Downtown Denver Cocktails Tour

Denver’s cocktail story comes with a useful bonus: you get to walk through some of the city’s most interesting downtown buildings while sampling four drinks and small plates. The route begins at Union Station, passes through the Oxford Hotel, and ends at Dairy Block, so the tour gives you more than a bar crawl.

I like the small group of no more than 10 people, which makes it easier to hear the guide and talk with the other drinkers. I also like the careful mix of drinks, from a light Brachetto Spritz to a Butter Pecan Old Fashioned. The main drawback is the fixed menu: the tastings cannot be changed, and this tour does not suit vegans, people with gluten or dairy restrictions, pregnant women, or anyone under 21.

Key Points

• Four cocktails at three downtown stops: Sample a Brachetto Spritz, Butter Pecan Old Fashioned, and two seasonal craft cocktails.
• Food comes with the drinks: Expect focaccia, garlic conserva, marinated olives, a barbecue pork slider, and other set pairings.
• A compact historic route: Visit Union Station, the Oxford Hotel, and Dairy Block with less than half a mile of walking.
• A guide-led look at Denver: Hear stories about Prohibition and the city’s recent food and cocktail growth.
• A good small-group format: The tour is limited to 10 people and lasts about two hours.
• A clear dietary limit: Tastings are set in advance and cannot be altered during the tour.

A Cocktail Tour That Also Shows You Downtown Denver

This is a tasting tour first, but the route gives it a welcome sense of place. You are not simply moved from one dark bar to another. You start inside Union Station, pause at the Oxford Hotel, and finish in Dairy Block, a newer downtown district with food and drink at its center.

That progression helps you see different sides of Denver in a short time. Union Station gives you a grand starting point, the Oxford Hotel adds old-school hotel character, and Dairy Block brings the tour into a newer part of the city. The walking is minimal, under half a mile over two hours, so the focus stays on conversation, drinks, and food.

Your guide also supplies the connective tissue. Along the way, you hear about Denver’s Prohibition days and the city’s recent rise as a destination for cocktails and dining. If Barry leads your group, you can expect a guide who has been praised for offering useful Denver suggestions as well as explaining the stops.

Starting at Union Station on Wynkoop Street

Meet near the Crawford Hotel check-in desk inside Union Station at 1701 Wynkoop Street. Look for a guide wearing an orange Delicious Denver Food Tours button, a small detail that matters in a busy public building.

Union Station is a smart place to begin. It is easy to recognize, central to the tour route, and gives you an immediate sense of downtown Denver. The guided sightseeing portion lasts about 10 minutes, so do not expect a full architectural tour. Instead, think of it as an introduction before the eating and drinking begin.

The station setting also helps make the first stop feel like part of a city outing rather than a restaurant appointment. Arrive with your identification ready, since you need a passport or ID card. Everyone must be at least 21, and the tour is built around alcohol rather than optional drink alternatives.

Tavernetta and the Light Brachetto Spritz

The first food and drink stop is Tavernetta, where you receive a cocktail and a small food pairing during a 30-minute visit. The featured drink is a Brachetto Spritz from a James-Beard Award-Winning Restaurant.

This is a gentle way to open the tasting. A spritz is lighter in style than the later Old Fashioned, and the Brachetto gives the first drink a distinct personality without making the opening feel too heavy. It also shows that the tour is not built around one narrow idea of what a cocktail should be.

The food pairings listed for the tour include house-made focaccia, garlic conserva, and marinated olives. These are useful early bites because they give you something savory to eat before the later drinks. They also make the $89 price easier to assess: you are paying for several food servings as well as the cocktails and guide.

Tavernetta is allotted 30 minutes, enough time to taste, listen, and talk without turning the stop into a long meal. Since the food and drink plan is fixed, you should not expect to choose a different cocktail or swap ingredients here. Ask about the ingredients before booking if you have a serious food concern, because changes are not available on site.

The Oxford Hotel and Denver’s Older Hotel Tradition

After Tavernetta, the tour moves to the Oxford Hotel for about 10 minutes of guided sightseeing. This is the city’s oldest hotel, giving the route a change of pace from the restaurant setting.

The stop is brief, but that is part of the tour’s design. You get a little context about the building and Denver’s past, then keep moving toward the next drink. The guide’s stories about Prohibition fit naturally here, especially because the tour is interested in how Denver’s drinking culture has changed over time.

Do not book this experience expecting a long historical lecture. The sightseeing segments are short, and the main purpose is to connect the cocktail stops. I see that as a strength if you want history in manageable portions. It is a limitation if your main goal is a detailed tour of Union Station or the Oxford Hotel.

Urban Farmer and the Butter Pecan Old Fashioned

Urban Farmer is the second main tasting stop. You receive the Butter Pecan Old Fashioned during another 30-minute cocktail visit, with a barbecue pork slider listed among the paired bites.

This is the tour’s richer, more serious drink. After the lighter spritz, the Old Fashioned gives you a clear contrast in weight and flavor. The butter pecan angle makes it more distinctive than a plain classic version, while the pork slider provides a substantial savory bite to go with it.

The pairing also helps pace the alcohol. Four cocktails in two hours is a considerable amount, even when the drinks are tasting portions. Having food at each stop is important, and I would make a point of eating the provided bites rather than treating them as decoration.

Urban Farmer is a good place to decide how quickly you want to drink. You can enjoy the flavor, listen to the guide, and keep the conversation going without rushing to finish. The schedule allows 30 minutes, but it does not require you to treat every drink like a full-size bar order.

Dairy Block, a Newer Downtown Setting

The next stop is Dairy Block, where you spend about 10 minutes sightseeing before the final tasting. The district is one of Denver’s newer micro-districts and gives the tour a modern finish after the older buildings at Union Station and the Oxford Hotel.

