First Look: Five Nines Cocktail Bar Is a Sexy Addition to Cherry Creek

What: Five Nines inside the Clayton Members Club & Hotel

Where: 233 Clayton Street

When: Open 5 p.m. to midnight Wednesday and Thursday and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday

For more info: Visit claytondenver.com/food-and-drink/five-nines/
What we saw: There's not much to see when first entering Five Nines, which opened on February 9. The clandestine bar is hidden behind an unmarked door on the south side of the Clayton Members Club & Hotel in Cherry Creek. But once you're led to your seat, details start to emerge as your eyes adjust to the dimness. It's intimate, and the low lights add to the mystery of the speakeasy-like bar (though you don't need a password to get in, and it's not meant to be a secret).

The lights get even dimmer when the show starts, every 45 minutes or so. But worry not: You don't need to look anywhere but the ground-level stage where a lovely lady (or ladies) bends, twists, dances and defies gravity on a pole hidden behind a curtain. Each vignette is put on by the Hard Candy Dancers, a Denver-based dance troupe. Once the short performance is over, it feels bright as the lights are turned up and you turn to the menu.

Our server on a recent visit was Noel, and her straight-face sense of humor made it a joy when she came by to take orders. Why yes, Noel, I will take your suggestion for the Road to Jerez — which she described as a tequila Negroni that comes with a bit of flaming orange. The Flame to Field was also a delight, spicy with a side of even hotter Corn Nuts to complement it. 
While Noel delivered the drinks with flair, it was barmen Kyle Bobkowski (formerly of Seven Grand and Poka Lola) and Eugene Marenya (formerly of American Bonded) who developed the three-part menu. The "Uncut Gems" section features classic cocktails with a little twist. The "Forged in Fire" menu works heat, spice and even real fire into the drinks — the two aforementioned cocktails were from that list. Finally, “Compounds & Concoctions” is a grouping of cocktails for those who want something off the beaten path. Each menu includes a non-alcoholic option, too. Then there's a long list of wines, beer and spirits.

There's food as well, though the menu by Greg Deflorio, Clayton Members Club's executive chef, has yet to fully reach its potential. But they're working on it. On our visit there was a nice spread of Serrano ham, manchego, pan con tomate, Marcona almonds and olives. Don't pass up the chips and dip, either. There are two iterations: a crème fraîche with veggie chips and smoked-trout roe; and the artichoke and caramelized onion dip with potato chips. 
What surprised us: The name Five Nines doesn't have much to do with cocktails. It's a term used when noting the purity of precious metals — the number 99.999 is the finest you can get, and the team at this bar aims to make sure every guest would rate their experience at Five Nines as five nines. Metallurgy aside, there's enough going on in this intimate spot to bring customers back, even if it's not perfect.

For starters: the dancing. It might seem as if these "micro performances," as the Clayton calls them, could distract someone on a date or someone who's catching up with a friend, but it just adds to the overall experience. Yes, you're there for a drink and probably a bite to eat, but watching a scantily clad lady bend and twist in ways most of us can't achieve breaks up the monotony of sitting in a bar. It forces one to pause and take in a moment. And if that date is going sour, it's something interesting to talk about. 
The decor, too, adds a bit of seediness to the usually stuffy Cherry Creek neighborhood. Not that it's for the downtrodden. Thanks to design studio AvroKO, the dark and moody space gives one the sense that they've walked into a film noir  — the sexy kind. A lit bar adds waves of turquoise and allows the jewel-like bottles of booze to glow. No matter where you sit, you can see something interesting. And just as with the drink menu, you'll want to try all the angles.