Corridor 44 – Best Bar to Make an Entrance
If it were possible to live in a champagne bottle, it would look like Corridor 44. From the threshold to the private room along the back corridor, this champagne bar drips with opulence. Tufted white leather booths, chandeliers and zebra wallpaper tell guests that they have arrived. It’s the sort of place Marilyn Monroe might have hung up her mink coat and wrapped a diamond-banded hand around a flute of the best bubbly from the private reserve menu. But Corridor 44 isn’t just for the 1 percent; it attracts a varied clientele from men who look more comfortable on a soccer field to Denver’s most pampered women from the beseen crowd. Brian Sifferman, general manager of Corridor 44 personally picks the wines and champagnes on the menu. So what is in Sifferman’s champagne glass these days? Henri Billiot, a grower Champagne with a very small production (3,500 cases worldwide), which is 80 percent Pinot Noir Grand Cru, 20 percent Chardonnay. “It is a very unique Champagne and we have a hard time keeping it in stock,” he says. “The quality is superior to that of some of the major Champagne houses and I like to support the little guys.”
Corridor 44 | 1433 Larimer Square | Denver | corridor44.com
Mixology King – Colorado’s Bryan Dayton takes home the title!
In September, Bryan Dayton, owner and beverage director at Oak at fourteenth in Boulder (closed for reconstruction as of press time), competed in Las Vegas against 46 other mixologists and was declared the nation’s “Most Inspired Bartender” by the US Bartenders Guild and GQ magazine. Dayton will go on to compete for a global title in London. Contestants competed in an Iron-Chef style event, with the secret ingredient, Bombay Sapphire East® gin, infused with Thai lemongrass and Vietnamese black peppercorn. Dayton won over the judges with his Aspen Heights cocktail. Host Tyler Florence said, “Dayton’s ability to combine such different flavor profiles and still produce an exceptionally balanced cocktail truly set him apart from the field.” Dayton says that the experience has been life-altering and adds, “I couldn’t feel more honored to be nationally recognized in my field, let alone be granted the opportunity to compete for a global title.”
Club W Rids Denver of Wine Snobbery
Club W is airing out the arrogance of wine buying with the launch of their wine club and retail site. The club is the brainchild of Geoffrey McFarlane, Alexander Oxman and Mark Lynn, better known around Denver as the owners of the Jet Hotel and Jet Urban Development. “Wine does not have to be pretentious or expensive. Wine is easy to overthink but at the end of the day, it’s just grape juice,” says McFarlane. “Our ‘wine addict’ sommeliers give our members unobtrusive guidance to our wines. We educate and unite curious winelovers in a contemporary way through our QR code videos and overall we bring the lesser-know boutique vineyards and brands to our consumers via our website,” he says. Club W is not a lifetime commitment—buyers can order wines as frequently or infrequently as they wish. As with other similar wine clubs, sign up a friend and get a $5 credit on your account every month. For more go to ClubW.com
