Lori Midson

Are you up to the Star Bar nontender contender cocktail challenge?

Starting in late July, one of our favorite watering holes -- Star Bar -- will host its first Battle of the Nontenders, a guest bartending cocktail challenge designed for those of us who have no experience whatsoever slinging drinks behind the stick. "It can be challenging to get behind an unfamiliar bar, but if you're with the right people, it's a crazy rush and unbelievably fun, and that's why we're introducing the Star Bar Battle of the Nontenders," says Alexandra Geppert, secretary of the Colorado Bartenders Guild -- and a bartender at Star Bar.

See also:
- Ask the Bartender: Meet Allie Geppert, Colorado Cocktail contestant
- Justin Lloyd creates a local gathering place at Star Bar
- Ten favorite cocktails (with recipes!) from ten favorite Denver bartenders

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Steve Carpentieri, aka "Carpie"

The country in the midst of a veritable cocktail renaissance -- and Hey Bartender, a documentary that tells the story of the bartender in the era of the craft cocktail, offers a revealing look into the rebirth of the bartender and the comeback of the cocktail.

Hey Bartender had its world premiere at SXSW Film Festival in March, with a hugely successful theatrical release in New York City just last week. The film makes its Denver debut at the Sie FilmCenter today with a one-week run that includes a visit from two of the stars, well-regarded bartenders Jim Ryan and Jim Meehan, on Tuesday June 18.

See also:
- Watching Hey Bartender is like spending time at a good bar
- Nanobreweries, restaurant economics and the demise of mixology
- Fracking documentaries square off in Boulder tonight

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All photos by Lori Midson.

Ghost chiles, Thai chiles, smoked jalapenos, wasabi powder, habanero peppers, cayenne peppers and shishito peppers made a hot day even hotter during yesterday's heatwave that resulted in scorching sunburns for anyone outside, including the throngs that gathered on the rooftop at Linger for the Viva Sangrita, Viva Tequila Ocho battle hosted by the Bon Vivants of San Francisco, a cocktail and spirits company.

Seven bartenders, including five from Colorado -- Tyler Lewis (Scratch Burrito & Happy Tap); McLain Hedges (Fuel Cafe); Jason Patz and Allison Widdercombe (Williams & Graham) and Eryn Henderson (Root Down) -- went bottle-to-bottle, sangrita-to-sangrita for an opportunity to head to New Orleans to showcase their drinks at the Tales of the Cocktail in July; the winner of that final showdown will then head to Jalisco, Mexico to visit La Altena, where Ocho is created. And that victor could be Widdecombe, who won last night's match with her Corazón del fuego cocktail, a killer concoction with mango puree, homemade passion fruit jam, fresh lime juice, red bell pepper juice, fresh ginger and Thai red chiles paired with the Ocho Estate 2009 Rancho Las Pomez Reposado tequila.

Continue reading for a few photo highlights, and visit our full slide show for more photos.

See also:
- Who's a dickhead? Sean Kenyon's response to Jenn Wohletz's cocktail grievances
- Ten patios for cocktails and conversation this summer
- Williams & Graham, Sean Kenyon are finalists for Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards

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All photos by Lori Midson.

Last night at Green Russell, six local bartenders -- Joe Hines (Williams & Graham);
Kevin Burke (Colt & Gray); Gerard Collier (Corner House); Ragen Horacek (Ace); Randy Layman (Steuben's); and host Adam Hodak, the star bartender of Bonanno Concepts -- battled for supremacy in the Colorado Wine Cocktail Celebration competition, just one of the many grape-centric events taking place this week as part of Colorado Wine Week.

Each bartender was tasked with creating a cocktail using Colorado wines, and for the second year running, Hines strutted away with the title. The "Port of Life," his winning cocktail, the recipe of which is on the next page, was elegant, sophisticated and the kind of cocktail that you'd want to sip all season long.

Flip the page to see the highlights from last night's competition.

See also:
- Slide show: Colorado Wine Cocktail Celebration and Competition
- Civic Center Eats, Colorado Wine Week and more on this week's calendar
- Three Colorado winemakers worthy of Drink Local Wine week love

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Bernie Lubbers, otherwise known as the "Whiskey Professor," will be at Central Bistro & Bar tomorrow night.

The classic-cocktail boom, especially whiskey-based drinks, has taken hold in bars all over Denver, and on Wednesday, June 19, at 6:30 p.m., Central Bistro & Bar will raise a toast to the global brown spirit that's become a habitual pastime for barflies. Deemed "The Evolution of Bourbon," the class, led by Heaven Hill's Ambassador of North American Whiskey, Bernie Lubbers (aka "The Whiskey Professor," who also happens to be a standup comedian) is $25 per person and includes tastings of six different styles of whiskey, plus an appetizer plate and tasting notes. "This is an all-sensory experience where guests will feel, smell, hear, see and taste the history of bourbon as it's evolved from the 1700s to now, trying styles as they've changed throughout the centuries," says Seth Murty, general manager of Central.

See also:
- Ask the bartender: The sun rises on Japanese whisky
- Ask the bartender: Whisky without the "e," from A to Z
- Hot damn! Central Bistro & Bar redefines what a neighborhood restaurant can be

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Scottie Davison

Update: We have a winner of our Summer of Riesling tasting at Bones contest giveaway. Earlier this week, we asked Cafe Society readers to guess how many glasses of Riesling were served at Bones, Luca d'Italia and Mizuna during the month of April. Congrats to CBart, who guessed 420 glasses; the actual number is 426. CBart, we'll send you an e-mail with directions on how to claim your prize. In the meantime, you can still purchase tickets by calling Bones at 303-860-2929.

Original post: "Riesling is probably the most noble grape out there -- it ages longer than any other grape and it has great range and flexibility, says Kelly Wooldridge, wine director of Bonanno Concepts and the sommelier at Mizuna.

And to prove his point, Wooldridge is hosting a Summer of Riesling tasting on Saturday, June 1, at Bones, chef/restaurateur Frank Bonanno's Asian noodle temple in Capitol Hill. From noon to 3 p.m, Wooldridge will showcase -- and pour -- twenty different Rieslings, all of which will be coupled with bites from Bones's new menu.

See also:
- Three reasons (and four bottles) that prove Riesling is the perfect fall wine
- Don't judge a wine by its label
- Best Hip Noodle Bar - 2012 Bones

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Lori Midson

Bartender Sean Kenyon and cocktail historian David Wondrich at the Repeal Day celebration at the now-closed Ghost Plate & Tap.

New York City -- one of the most captivating cocktail capitals of the country -- gets no love from Esquire magazine in its recently published list of the top seventeen bars in America. But, guess what? Two Denver bars -- Ship Tavern and Williams & Graham -- grace the roster, which is becoming a frequent occurrence for Williams & Graham, the Highland speakeasy that's snapping up bestowals and accolades faster than Justin Bieber in his Ferrari.

"It seems like the hits just keep on coming," admits Sean Kenyon, who co-owns the swishy cocktail pad with partner Todd Colehour. In case you haven't heard, Williams & Graham is currently under consideration for Best American Bar of the Year by Tales of the Cocktail; Kenyon is nominated for Best American Bartender of the Year.

See also:
- Williams & Graham, Sean Kenyon finalists for Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards
- Barman Sean Kenyon's response to Jenn Wohletz's cocktail grievances
- Ten favorite cocktails (with recipes!) from ten favorite Denver bartenders

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Peach Street Distillers

Peach Street Distillers Artisan Goat Vodka.

Rory Donovan has known fellow Peach Street Distillers co-founders Bill Graham and Dave Thibodeau since they were making beer in Graham's kitchen and starting up Ska Brewing. Donovan and Graham talked whiskey-making for years, looking at all manner of still plans -- like one they found on the Internet created by desperate Chevron gas-field workers who wanted to make their own hooch.

When Donovan was growing up, he'd watched his dad and his buddies working a still, too. "When I saw that those guys could do it, it took some of the alchemy out of it," he explains.

See also:
- It's gin for the win at Roundhouse Spirits
- Woody Creek Distillers takes spirits to another level in Basalt
- Denver's five best bike-friendly bars

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Jacqui Segura for the Cocktail Ambassador

Westword bar columnist Sean Kenyon just landed in New York City about an hour ago for the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, and once he turned his cell phone on, it started buzzing like a palpitating heart -- and Kenyon's heart just about dropped to the floor when he began reading his text messages.

See also:
- Barman Sean Kenyon's response to Jenn Wohletz's cocktail grievances
- Food & Wine names Williams & Graham one of the Top 10 Best New Bars in the U.S.
- Ten favorite cocktails (with recipes!) from ten favorite Denver bartenders

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Lori Midson

Tonight, at 6 p.m., Fooducopia's Corner Store and Cafe, a charming market that sells a huge array of local products -- and serves many of those products in its adjoining little restaurant, will appear in front of a hearings officer at 6 p.m. in the Wellington Webb building to plead its case for a liquor license.

In the majority of cases, obtaining a liquor license goes relatively smoothly...unless you're a restaurant or bar in west Washington Park, in which case, there's bound to be opposition.

See also:
- First look: Fooducopia's Corner Store and Cafe opens in the heart of Washington Park
- Brown Dog Pizza loses its battle to get a liquor license on South Gaylord Street
- Brown Dog Pizza applies for a liquor license

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