Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1061132
18 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018/2019 { elevating the rockies } IN THE ALLEYWAY behind the Halcyon Hotel in Denver's Cherry Creek neighborhood is a gray door marked "Private." No stray passerby would typically give the portal a second glance—unless, that is, they'd heard rumblings about a hush-hush little hideout tucked away in a base - ment behind the wall. Despite the label, B&GC, aka Boys & Girls Club, isn't actually private: To enter, all you have to do is text the number listed on the business' website. However, it is secretive by the standards of this media-savvy city. According to Bar Manager Daryl Pryor, when B&GC opened nearly two years ago, press and social media were minimal, as the team "wanted to ensure" they were providing everything they "said [they] would on paper" before going public, Pryor explains. At just 44 seats, B&GC is built for a bespoke cocktail experience—a fact I discovered firsthand on a recent Saturday night. After ringing the inconspicuous doorbell per the text instructions I'd received a few hours prior, my guest and I were led down a storage-area stairwell into a snazzy cubbyhole where Art Deco–inspired decor and piped-in jazz transported us to another era. The multi-page cocktail list covers what Pryor calls "hipster classics you don't see a lot" such as the Liberal and the Betsy Ross, as well as complex yet smooth-as-glass originals like the Let Me Know with rum, applejack, aquavit, golden raisin/brown rice syrup, and lemon juice. The team also met our requests for impromptu creations featuring Sherry and Laphroaig with panache. "People expect this to be a rigid, unfriendly environment, which just isn't what we do," Pryor says. "We still like to be a little sneaky, but we don't want to challenge people too much—we want our drinks to stand the test of time." Over in the RiNo district, New York's renowned Death & Co oversees both food and beverage for The Ramble Hotel. The sumptuous lobby lounge has been going gangbusters since it opened in May, joined soon after by the rooftop garden bar. Now the pièce de résistance has fallen into place: Suite 6A, a dark and sultry 21-seat bar, opened on the mez - zanine in November. Though Suite 6A accepts walk-ins as well as email reservations, its capacity alone makes any visit a highly intimate affair. So do the offerings. According to Bar Manager Alex Jump, the bar team hopes the list of just five or six cocktails can serve as a "starting point" for guests before the bartenders "guide [them] toward some - thing special." Changing weekly, the menu includes originals like the Champagne-topped Birthday Daiquiri to mix and match with an array of hors d'oeuvres like caviar-topped beet sorbet and lamb tartare. Here's to living it up in the Mile High City, no matter how discrete the venue. A Martini is served alongside hors d'oeuvres at Suite 6A. Outfitted in Art Deco–inspired décor, B&GC offers an expansive cocktail list. PHOTO: JENNIFER OLSON by Ruth Tobias Inside Denver's Most Exclusive Bars B&GC AND SUITE 6A ARE SMALL, SWANKY, AND SENSATIONAL PHOTO: ELLIOT CLARK PHOTO COURTESY OF SAGE RESTAURANT GROUP