'Best Bars In America' 2019 List Includes 4 From Colorado

DENVER, CO – As winter takes hold for real, there’s nothing like the warm cordiality of a favorite watering hole, which The Daily Meal called “the great socioeconomic equalizer” in its roundup of “The 150 Bars in America for 2019.” Colorado had four on the list, including two from Denver.

Members of The Daily Meal’s editorial staff have been compiling the list since 2011, explaining the process: “The Daily Meal walks into a bar and — we peruse the menu, the clientele, and the drinks list; we scrutinize the drink, the place, the vibe; we take mental notes. Then we decide to grab a wad of cocktail napkins and start scribbling notes for a list like this. …”

The list includes everything “from simple beach bars and swanky cocktail lounges to innovative houses of ‘molecular’ mixology to dusty dive bars and dens of iniquity,” The Daily Meal said.

Among “The 150 Best Bars in America for 2019” in Colorado that left a big impression on The Daily Meal staff are:

• Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen (Denver) 1317 14th St (at Larimer St.)

Ranking on the list: No. 83

The Daily Meal loved the historic Euclid Hall (built in 1883) and former home to "a local doctor, the Colorado Women’s Relief Corps, Soapy Smith’s Double Eagle Bar, and the Masons." Reviewers appreciated "more than 80 globetrotting beers" as well as the "adventurous pub food menu" with items like pig ear pad thai, Boulder Lamb “Loco Moco” and hand-cranked sausages.

• Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project (Denver) 3350 Brighton Blvd.

Ranking on the list: No. 113

The Daily Meal has been enthusiastic about the Crooked Stave since last year, when it was voted "best bar" in Colorado's best-of list. Reviewers praised the atmosphere of the former foundry building and the "22 taps filled with a variety of sour beers, wild ales, and saisons."

Other bars making the list in Colorado were:

• Jimmy's (Aspen) 205 S Mill St

Ranking on the list: No. 117
Reviewers praised Jimmy's tequila selection as "the pied piper of agave-based spirits." They loved the atmosphere and the "600-bottle Wine Spectator Award-winning wine list and 24 specialty cocktails."

• The Sink (Boulder) 1165 13th St (Pennsylvania Ave.)

Ranking on the list: No. 128

Daily Meal reviewers appreciated the Sink's reputation as the oldest restaurant in Boulder and the parade of celebrities (including then-U.S. President Barak Obama) who've stopped in for pizza or a grass-fed beef burger. Reviewers also praised the murals by late Boulder artist Lloyd Kavich.

Bars “are ubiquitous and unifying,” the site said, adding: “Nearly anyone of legal age can enter a bar, pull up a stool and buy him- or herself a refreshing glass of liquid luxury in its many forms: from a budget ice-cold brew to a fine wine to a potent shot to a classic cocktail to a spectacular modernist creation.”

By Dan Hampton, Patch National Staff

Read more on The Daily Meal.

Photo via Shutterstock

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