Denver Cocktails & History Tour: Four Drinks Through Downtown

Four cocktails, three bars, and a century of Denver stories

The Denver Cocktails & History Tour is a guided tasting walk through downtown Denver that takes you to three celebrated cocktail bars and restaurants, sampling four craft cocktails paired with small plates at two stops. Starting at the 1881 Union Station and ending at the Dairy Block, a local guide shares the history of Denver's prohibition era and its modern food and drink renaissance. The tour runs two hours, includes a live English-speaking guide, and requires a minimum age of 21.

Step-by-step itinerary

Denver cocktail bars and history tour

• Meet at Union Station
• Learn Union Station history
• Visit Tavernetta for Brachetto Spritz and focaccia
• Walk through Lower Downtown historic district
• Stop at Oxford Hotel and hear early Denver stories
• Enjoy Butter Pecan Old Fashioned at Urban Farmer
• Pass by Cruise Room bar
• Walk along Wazee Street historic warehouses
• Visit Maven Hotel lobby and learn about Dairy Block
• Explore Dairy Block micro-district
• End at Poka Lola Social Club for seasonal cocktails

The experience

You start inside Union Station, the 1881 Beaux-Arts landmark that anchors downtown Denver. Your guide meets you beneath the soaring ceilings and chandeliers of the Great Hall, where the story of the city unfolds, from railroad boom to the $54 million restoration that turned the station into a social hub. This is where the tour captures Denver's essence: old architecture, warm hospitality, and reinvention. From there, you walk out into the city to explore the bars that define the modern cocktail scene.

Your first stop is Tavernetta, the James Beard Award–winning Italian restaurant steps from Union Station. Here you sample a Brachetto Spritz (a light, refreshing aperitivo blending sparkling red wine with citrus) paired with housemade focaccia, garlic conserva, and marinated olives. The second stop is the Oxford Hotel, Denver's oldest continuously operating hotel, opened in 1891. Inside its restored wood paneling and art deco details, your guide paints the scene of 19th-century Denver when whiskey and railroads shaped the city. At Urban Farmer, a modern steakhouse in downtown, you taste the Butter Pecan Old Fashioned: bourbon infused with toasted pecans and browned butter, stirred with demerara syrup and bitters. The final stop is Poka Lola Social Club, tucked inside The Maven Hotel at the Dairy Block, where the bartenders curate two seasonal craft cocktails exclusively for the group.

The Dairy Block itself, once home to the Windsor Dairy, has been transformed into a vibrant micro-district of cocktail bars, restaurants, and local shops connected by a lively alleyway strung with lights and murals. Walking from the Oxford Hotel toward it, you pass through Wazee Street, where the repetitive brick façades and heavy timber framing of former warehouses tell the story of Denver's railroad past. Your guide shares how these industrial spaces became the foundation for the city's culinary renaissance. The whole route is walkable, and public transportation options are available nearby if you need them.

What’s included

• Four craft cocktails (a Brachetto Spritz, a Butter Pecan Old Fashioned, and two seasonal cocktails).
• housemade focaccia, marinated olives, and garlic conserva.
• small plates at two stops.
• a live guide in English sharing Denver's prohibition history and culinary renaissance.
• access to three celebrated bars and restaurants across downtown Denver.

Before you book

Days and timesFriday and SaturdayDeparts at 16:30

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (21 and older) · Under 21: can't be booked

GroupUp to 10

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Delicious Denver Food Tours

Is this one for you?This is a shared group tour led by a local guide, so you walk with other cocktail enthusiasts and hear the city's stories as you move between bars. Choose it if you want the history and the drinks woven together without building the route yourself. The guide handles the pacing, the stories, and the transitions between stops, so you focus on tasting and learning.

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Top questions

What cocktails do I actually taste on this Denver tour?

You sample four craft cocktails: a Brachetto Spritz at Tavernetta, a Butter Pecan Old Fashioned at Urban Farmer, and two seasonal cocktails curated by the bartenders at Poka Lola Social Club. Each is paired with small plates or appetizers at the stops where you drink them.

Does the tour include food, or just drinks?

The tour pairs cocktails with small plates at two stops: housemade focaccia, garlic conserva, and marinated olives at Tavernetta, and seasonal small plates at the other venues. Vegetarian tastings are available, and mocktails can be substituted upon request.

What is the Dairy Block, and why does the tour end there?

The Dairy Block is a historic block in downtown Denver that once housed the Windsor Dairy, built in 1916. It has been redeveloped into a modern micro-district filled with cocktail bars, restaurants, local shops, and art. The tour ends there because it perfectly captures Denver's transformation: industrial past preserved alongside new culinary creativity.

How long does the Denver Cocktails & History Tour take?

The tour runs for two hours and covers three bars and restaurants across downtown Denver, from Union Station to the Dairy Block. The pace is walkable and suitable for all physical fitness levels.

What stories does the guide share about Denver's history?

Your local guide shares stories of Denver's prohibition era, the role of Union Station and the railroad in shaping the city, and the recent culinary renaissance that has put Denver on the map for food and drink. You'll hear about the Oxford Hotel's frontier days, the Cruise Room's opening the day after Prohibition ended, and how historic warehouses became restaurants and bars.

Is there a minimum age, and can I get a mocktail instead of alcohol?

The minimum drinking age is 21 years. Mocktails are available upon request, and vegetarian tastings can be arranged as well.