COVID Pandemic Changes City's Cocktail Scene
DENVER (CBS4) – Denver restaurant week is the celebration of the City's culinary scene. Restaurants offer multi-course menus at fixed low prices: $25, $35, or $45. Nearly 200 restaurants are participating, and there is a lot of great ways to experiment, including the latest craze, "mocktails."
"It's widely considered one of the best cocktail bars in the world," said David Anderson, a mixologist at Death & Co.
Death & Co is a spinoff of a world renowned cocktail bar in New York City. The Denver location opened in 2018 in the lobby of the Ramble hotel. Death & Co is excited to be a part of Denver Restaurant Week.
"We're offering a small prefixed menu to anybody interested," Anderson explained.
But what this establishment is really known for is the drinks.
"Modern classic cocktails," Anderson said.
Anderson has been shaking up drinks for 8-years. He's seen a change since the pandemic began, taking the booze out of the drinks, interest has soared for "mocktails."
"That's something we love to challenge ourselves with here, to develop cocktails that really genuinely feel authentically like a cocktail…but aren't," Anderson explained.
They are creating new alcohol-free options, like the Lava Contana that Anderson mixed up for CBS4.
"A perfect harmony of sweet, sour, in some cases savory," Anderson said.
Anderson explained that it's not as simple as taking the alcohol out of the normal mix. Mixologists reconfigure the ingredients to take good without the alcohol, and giving patrons even more options for a fun evening.
"It's definitely a movement that is here to stay," he added.
LINK: Denver Restaurant Week
Denver Restaurant Week runs through March 20th, reservations are still available.
