Death & Co. Denver
The best hotel bar in the west
by Patrick JanelleI first met Dave Kaplan, Alex Day, and Devon Tarby, the partners and co-owners of the acclaimed bar Death & Co, at an adult Summer Camp in the hills of Big Bear, California in 2014.
The partners, who own and have consulted on a handful of other top-tier bars on both coasts, opened up their second outpost of Death & Co. in 2019 in Denver. While the original Manhattan location feels like an impenetrable speakeasy (the space is dark, the front door is seemingly made of iron, and it can be nearly impossible to score a reservation), the Denver location is quite the opposite: located in the lobby of the Ramble Hotel in Denver's RiNo neighborhood and surrounded by two-story, floor-to-ceiling windows which let in gobs of Colorado sunlight, the space is open, welcoming, and anything but secret. The drinks, however, are still delicious.
During a Christmas-time visit to Denver, I spent multiple days working from the plush couches that adjoin the bar. And when I made a visit prior to 3pm, the daytime cafe, DC/AM (the first coffee shop run by the company), was open for cocktails, wine, lattes and cappuccinos—or, if you’re game, liquor-spiked coffee cocktails. And on Christmas Day, when I was looking for my #dailycortado fix before the family gathering, it was the only good coffee spot open. Hallelujah!
