Anyone who knows a good cocktail knows it’s so much more than just a good drink. It’s about the ingredients, the vision, and the craft that transforms individual parts into a cohesive whole. It’s also about the place where said drinks are mixed and then sipped. A cocktail (or an equally compelling zero-proof rendition) is shorthand for community, a place to celebrate moments and conquests big and small. The following Vail Valley bar programs, all headed up by industry leaders, succeed in pouring good drinks and offering a space where people feel like they belong. These valley spots know their worth, and that comes across in the artistry of their drinks.

Vail Village | Avon/Beaver Creek Village | Edwards & Eagle 

Vail Village

You might have seen the tiny 10th Mountain Whiskey bar inside the Hythe Hotel, but for the real experience, head to the tasting room on Bridge Street. There, inside the modern-rustic space, a full cocktail menu awaits—along with flights—and a retail area where full bottles can be purchased. The name might be a slight misnomer, considering 10th Mountain distills whiskey, brandy, potato vodka, a sage-peach cordial, and other spirits.

ORDER the Maple Old-Fashioned because, in our opinion, this classic never goes out of season.

SAVOR SUMMER at a creekside table with mountain breezes and sounds of burbling water lofting through an open window.

BONUS The tasting room sits right on Gore Creek. 

Maple Old-Fashioned
Of course, you can make this cocktail with regular high-quality maple syrup, but the distillery’s barrel-aged syrup makes it worlds better.

• 2 oz 10th Mountain bourbon
• ½ oz 10th Mountain bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup
• 2 dashes 10th Mountain barrel-aged bitters
• Orange twist

1. Prepare the glass: Start by chilling an old-fashioned glass. You can do this by adding ice and letting it sit while you prepare the cocktail.
2. Mix the ingredients: In a mixing glass, combine the bourbon, bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup, and bitters.
3. Stir: Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir until well chilled (about 30 seconds).
4. Strain: Remove the ice from your old-fashioned glass and strain the mixture into the glass over a large ice cube.
5. Garnish: Express the oil from the orange twist over the drink and drop it in as a garnish.
6. Sip slowly: Enjoy the rich flavors of the bourbon blending with the warmth of the maple syrup!

Mix Master: A local mixologist who makes house calls

Scotty Moises got his bartending start at Kirby Cosmo’s in Minturn (“I could make anything with an ‘and’ in it,” he laughs), and he worked his way up to stints that included the late Spago and Zach’s Cabin. Along the way, he entered and placed in multiple cocktail contests, including winning Grand Marnier’s regional and national competitions. When the pandemic hit, he was working his magic at Beano’s Cabin, a twist of fate that inadvertently launched Crush Pow, Moises’s mobile bartending business. “People would call and say ‘We miss you! We’re having friends over, will you come to my house and bartend?” Moises explains.

Those gigs turned into a full-time business venture that now services Vail, Beaver Creek, and Aspen. “I should have been doing this my whole life,” Moises laughs. “I get to be creative, I need human touch, and I get both of these. I like participating and introducing guests to others.” Not only does Moises do in-house parties, he also offers private cocktail classes where he talks about the spirits, the history of said cocktails, and his riffs on them before guiding folks through mixing the drinks themselves. Everyone goes home with at least two recipes. 

BONUS If you happen to be an owner/member at the Residences Bachelor Gulch, Moises holds a free cocktail class once a week during the summer and winter peak seasons. 

Google Bad Kitty Lounge (227 Bridge St, 970-393-5077), and you might have a hard time finding an active website or Instagram account. But make no mistake, this is a serious cocktail bar. So serious are the bartenders’ pedigrees (led by one Brandon Bigalke, who came up through the San Francisco bar scene) that there’s no menu, and drinks are built entirely based on guest preferences. If that sounds high-handed, rest assured that the environment is casual and the vibe is come-one-come-all. You can just as easily nerd out with a bartender over an obscure spirit or the suddenly-everywhere MSG martini, or you can simply sip and enjoy.

Made to order Name your favorite spirit and your favorite flavor profiles (bitter, sweet, smoky, etc.) and savor what the crew creates. 

Archetype Distillery originated in Denver, but it has really come into its own since the company moved its distillery to Gypsum and opened a tasting room in Vail’s Sitzmark Lodge.

