If you find yourself in parking structure purgatory this season—that is, stuck waiting between buses at the Vail Transportation Center—your pearly white gates are closer than you might think. At least when it comes to getting into cocktail heaven, thanks to Local’s Left, the new pint-size watering hole decked out with a handful of high-tops and colorful chairs located just across from La Cantina in a windowless alcove next door to the Colorado Snowsports Museum. The venture was started by Brandon Bigalke—the former beverage guru at short-lived White Bison and Pendulum in Vail Village—in collaboration with La Cantina, meaning you can walk across the room and order plates of enchiladas and grande smothered burritos you’ll pair with Bigalke’s signature spin on drinks (think less margaritas and more craft cocktails—plus, three taps dedicated to pours of draft beer).

“It’s kind of like a rotating pop-up,” says Bigalke. “Every month we’ll decorate the bar in a different theme and completely change the drink menu overnight … it’s meant to be fun and cheeky.”

Just don’t blame him if the bus you end up leaving on is a good deal later than the one you had planned. Since opening during Snow Days this past December, the compact cocktail nook has been such a hit with après-skiers and the post-dinner crowd that it spawned a catchy new slogan to augment the lounge’s Instagram handle (@localsleft): Missing the next bus since 2019. —KD