocktails at the distillery, and is also making his own line of vermouths and amari for the new year. Speaking of 2018, Denver residents are breathlessly awaiting the imminent arrival of a duo of new venues from three of the biggest names in modern bartending. Multiplatinum proprietor Sean Kenyon is branching out to RiNo with American Bonded, a whiskey-focused bar he says "will have the polish of Williams & Graham with the edge of Occidental" (his internationally- renowned LoHi lounge and its edgy little sibling, respectively). "I'm not going to have an insane library—we're going to curate some whiskeys that you haven't seen on the regular but that you can drink every day," Kenyon says. "With flights, we'll be able to set, say, Old Grand-Dad next to Elmer T. Lee next to something from the Heaven Hill family that people have over - looked for a while. That's exciting to me." And then there's Death & Company. Come spring, David Kaplan and Alex Day will open an outpost of their New York institution in RiNo's The Ramble Hotel. Though details are still sparse, Day says the plan is to "bring (their) ethos to Denver in a way that's respectful." "We love this city and see incred - ible opportunity here," he adds. And while that statement may induct Day into a not-so-exclusive club of outspoken fans of this city, it goes without saying that there's plenty of places to hold meetings. Bar Helix Owner Kendra Anderson. An avocado-passionfruit Daiquiri with lime and chili at The Family Jones House of Spirits. PHOTO: ADAM LARKEY PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO COURTESY OF BAR HELIX The Bar Helix Negroni substitutes Montanaro Aperitivo 6 PM for Campari, resulting in a softer profile. PHOTO COURTESY OF BAR HELIX