130 MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | FOOD & DRINK | MUSIC & VENUES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | SPORTS & RECREATION | CONTENTS | quietly staked a claim for the city’s most welcoming natural wine bar. Light, airy, friendly and approachable, the thought- ful and regularly changing wine selection leaves pretension at the door of this cozy spot that feels much like a neighbor-friendly café. Here, wine is more of a conversation than a badge, with small plates perfect for grazing alongside every sip. Best Wine and Vinyl Club ESP HiFi 1029 Santa Fe Drive esphifi .co There are plenty of wine club subscrip- tions to be found, but few offer quite the deal as ESP HiFi, where for $100 a month, you can get two bottles of wine along with a vinyl record. The bottles are exclusively natural wines, often pushing you into new fl avors, styles and regions. The vinyl comes not as a single title for all, but a range of options, fanned out on the bar, with owner Will Minter verbally summarizing each using descriptions and genres far outside the mainstream to describe his personally curated imports. Best Secretly High-Tech Cocktails Semiprecious 2839 West 44th Avenue semipreciousdenver.com This new local haunt brings European aperitivo flair with a high-tech twist to the Sunnyside neighborhood. From the same team behind the tech-focused Thunderbolt bar in L.A., Semiprecious may read as a mid-century modern hang- out, but behind the scenes it’s outfi tted with state-of-the-art equipment like a custom refrigeration setup to deliver precisely chilled martinis, an in-house carbonation system that ensures its spritzes are perfectly bubbly, and dilu- tion techniques that allow guests to enjoy full-bodied, ice-cold cocktails without a single cube. Customers won’t see the tech, but they’ll taste it. Best Culinary-Inspired Cocktails The Peach Crease Club 4180 Wynkoop Street peachcreaseclub.com Vintage records provide the soundtrack inside this new vinyl bar next to Mission Ballroom from husband-and-wife owners Stuart Jensen and Alex Jump, who bring years of experience to their fi rst venture together as owners. Not only is this wa- tering hole a ’70s-style dream, its menu is full of tempting libations inspired by the fl avor profi les of culinary dishes such as borscht, which becomes an earthy and creamy vodka cocktail; papaya salad, which takes the form of a fi sh sauce-spiked con- coction made with sake and the Thai spirit Mekhong; and a fattoush-inspired spin on a gin martini. Best Bar Programming The Pearl 2195 California Street thepearldenver.com Denver’s only sapphic bar, this sprawling LGBTQ+ space, housed in the former Mer- cury Cafe, has kept much of the old haunt’s programming and even added more. Some- thing is happening every night of the week, whether it’s Tuesday trivia and Lindy Hop lessons, Wednesday West Coast swing dance parties, Friday night poetry and jazz jams, or Sunday drag brunch. A constant stream of special events rounds out the calendar, rang- ing from bondage classes to astrology meet- ups. There’s literally something for everyone. Best Place to Get Trashed TrashHawk Tavern 1539 South Broadway trashhawktavern.com You don’t have to actually get sloppy drunk to have a good time at this neighborhood bar that turned four years old in October, but you can, even on a budget. TrashHawk just keeps getting better with time, from its killer BOGO happy hour and ever-changing Jello shot fl a- vors to rotating food trucks (or free hot dogs when a truck isn’t booked) and the picnic table-packed patio where groups often gather to gossip, play games and pet dogs (and some- times other animals continued on page 133 Food and Drink continued from page 128 ILLUSTRATIONS BY GETT Y IMAGES
