Ready to up your imbibing game? We asked some leaders at local bottle shops and bars from Lakewood to LoHi for their favorite picks. From backpacking and camping to grilling glizzies and or going gourmet on the patio, here are their favorites to liven up your next summer outing.
Best drinks for camping and glamping
Holly Dirker, wine slinger, Mondo Vino: Colorado sets the stage for so much outdoor activity this time of year! The sun is bright and stays high. ...When camping, I love to glam it up by bringing a few gems with me to the site. I skip the box wine and get right to nice bottles. It’s always a must to bring a sparkling to celebrate being in the wild, a crisp rosé for day drinking, and a beautiful red for the evening around the fire.Savannah Phibbs, beverage director, Gold Point: My perfect cocktail pairing for camping is more about convenience or accessibility. I’m sure many are familiar with the “to go pouches” establishments made use of, during COVID to sell takeout cocktails (think adult Capri Suns). Utilizing these pouches and a little prep time, you can have ready-to-drink cocktails that can squeeze into the nooks and crannies of any cooler. My ideal “to-go pouch” cocktail would be a mojito or a Southside. One could prep this ahead of time by adding the rum or gin, lime or lemon, and simple syrup to the pouch. Add a healthy amount of mint and give it a shake. Keep chilled and leave mint to infuse until you set up camp. When you’re ready to drink, open the pouch to top with soda water. Throw a straw in it and you have an easy, refreshing, ready-to-drink cocktail that involves no shaking or stirring.
Jennifer Maglieri, co-owner, Boulevard Bottle Shop in Lakewood: For camping, [I love] Ancestors Distilling Exquisite Gin & Tonic, it’s always so fresh and uses handpicked botanicals while being juniper-forward. Really bright, absolutely lovely, hyper-local canned option. We also have a lovely Hands Off Perlwein, a low-intervention German canned Sauvignon Blanc. I also love Station 26 Salt & Lime Mexican Lager — bright, refreshing, perfect for camping and grilling dogs.
Amanda Jo Law (left) and Allyson Yund of Amendment XXI.
Courtesy of Amendment XXI
Best spirit-free beverages for guests who don't imbibe
Allyson Yund, co-owner, XXI Amendment Wine & Spirits: Not everybody likes to drink, and that’s cool, but it’s always nice to have a special beverage. Immediately I thought of Bloody Marys using Amass Riverine Distilled Non-Alcoholic Spirit. It’s very complex, like a gin or aquavit, and is very dill-y, so pair it with Real Dill Bloody Mary Mix. Obviously you need to have snacks with your Bloody Mary, so we use Espadin Anchovy Stuffed Olives and Yeehaw Hot Damn Dills.Maglieri: If you don’t imbibe, one of my favorite local choices is Cerebral Brewing's Just the Hops hop water for someone who likes something crisp and refreshing and hoppy. Another good local one is from Curious Craft Beverage Non-Alcoholic Craft Cocktails. They make some fabulous, ready-to-drink [spirit-free] cocktails. ...They’re always a fan favorite among our customers and ourselves.
No White Claws necessary: Jane Ledford (left) and Holly Dirker of Mondo Vino have what you need.
Courtesy of Mondo Vino.
Best drinks to pair with grilled proteins, fruits and vegetables
Jane Ledford, wine slinger, Mondo Vino: We’ve all been taught we need a bold red wine to end a meal and while that is not wrong, there is another way: Light reds, bold flavors. Austrian and German reds are underrated as these regions are typically noted for their white wines. Pick up a Zweigelt from Austria and pair this with grilled Colorado game meat. Zweigelt gives juicy black and blue fruit sprinkles with spice, refreshing acidity and typically no oak influence. Or grab a German Pinot Noir for a woodsy cherry pairing perfect for roasted duck or chicken.Jessica Barrand, co-owners, Boulevard Bottle Shop in Lakewood: I love the un-fussiness of a backyard barbecue with good wines to enjoy. You want the bite and sip to marry together. If it’s a bazillion degrees outside, I don’t want a big, bold, tannic wine. I don’t want that dog-that-just-ate-peanut-butter kind of feeling! When I think of summer, I think of barbecuing, grilling out back in the yard, hanging by the pool if I have a friend who’s got one to poach. I love wine, with everything I grill. For summertime fare, it’s a lot of veggies, light on the meat, nothing that makes me feel weighed down by my meals. I match the body of the wine with what I’m eating. ...When in doubt, bubbles. If you don’t know what to pick for greens, Gruner Veltliner, every time. Gu Grüne or go home!
