As we wait for farmers’ market season to kick off, the produce haul has already made its way to behind the bar. While zesty Bloody Marys and crisp, refreshing cucumber margs are no strangers to cocktail menus, Denver’s bartenders are also digging more inventive, veggie-forward cocktails.
At LoHi cocktail lounge Lady Jane, partner Stuart Weaver said his team loves introducing vegetables into the cocktail lineups.
“We have created so many veggie cocktails I’ve lost count, from peas and carrots to corn and butternut squash,” Weaver said. “The menu is incredibly seasonal and we are constantly rolling out new cocktails depending on what we can get from our produce suppliers.”
This spring, Weaver is in the running for Cointreau’s Margarita Challenge, with his Snap Out of It pea cocktail. It’s among 10 nationwide finalists in a competition that regularly draws 2,000 or so recipe submissions. His cocktail uses pea pod-infused sotol (an earthy and herbaceous liquor) as well as Cointreau, mint, Parmesan rind, Tellicherry peppercorn and pea shoot-lime salt, and pea flower. If it wins, look for a cameo on the menu alongside some of the bar’s other seasonal veggie cocktails.
Over at Yacht Club, where McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright are James Beard Award finalists in the Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service category, veggies are always ripe for exploration.
“We like to work with any and all vegetables, nothing is off the table,” Hedges said. “We even did a whole root vegetable menu last year.”
The bar team sources produce when it’s at the season’s peak. They’re often zeroing in on veggies that are aromatic and have a good backbone of flavor to build on. Hedges said the team ferments and dehydrates some vegetables for year-round use and in kombucha.
Inspired by the work of these talented bartenders, we found five spots around Denver to savor fantastic vegetable cocktails.
A Crispy Purple Carrot Cocktail and an N/A Savory Margarita at Yacht Club
At Yacht Club, purple carrots star in Strange Design, which has deep, layered flavors of tequila, house-made carrot eau de vie, vin jaune, madeira, housemade fig leaf vermouth, and fennel vinegar made at the bar with leftover wine and baby fennel fronds from a local farm.
“Strange Design is inspired by the moment when you bite into a crispy, fresh carrot and the aromatics associated with that cold carrot snap,” Hedges said.
On the non-alcoholic menu, order the tropical and savory margarita dubbed Paradise Waits. The carbonated drink features Almave, a non-alcoholic agave spirit, Late Harvest verjus made locally, some green pineapple, celery for flinty, earthy vegetal undertones and curry leaf for smoky, earthy aromatics.
“This drink is really refreshing, it almost tastes like it’s doing good for your body while drinking it,” Hedges says. 3701 N. Williams St., Denver, yachtclubbar.com
A Carrot Cake-Inspired Tipple at Lady Jane
The sweet, spiced, and malty qualities of the Hare Raiser round out with citrus notes, creating an essence of carrot cake. To create the sensation, the team uses Bols Genever (a smooth and malty spirit with hints of juniper) as well as sherry, cider, lemon, egg white, and amaro dust.
Lady Jane also features a non-alcoholic Carrot Colada with coconut, pineapple, lemon. It calls in a pair of non-alcoholic spirits including The Pathfinder “Hemp and Root” that’s fermented from hemp, and Three Spirit “Nightcap,” a woodsy sipper with bright spices. 2021 W. 32nd Ave., Denver, ladyjanedenver.com
B&GC’S Yam and Rum Cocktail
B&GC is a clandestine drinking den tucked beneath Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek, and it’s where bartenders develop unique cocktails. Some of the experimentation has led to fat-washed spirits for cocktails like a basil-mozzarella-washed vodka and artichoke-and-Parmesan-washed Cocchi Americano.
The bar’s Sam I Yam rum cocktail gets some heft and a sweet and nutty flavor from sweet potato puree and a sweet potato simple syrup, which is mixed with apple liqueur, lemon juice and egg white. 249 Columbine St., bandgcdenver.com
Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar’s Garden-Inspired Vodka Cocktail
A nice bridge between spring and summer, Your Green Muse is a refreshing cucumber-vodka cocktail. Best part, it’s available at all the Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar locations, including Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs.
“This verdant and fresh blend of cucumber, basil, mint and elderflower is like a garden in a glass,” said Meghan Rousseau, general manager at Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar’s Colorado Springs location. Multiple locations; jaxfishhouse.com
The Block Distilling Co.
When the bartenders at The Block Distilling Co. create new menus, there’s almost always a playful twist on the classic White Russian. Past riffs have included a chocolate-covered cherry version and a bananas foster rendition.
This spring, they took inspiration from carrot cake, debuting a seasonal sipper called the Velveteen Rabbit. The drink blends Four Grain Straight Whiskey, which adds some spice, with coffee liqueur and oat milk. The magic touch? A rich carrot-caramel syrup made from a carrot juice reduction that slowly caramelizes as it simmers. 2990 Larimer St., Denver, theblockdistillingco.com