What’s most exciting about Archetype is that its products—vodka, gin, and other distilled spirits—are made with grapes instead of grain. “It came down to preference,” says Michael Chapyak, company president and head distiller. “Grain is most common for vodka and spirits, potatoes for vodka too. I was introduced to different vodkas made from different sources, and when I hit on the wine grapes, there’s a lack of burn and more aromatic character.” Chapyak says he uses the first press of grapes that wine makers don’t use and that, in turn, allows for a vodka and gin that are soft and smooth on the palate. (It’s so good that for several years, Archetype was the official gin for Red Rocks Amphitheatre.)

For those who balk at no whiskey offerings, Chapyak makes a smoked vodka that is an excellent stand-in. Also check out the distilled spirits, which come in flavors as varied as blue cheese (the most popular), lemon, Earl Grey, and dill. “Instead of cordials or liqueurs that have random added sugar, coloring, and flavoring, this is a much more natural product and pure at martini strength,” he explains.

ORDER the What Do You Mean You Don’t Make Whiskey? cocktail. Yep, that’s actually the name, and one sip of this elixir made with smoked vodka, lapsang souchong spirit, coconut palm simple, and pu’erh tea bitters, and you’ll realize you sometimes don’t need whiskey for a drink to taste like whiskey.

BONUS Archetype regularly holds classes (and did even before it moved from Denver to Vail). Chapyak structures them so that you learn the fundamentals in the Creator Class before moving up the levels. 

You cannot talk about cocktails in Vail without immediately thinking of (or better yet securing a barstool at) Root & Flower on Bridge Street. Owners Sam Biszantz and Jeremy Campbell have set the tone since opening in 2015. In fact, one could say the business extracted its DNA from the late Restaurant Kelly Liken—where Biszantz worked as general manager and Campbell as sommelier. At Kelly Liken, they hatched a plan to build a business that would fill a void in Vail’s nightlife scene. “The funny story is we originally opened to be a wine bar, but we’ve become better known as a cocktail bar. We’re both; we really fill both those niches,” Campbell says. Root & Flower struck gold, and their tiny incubator space on Wall Street (now home to Two Arrows Coffee) was so jammed that in 2020, the bar upgraded to its current, much larger location. Even at three times the original size, it’s just as busy as it was on day one.

SAVOR SUMMER on the patio outside, sipping while people-watching the characters ambling by on Bridge Street.

TRENDSPOTTING “Zero proof: We’ve definitely seen a rise in that. We take it a little more seriously every time we redo a menu,” Campbell says.

ORDER the Dirty Mary, a tomato water martini, or the Watermelon Cordial, a nonalcoholic take on Root & Flower’s savory watermelon mezcal cocktail.
BONUS Should you wish for a more intimate experience, you can book a cocktail class, which includes one welcome drink and two cocktails, made while you are coached by a resident mixologist. 

Dirty Mary

Follow Root & Flower’s lead and make this only during the height of summer’s tomato season, when you can sip and savor farm-to-glass freshness.

• 2½ oz olive oil–washed vodka/vermouth (recipe below)
• ¾ oz tomato water (recipe below)
• 3 dashes celery bitters

Combine all ingredients in a stirring tin with ice and stir thoroughly.
Strain into a Nick & Nora glass and garnish with a cherry tomato and a basil leaf skewered on a pick.

Olive Oil Vodka/Vermouth

• 1,000 mL Jones Family vodka
• 125 mL Dolin dry vermouth
• 125 mL olive oil

Combine ingredients in a container and mix well.
Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature, then place into the freezer. Once olive oil is solid, strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer and discard any solids.
Store refrigerated for up to one month.

Tomato Water

• Ripe tomatoes
• Salt
• Fresh basil, finely chopped
• Pepper

Dice tomatoes and weigh.
Add 1.5 percent of that weight in salt.
Add basil and fresh-ground pepper to taste.
Place all ingredients in a cheesecloth-lined strainer and let drip. Refrigerate overnight.
Collect clear liquid and strain any colored liquid through a coffee filter.
Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Inside the fanciful Chasing Rabbits at Solaris, a red-lit corridor beckons and Moon Rabbit awaits. The velvety, dark speakeasy is home to exquisitely creative cocktails that come with a side of serious whimsy. Take the Cosmonaut, a shaken cocktail of Haku vodka, yuzu, persimmon liqueur, and Tsuru-Ume orange sake that’s garnished with a quivering berry-flavored bubble. Here, details matter, such as a mini gold platter-wielding bunny statue presenting the Cosmonaut. Chasing Rabbits, and by extension Moon Rabbit, is all about immersion.

