1600 W. 33rd Ave., 303-993-4200, www.rootdowndenver.com

1422 Larimer St., 303-893-6505, www.greenrussell.com

Old-school style, low lights, cocktails with a punch, and only a handful of seats: It’s a Denver classic. 1600 17th St., 303-825-1107, www.theoxfordhotel.com/the-cruise-room.html

Cocktail enthusiast or not, you’ll dig the speakeasy-style Green Russell, where every drink is taken seriously. We love giving the bartenders a starting point—“I like Manhattans”—and watching them whip up a crazy concoction on the fly. Even standards like gin and tonics get dressed up with small-batch gin and delicious, homemade cucumber-and-fennel tonic water.