Best drinks for entertaining guests at an elevated backyard dinner
Ledford: Wine’s potential to accentuate food and one’s entire experience is endless. ...For Summer menus, my suggestion is to grab a white from Eastern Europe (Greece, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia) to start. These whites are affordable, bright with citrus and acidity and blossoming with floral, herbal notes that play with food nicely. For a spicy menu, try out an orange wine with juicy fruit notes, salinity, structured tannins and spiced aromas. Orange wine can stand up to many dishes often deemed “too hard” to pair with wine. Lastly, have fun with dessert! Dessert wines can be tasty, but have you ever tried amaro over ice cream? Or Lambrusco with dark chocolate? In the end, you get to create your own experience and the ultimate goal is to enjoy, learn a little and laugh a lot!Phibbs: Clarification of cocktails is a process that adds brilliance and allure to any citrus-based cocktail. Although it is heavy on the prep time, the process itself is incredibly easy, and leaves you with a crystal clear cocktail that is ready to pour over ice, giving your guests a little razzle-dazzle. A great classic cocktail to try this with would be a clarified French 75.
Best drinks to pair with hot dogs
Dirker: I had my first champagne and hotdog experience here in Colorado a couple of years ago. I had a chill night at home and hotdogs were the only thing to eat in our refrigerator, with some beautiful Gulden Spicy Brown Mustard, and all I had in my fridge to drink was a bottle of Francois Bedel Comme Autreffois. I thought it was the perfect pairing with a hotdog because of the brioche toasty notes in Champagne and great acidity, and hotdogs are rich and fatty, as you know. It was perfect. I never looked back from Champagne and hot dogs ever again.Phibbs: My dream glizzy pairing would have to be a Spaghett, which is basically the trashy, fun cousin of the Aperol Spritz. It consists of a shot of Aperol poured into a Miller High Life (glass bottle preferred, splash of lemon if you’re feeling sassy). I like to add an orange peel into the neck of the bottle to class it up and highlight the Aperol. This is the perfect glizzy pairing, as the sweet bitterness of the Aperol, as well as the bubbles of the High Life, cut the rich fats of the hot dog and lager. It may sound deranged, but it’s a fun two-ingredient way to jazz up any cookout.
Best drinks for a party in the park
Amanda Jo Law, co-owner, XXI Amendment Wine & Spirits: Sake in a juice box. Nihon Sakari Onikoroshi sake is super easy to throw in your pocket, throw it in your cooler, and pair it with pizza. We also really love Riesling. Riesling doesn’t get enough love. Pair it with Doritos! Pair it with fun, salty things. We also love pickles. We love this Martin House Best Maid Sour Pickle Beer. You can make amazing shooters with this, or a really cool pickled martini or a spritz out of this. We also have some great canned wine we’re loving [from] cool producers, and we’re loving their white and their red blends, they’re blowing me away right now. Ledford: Vermouths, amaros, liqueurs, aperitivos. ...There’s so much to explore there, it’s not crazy-expensive, and it can be as simple as experiencing a vermouth and soda or sipping amaro at the end of the night.
Dirker: If you’re day drinking, you want something crisp and refreshing. [It’s] great to get conversations going. It’s easy. Everyone hears a bottle of champagne opening and it immediately invokes the spirit of a party.
Ledford: Just the act of pouring everyone’s glasses, passing it around, looking at the bottle, checking out the artwork, checking out the producer. You don’t have that with white claws.
Where to shop for (and taste) booze in Denver
Mondo Vino3601 West 32nd Avenue
Tastings from 4 to 6 p.m. every Friday and Saturday
Boulevard Bottle Shop
275 South Sheridan Boulevard, Lakewood
Tastings from 4 to 6 p.m. every Thursday and Saturday
XXI Amendment Wine & Spirits
2548 15th Street
Tastings from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday
