Denver Cocktails & History Tour

We begin the Denver Cocktails Tour inside Union Station, one of Denver’s most beautiful and historic spaces. Originally built in 1881 and completely restored in 2014, this Beaux-Arts landmark now serves as the city’s social hub — a place where travelers, locals, and visitors all cross paths. Beneath its soaring ceilings and chandeliers, the Great Hall buzzes with energy from the bars, cafés, and restaurants that have turned the station into a showcase of Denver’s food and drink culture. As guests gather here to meet their guide, you’ll hear the story of how Union Station helped shape the city — from its railroad beginnings to its rebirth as a centerpiece of downtown life. The tour starts here because it captures the essence of Denver: classic architecture, warm hospitality, and a spirit of reinvention. After introductions and a quick orientation, we’ll step out into the city to explore the cocktail bars that define Denver’s modern mixology scene.

The Crawford Hotel is built into the upper floors of Denver Union Station, allowing guests to stay inside one of the city’s most important historic landmarks. It opened in 2014 as part of the station’s $54 million restoration and was named in honor of Dana Crawford, the influential preservationist who helped lead the project. Crawford also played a major role in saving and revitalizing Larimer Square, the Oxford Hotel and other historic Denver properties. The hotel’s rooms line the Great Hall and occupy spaces that once served as station offices, storage areas and attic rooms. Their designs reflect different periods in Union Station’s history, combining exposed brick, historic architectural details and railroad-inspired elements with modern amenities. The Crawford is a strong example of adaptive reuse: rather than turning Union Station into a museum, the redevelopment gave the building an active new purpose while preserving its identity.

Our first stop is Tavernetta, one of Denver’s most celebrated Italian restaurants and the perfect place to ease into the evening. Warm, elegant, and welcoming, it captures the relaxed sophistication of dining in northern Italy — complete with an open kitchen and a view of passing trains just steps from Union Station. Here, we start with a Brachetto Spritz, a refreshing twist on the classic aperitivo that blends lightly sparkling red Brachetto wine with citrus and a touch of bitterness. To pair, the kitchen serves housemade focaccia — golden, soft, and fragrant with olive oil — alongside a garlic conserva and mix of marinated olives. The result is simple but deeply satisfying: bright, herbal, and balanced flavors that wake up your palate for what’s to come. As your guide shares the story of Tavernetta’s James Beard Award–winning team, you’ll experience why this stop embodies the best of Denver’s elevated yet unpretentious dining scene — timeless hospitality with a local touch.

Lower Downtown, commonly called LoDo, contains one of Denver’s largest concentrations of historic commercial buildings and warehouses. Its development was closely connected to Union Station and the railroad, which allowed businesses to receive and distribute products throughout the Rocky Mountain region. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, the neighborhood was filled with warehouses, hotels, saloons, wholesale companies and rail-related businesses. After World War II, many companies left downtown, passenger rail traffic declined and numerous buildings became vacant or deteriorated. Concern about demolition led Denver to establish the Lower Downtown Historic District in 1988. Historic designation encouraged property owners to preserve brick façades, heavy timber structures and other original features while converting buildings into restaurants, hotels, offices and homes.

Our second stop brings us inside the Oxford Hotel, Denver’s oldest continuously operating hotel and a living piece of the city’s history. Opened in 1891, just a few years before the Brown Palace, the Oxford has hosted cowboys, railroad tycoons, and even the occasional movie star. As we step through its doors, your guide shares stories of the city’s early days — when Union Station had just opened across the street and this hotel was the height of frontier luxury. The lobby feels like a step back in time: rich wood paneling, art deco details, and century-old tilework that’s been carefully restored. Your guide paints the scene of 19th-century Denver — a booming, dusty town on the edge of the Rockies where whiskey and railroads shaped fortunes. This stop isn’t just about the drinks to come; it’s a chance to see how Denver’s cocktail culture began, in the same building where travelers once swapped stories over glasses of bourbon more than a hundred years ago.

Our next stop is Urban Farmer, a modern steakhouse that reimagines farm-to-table dining in the heart of downtown Denver. Sleek yet welcoming, its bar feels both polished and relaxed — the perfect backdrop for our featured cocktail: the Butter Pecan Old Fashioned. This house favorite starts with bourbon infused with toasted pecans and browned butter, then stirred with demerara syrup and bitters to create a smooth, nutty twist on the classic. It’s rich but balanced, with a touch of warmth that fits perfectly in any season. As you sip, your guide explains how the Old Fashioned remains one of America’s most enduring cocktails — simple, adaptable, and deeply tied to craftsmanship. The drink reflects everything Urban Farmer stands for: respect for tradition with a modern, local sensibility. It’s a moment to slow down, taste the layers of flavor, and appreciate how Denver’s cocktail scene blends creativity with classic roots.

Located inside the Oxford Hotel, the Cruise Room is one of Denver’s best-known historic cocktail bars. The narrow, red-lit room is decorated with Art Deco panels depicting international destinations and was designed to evoke the glamorous lounges of early-20th-century ocean liners. The bar opened the day after Prohibition ended in December 1933, giving it a particularly memorable place in Denver drinking history. Its streamlined design, indirect lighting and travel imagery reflect the optimism and fascination with modern transportation that characterized the Art Deco era. Although the space has undergone restoration, its distinctive appearance has been preserved. The Cruise Room also complements the Oxford Hotel’s connection to Union Station: both places evoke a period when long-distance travel was treated as an elegant experience rather than simply a way to reach a destination.

Wazee Street developed as an important warehouse and commercial corridor because of its proximity to Union Station and Denver’s railroad network. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surrounding buildings stored and distributed food, machinery, household products and other goods arriving by rail. Many structures were built from brick with heavy timber framing, large windows and loading areas designed for carts, wagons and freight deliveries. As trucking replaced rail distribution and businesses moved away from downtown, numerous warehouses became underused. Preservation and redevelopment eventually gave them new purposes as restaurants, shops, offices, hotels and apartments. Walking from the Oxford Hotel toward Dairy Block, visitors can still see the repetitive windows, masonry façades and broad interior spaces that identify these buildings as former warehouses.

Our next stop is inside The Maven Hotel, a sleek, art-filled boutique property that anchors the Dairy Block. The Maven isn’t just a place to stay — it’s a celebration of Denver’s creative spirit. As we step into the lobby, surrounded by bold murals, reclaimed wood, and sculptures from local artists, your guide shares how this building helped redefine the city’s downtown hospitality scene. The name “Maven” itself means an expert or connoisseur — a fitting stop on a cocktail tour built around craftsmanship and connection. The hotel’s airy lobby opens into a network of bars and eateries that highlight Denver’s collaborative culture. You’ll hear stories of the artists, chefs, and bartenders who helped shape the block into the lively destination it is today. The Maven perfectly bridges the city’s past and present — industrial roots polished with modern creativity. It’s a brief stop to soak in the energy, design, and personality that make this part of Denver so unique.

From the Oxford Hotel, we make our way to the Dairy Block — one of downtown Denver’s most vibrant destinations for food, drink, and art. Once home to the Windsor Dairy, this historic block has been transformed into a modern micro-district filled with cocktail bars, restaurants, and local shops, all connected by a lively alleyway strung with lights and murals. As we walk, your guide shares how this redevelopment helped spark the city’s transformation into a culinary hub while honoring its industrial past. Inside the block, every detail tells a story — from the preserved brick walls and iron beams to the artisan stalls serving small-batch goods. It’s a place where locals gather after work, travelers discover hidden bars, and chefs experiment with flavor and form. The Dairy Block perfectly captures the spirit of the tour: old Denver bones with new Denver flavor. Here, we’ll pause to explore a few favorite spots and enjoy the next stop on our cocktail journey.

The Windsor Farm Dairy Building is the historic structure that gave Dairy Block its name. The building was designed by the Denver architectural firm Fisher and Fisher and constructed in 1916. Windsor Farm Dairy had been founded by H. Brown Cannon and grew into one of Denver’s largest dairy businesses, reportedly serving thousands of households with milk delivered by horse-drawn wagons. Its downtown location allowed the company to process and distribute dairy products near Denver’s railroad and commercial networks. In 1928, the operation was acquired by Meadow Gold’s parent company, Beatrice Foods, which continued dairy production at the site. As industrial activity moved away from LoDo, the building eventually lost its original function. The structure was later incorporated into the modern Dairy Block development, preserving its brick exterior and commercial character.

We end our Denver Cocktails Tour at Poka Lola Social Club, a vintage-inspired bar tucked inside The Maven Hotel. With its marble bar, patterned tile, and playful nods to soda fountains of the past, Poka Lola feels both classic and modern — a place where craftsmanship meets fun. Here, the bartenders curate two craft cocktails exclusively for our group, each one reflecting the season and showcasing the creativity that defines Denver’s mixology scene. No two visits are quite the same; the menu evolves with local ingredients, trends, and inspiration.