ORDER the Cosmonaut (obviously), or for G&T fans, don’t miss the cherry blossom-esque Sakura gin and tonic. 

The Remedy Bar, which occupies the heart of the Four Seasons, is not your average hotel bar. Far from it. The floor-to-ceiling windows frame views of Vail and Vail Mountain and, you could say, inform the cocktails served within. Remedy has embraced the luxury cocktail trend where bartenders go for gusto, use the most premium of ingredients, and charge an arm and a leg. Here, the Après-Vous features the savory combo of Parmesan-infused Belvedere 10 vodka, dry vermouth, rosemary, thyme, and a garnish of a caviar-topped blini. For the mere mortals, there’s the regular cocktail menu. Of the many hits, old-fashioned drinkers should focus on the three offerings: the classic, one emboldened with amaro and cardamom bitters, and another one featuring and celebrating mezcal’s smoke.

ORDER the Evergreen Spritz, which is often on the menu in the winter, but just as refreshing in the summer. Génépy, an herbal liqueur that’s often associated with the Alps, figures heavily in this cocktail. 

Evergreen Spritz

This cocktail was inspired by Vail’s outdoor lifestyle.

• 2 oz Génépy
• ½ oz St-Germain
• Prosecco
• Splash club soda
• 2 dashes lemon bitters

Add ice to a wine glass until it is nearly full.
Pour in Génépy and St-Germain until one-third of the glass is filled.
Pour in an equal amount of prosecco. Top with a splash of club soda and lemon bitters.
Garnish with a sliced lemon wheel and a rosemary sprig.

Long known as a Vail staple for fine dining, Sweet Basil also swings big on the cocktail front. The best way to experience this side of the restaurant is to find a barstool and make yourself comfortable. Chat up the bartenders (with any luck, bar lead Tyler Alvarez will be behind the stick) and let them know what you’re in the mood for. The team is astute enough to whip up anything your heart desires, even if it’s not on the menu.

COCKTAIL CRED In 2024, Sweet Basil’s Jessenia Sanabria won the Michelin Guide Colorado’s Exceptional Cocktails Award.

SAVOR SUMMER at a table beneath the restaurant’s red awning on the creekside deck.

ORDER the Fifth Leaf. If your instinct is to overlook anything containing banana liqueur, eschew the thought and give it a try. Pandan (a tropical leaf with nutty and creamy vanilla notes), lemon, and shiso balance the banana for one very memorable cocktail. 

As a coffee shop and bar, Two Arrows Coffee is perfectly positioned to capture, well, just about everyone. “I’m a coffee person who fell into owning a bar,” says owner Lindsea Stowe, who took over Root & Flower’s original incubator space and made it into what it is today. “I’ve always envisioned Two Arrows as a common space, so I let that lead the beverage program.” This means that folks often come to caffeinate before their outdoor adventure and circle back to celebrate with drinks afterward. This summer, Stowe, in concert with a local acupuncturist friend, is rolling out an ambitious NA cocktail menu fortified with adaptogens (ingredients used in herbal medicine). The idea being: why not enjoy a drink that tastes good and is good for you?

TRENDSPOTTING In recent years, amaro and vermouth (both low-ABV digestifs) have become cult favorites of the food and beverage industry. They’re very much #IYKYK, and Two Arrows stocks one of the best collections in town. “When you look at the overarching trend of low ABV, vermouth and soda can be a really nice refresher,” says Stowe.

SAVOR SUMMER with strangers (soon to be friends) seated around two communal banquettes outside on Wall Street. 

ORDER THIS “We think our espresso martini and carajillo are the best thing going,” says Two Arrows proprietor Stowe. “We make our own coffee liqueur with real espresso, so it has caffeine too. We love that buzz-buzz, where you get both caffeine and alcohol in one.” 

