Classic Cocktail Culture

A red-hued cocktail lounge revives the ritual of dressing up, ordering martinis, and lingering late

WORDS Rainbow Shultz   »  PHOTOS Maddy B Creates

Perfect lighting. Cozy seating. Serious cocktails. CBar on Pearl Street’s West End has the most important ingredients to be an enduring nighttime destination. The sexy shades of red throughout the space transport guests to an iconic city bar from decades ago. Chicago’s South Side? New York’s West Village? Here, guests step back to a nostalgic time when people dressed up to go out, martinis were ubiquitous, and smoking was still in vogue. An evening at CBar is an evening spent at a classic cocktail club—something that Boulder hasn’t had in quite a while.  

Owner-creator Bryan Dayton, founder of Half Eaten Cookie Hospitality Group, already has a roster of notable area restaurants dating back to 2010, including Oak at Fourteenth, featuring contemporary Colorado New American dining; Corrida, an elegant Spanish-influenced steak and seafood experience; and Acorn, approachable contemporary cuisine in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood. 

But Bryan also has an arguably even more impressive history in the world of cocktails. A former Frasca Food and Wine bartender, he not only went on to lead his own cocktail company, Sweet and Sour Cocktails, but he was also named GQ’s 2011 Most Inspired Bartender. In 2008, he established the Colorado chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild. 

Given that background, the cocktail menu carries high expectations. Which it handily meets.

The CBar Martini is perfection. Glacially cold and served with olives reclined on a bed of ice, it is a timeless masterpiece. Not to give the impression that the cocktail menu resides in a world of old classics, it is anything but worn. The menu is divided into categories: lively, lush, aromatic, bold, indulgent, and adventurous, although arguably every single cocktail could be described using all six adjectives. The Sabe a Beso (translated as “taste a kiss”) brings in earthy, funky, sweet, and savory components. It is made with añejo tequila, sherry, quince, lime, walnut bitters, and manchego cheese. The combination is intriguing and complex. There is even a sweet-and-savory manchego-and-quince garnish. The Kashmir cocktail is reminiscent of a fragrant spice shop, featuring Darjeeling Indian gin, cardamom, rose, kawah tea, and soda. The rest of the cocktail menu follows suit, with thoughtfully crafted recipes.

If the cocktail menu is the reason to stop by, then the accompanying bar snack menu is enough fun to remind you to come back. The chef-driven small plates are certainly worthy of a mention. The truffle fries may be among the best in town, and the West Side Dog with sun-dried tomato, prosciutto, brie cheese, and guindilla peppers is a taste explosion. The Deluxe CBar Burger is unapologetically indulgent. Beef tallow bordelaise, triple-crème brie, and foie gras leave little to be desired. 

In a town better known for breweries than cocktail lounges, CBar brings a welcome sense of ritual back to the evening drink.

For more information or to make a reservation, visit cbarcocktails.com.