That change is one of the route’s more interesting features. In two hours, you see a historic rail station, the city’s oldest hotel, and a newer food-and-drink area. The stops are close enough to keep walking easy, but different enough to prevent the tour from feeling repetitive.

Dairy Block also makes a practical ending point. The tour finishes at 1850 Wazee Street, Denver, Colorado 80202, close to the area where you have already been spending the final part of the afternoon or evening. The experience does not include a ride between stops, but the walking distance is under half a mile in total.

Poka Lola Social Club and Two Seasonal Cocktails

The final tasting takes place at Poka Lola Social Club. Here you sample two seasonal craft cocktails and another paired bite during a 30-minute stop.

Seasonal drinks give the final part of the tour some variety, though the exact cocktails may change. That flexibility is useful for the venues, but it means you should not book based on a precise promise about the last two drinks. The tasting menu can change, while the general format of cocktails paired with small plates remains the same.

Poka Lola is also where the tour wraps up, so you can ask the guide about places to return to after the experience. That is especially useful if you are staying in Denver for several days. One couple used the tour as part of a honeymoon, and their guide Barry gave them additional ideas for Denver. A local pair also came away with a list of places they wanted to try later, which tells you this can work as a first look at the city’s food and drink scene, not just a one-time tasting.

What Four Cocktails and Food Pairings Are Worth at $89

The price is $89 per person. That is not cheap for two hours, but it includes four cocktails, several paired bites, a live guide, and the experience of visiting three established downtown venues.

The value depends on how you normally explore a city. If you would visit several cocktail bars on your own, pay for four drinks, order food at each stop, and arrange your own route, the price can be reasonable. You also avoid the work of choosing venues and planning the sequence.

The included food matters. The menu includes house-made focaccia, garlic conserva, marinated olives, a barbecue pork slider, and other pairings that may change. You are not paying only for samples of alcohol. You are getting enough food to help make the tasting feel like an outing rather than four separate drinks.

The price is less attractive if you do not care about guided history or prefer to order exactly what you want. Because the drinks and food are set in advance, you cannot replace a cocktail you dislike or request a different meal on the spot. I would choose this tour for the combination of drinks, places, and stories, not just for the lowest cost per cocktail.

Group Size, Pace, and Practical Comfort

The group is limited to 10 people, with at least two people required for the tour to run. A small group is useful here because the experience depends on hearing the guide inside restaurants and talking during the short walks.

Two hours is a brisk but manageable length. Each major tasting stop receives about 30 minutes, while the sightseeing portions at Union Station, the Oxford Hotel, and Dairy Block take about 10 minutes each. You get variety, but you will not have time to linger for a full meal at any one venue.

The tour runs rain or shine. Walking is limited, but you still need to be ready to move between stops in changing weather. Comfortable shoes and a layer for Denver’s conditions make sense, even though the tour does not involve a long walk.

The minimum group rule is worth noting if your schedule is tight. If at least two people do not book, the operator says participants will be rebooked or refunded. You can cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund, and the reserve-now, pay-later option gives you some flexibility when your plans are not final.

Who Will Enjoy This Denver Cocktail Experience

I would recommend this tour to adults who want a social introduction to downtown Denver’s cocktail scene without spending an evening planning every stop. It suits couples, friends, and solo visitors who enjoy tasting menus and do not mind sharing a small-group experience.

It is also useful for Denver residents looking for a planned afternoon or evening. The local pair who booked it wanted something different and left with new places to try, which is a good sign for anyone who already knows the main downtown sights.

The tour is a weaker fit for anyone with strict dietary needs. It cannot accommodate gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan diets, and the tastings are fixed. It is also not suitable for pregnant women or people under 21. English is the only listed tour language.

Should You Book the Downtown Denver Cocktails Tour?

Book it if you want four varied cocktails, paired food, and a compact introduction to downtown Denver. The route has a good rhythm, the group is small, and the mix of Union Station, the Oxford Hotel, and Dairy Block gives the experience a sense of place.

Skip it if you need menu control, avoid gluten or dairy, or would rather spend $89 on one long meal and drinks of your own choice. For everyone else, this is a well-paced way to sample several venues while hearing how Denver moved from Prohibition-era drinking to its current cocktail culture. If Barry is your guide, be ready to ask for extra Denver suggestions before you say goodbye at Poka Lola.

FAQ

Where does the Downtown Denver Cocktails Tour meet?

The meeting point is near the Crawford Hotel check-in desk inside Union Station at 1701 Wynkoop Street. Guides wear orange Delicious Denver Food Tours buttons.

Where does the tour finish?

The tour finishes at 1850 Wazee Street, Denver, Colorado 80202, after the visit to Poka Lola Social Club.

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts two hours. Starting times vary, so you need to check availability when booking.

How many cocktails are included?

Four cocktails are included. The listed drinks are a Brachetto Spritz, a Butter Pecan Old Fashioned, and two seasonal craft cocktails.

What food is paired with the drinks?

Listed pairings include house-made focaccia, garlic conserva, marinated olives, and a barbecue pork slider. Tastings may change.

Can the food or cocktails be changed?

No. The cocktails and paired tastings are set in advance and cannot be changed on site.

Does the tour accommodate dietary restrictions?

No. The tour cannot accommodate gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan diets. It is also not suitable for people with gluten intolerance.

How much walking is involved?

The tour includes less than half a mile of walking over two hours. It takes place rain or shine.

Is the tour limited to a small group?

Yes. The group is limited to 10 participants. At least two guests are required for the tour to operate.

Is gratuity included?

No. Gratuities are not included, but a tip for the guide is recommended.