Avon/Beaver Creek Village

If you visited Lookout Bar atop the Westin during its debut in the spring of 2024 and haven’t been since, you might be surprised by how it has evolved. What was once a modern, cold, and loud industrial space (a sixth-floor penthouse capping the hotel’s tony One Riverfront Condominiums addition) is now cozy, inviting, and what the staff calls “midmountain modern.” What hasn’t changed? The stunning views. “We’re right in the middle of the valley, we’re by the river, and we can see Game Creek Bowl at Vail and Birds of Prey at Beaver Creek. Six stories up really changes your whole perspective,” says Kevin Gillie, the Westin Riverfront’s food and beverage manager.

And the Lookout’s craft cocktails, where all but the liquor is made in-house, remain exceptional. Another point of pride? The zero-proof menu, which showcases six NA classics, including a paper plane, an Aperol spritz, and a boulevardier. “One of my biggest things going into the season was becoming the most progressive NA program in the valley,” Gillie says. “It’s not just a segment of the menu, it’s the first page you open up to. This isn’t just a trend; it’s respecting where people are at. We’re even partnering on dry events with a few local groups like Reconnected.”

TRENDSPOTTING “Bourbon is falling off, and rum is trying to make a comeback,” Gillie says.

ORDER the Anjali Spa Day with Midori and Chareau aloe liqueur. In this cocktail, Midori, long relegated to the realm of sugary beach drinks, showcases its light and refreshing side.

SAVOR SUMMER at any one of the outdoors-facing wraparound bar seats, with windows cantilevered open, overlooking Vail Mountain to the east and Beaver Creek Mountain across the Eagle River to the south.

Anjali Spa Day

If you’re not familiar with aloe liqueur, you’re not the only one! You’ll be pleased to taste mint, cucumber, and earthy notes. 

• 1½ oz Chareau aloe liqueur
• ½ oz Midori
• ½ oz St-Germain
• ¼ oz lemon juice
• Prosecco
• Topo Chico

In a glass, combine Chareau aloe liqueur, Midori, St-Germain, and lemon juice. Stir, add ice, and top with equal parts prosecco and Topo Chico.
Garnish with a cucumber rose. 

There’s nothing conventional about the cocktail menu at The Rose, which is why it has remained a cult favorite since the restaurant opened in the former Bon Jour bakery space at Edwards’ Riverwalk in 2013. Here you’ll find drinks that highlight and juxtapose flavors like the yuzu miso sour or an avocado gimlet. “For the gimlet, we fat-wash and rosemary-wash gin and add a quarter slice of avocado, then shake it, double-strain, and you get a creamy, smooth, really great mouthfeel. It’s also sort of savory,” says owner Bryan Redniss. That cocktail has been on and off the menu for many years, and Redniss says that although they’ve played with vodka and tequila renditions, the gin version is a big hit. The tarragon paloma is also a labor of love, with the bar team adding citrus to tequila and letting it infuse the spirit, followed by a week of infusing the mixture with tarragon for vegetal notes. 

SAVOR SUMMER on the patio outside, under festival lights strung across the promenade.

TRENDSPOTTING “I’d say savory cocktails with things like vegetal flavors and miso or soy for umami,” says Redniss. “Also bread- and cereal-based cocktails, like milk punches, but you do it with cereal milk or bread milk.”

ORDER The avocado gimlet or the tarragon paloma. In fact, during the summer, the tarragon paloma outsells anything else on The Rose’s cocktail menu.

BONUS The Rose has offered a variety of culinary and cocktail classes since it first opened. These days, classes happen more by word of mouth (and Facebook) than anything, but you can always call and ask if you can set one up. 

 

FOR THE MANHATTAN LOVER
Coming off Beaver Creek Mountain—be it by bike, foot, or ski—CBar is the place to put your feet up and wet your whistle. In the summer, the porch pounder of choice is the refreshing Chophouse Ranch Water made with single-barrel Patron reposado tequila, cucumber shrub, and lime, and topped off with bubbly Topo Chico. A couple of those will put you right, especially while people-watching.

SAVOR SUMMER under a red umbrella on the slopeside patio overlooking the grassy meadows of Beaver Creek Mountain’s Centennial base area.

ORDER a made-to-order selection from CBar’s famous Manhattan bar, featuring four selections of bourbon or rye and as many varieties of vermouth, 11 varieties of bitters, and for the cherry, either Jack Daniel’s-infused Bordeaux or Old Forester citrus-cinnamon amarena. 

Edwards and Eagle

You might think of Il Mago as a destination for hot-from-the-750-degree-oven artisan pizza and you’re not wrong, but you’re not totally right either. In addition to focusing on finely tuned Neapolitan-style pies, antipasti, and pasta, the restaurant also puts the shine on its cocktails. The offerings are small but mighty. (“We sell a lot of spritzes,” laughs chef-owner Chris Schmidt, a former executive chef at Sweet Basil who opened Il Mago in 2023 after his wildly popular Craftsman Restaurant vacated its Edwards Corner incubator space and expanded into the former Gore Range Brewery across the street.) The menu sleeper might just be the lemon-sage martini. While not a classic martini, this version is still ice cold and zippy. For those with more savory leanings, Schmidt is a fan of Il Mago’s dirty martini made with olive brine-washed vodka and a shake of shio koji. 

SAVOR SUMMER at a table on the small patio outside—you’ll be tempted to duck into the scoop shop next door for a waffle cone.

ORDER the lemon sage martini because it’s summery, it’s refreshing, and it’s ever so slightly savory.

BONUS You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better happy hour—we’re talking perfect negronis for $10 and $7 glasses of house red and white wine. “Our happy hour is killer,” says Schmidt. “You can get a $14 pizza and a $10 negroni, and we’re not changing a thing—we’re not changing the size of the pizza or the quality of the liquor.” 

Lemon Sage Martini

• 2 oz vodka
• ¼ oz Lillet Blanc
• ½ oz lemon juice
• ½ oz sage simple syrup (recipe below)
• 6-7 dashes Fee Brothers Fee Foam bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass.
Garnish with sage leaf

Sage Syrup

• 13 fresh sage leaves
• 8 oz water
• 8 oz sugar

1. Slap and slightly bruise the sage leaves in your hand. Combine in a pot with the water and sugar. Bring to a simmer.
2. Simmer 30 seconds.
3. Remove from heat and steep 15 minutes.
4. Strain out the sage and refrigerate for up to 4 weeks.

The Collective on Second, Eagle’s hidden-in-plain-sight speakeasy, gives off dual vibes of stepping back in time while also stepping forward. By that, we mean the Collective places a strong emphasis on wine and its craft cocktails (think sazerac old-fashioneds and blackberry whiskey sours), which lean more modern than their pre-Prohibition brethren. It’s a combined effort from locals Richard Butters and Brian Kunkel, both of whom wanted to bring something new to Eagle. The wine program is bolstered by Butters’ extensive knowledge in the field. (He’s a level three sommelier and holds a degree in Wine Business Strategies from Sonoma State University.) Meanwhile, Kunkel, who runs Second Street Tavern next door, developed the bar menu. Whether it’s the cocktail program or wine list (or both!) that gets you through the door, you won’t leave disappointed.

PRO TIP Become a Collective member via e-mail ([email protected]) and you’ll receive a daily password that unlocks insider deals on wine, beer, and spirits. 

SAVOR SUMMER on the sun-drenched patio and appreciate that this speakeasy doesn’t hide in the dark.

ORDER the paper plane for its it-girl status. The fact that this isn’t a Prohibition-style cocktail fits the Collective’s vision perfectly: First created in 2008 with Campari, the current-day version features Aperol, alongside bourbon, lemon juice, and Amaro Nonino. 

For the N/A Aficionado

In keeping with Wild Sage’s eat-healthy vibe, the bar follows suit when it comes to imbibing. Sure, the spot serves full-proof cocktails, wine, and beer, but the real excitement is the attention it pays to its zero-proof drinks. The bar team uses Ritual’s alcohol-free spirits, and they’ve become crafty at doing so. Highlights include the crushable Aperol spritz (made with Ritual’s aperitif and Steinbock “Zero” Riesling) and the ever-popular Skinniest Margarita with Ritual tequila and tons of fresh lime. “I’ll say this,” says Casey Glowacki (who also owns Capitol Street Public House across the street and the Drunken Goat in Edwards). “Our NA marg is one of the better margaritas in town.” 

ORDER the Skinniest Margarita, for obvious reasons.

SAVOR SUMMER on a shady patio off Capitol, Eagle Ranch’s lively main street.