Denver drinks more agave than its craft beer reputation suggests. The city now holds a proper mezcal circuit, from a Platt Park mezcaleria that Forbes flagged among the best rooms in the country to learn the spirit, to a LoHi newcomer that collected a Michelin star within months of opening.
Three rooms anchor the scene in Denver. The Denver cocktail hub covers the city’s shaken and stirred side, and our best mezcal bars in the world guide maps the global category.
Three Rooms That Take Agave Seriously
"Denver’s best mezcal rooms are kitchens first. The spirit follows the food here, and both are better for it."
How to Drink Mezcal in Denver
Order espadín neat in a copita and sip it over half an hour. It is the entry agave of the category, reliable and fairly priced, and every room above pours it with orange and worm salt on the side rather than forcing the ritual.
South of the city, Palenque Cocina y Agaveria in Littleton stocks more than 200 bottlings and hosts visiting producers. It earns the drive when a mezcalero is in the room pouring their own batch.
Plan the Night
Do it on a Thursday. La Doña opens for dinner and the tables turn slowly once the dining room fills, so claim a seat by 6pm and let the kitchen set the pace. The flight costs about the same as two cocktails and teaches more than any page of tasting notes.
Ride ten minutes north to LoHi for the second stop. Mezcaleria Alma’s walk in space disappears by 8pm on weekends, so the weeknight crowd is the one to join. One cocktail and one neat pour reads the whole program.
End in Ballpark. La Diabla serves late, and a bowl of pozole at midnight is the best decision the evening offers. The mezcal shelf rewards one final copita, and Larimer Street rideshares sit two minutes away.
If the night stretches, the answer is a second neat pour rather than a third cocktail. Mezcal rewards repetition at low volume, and every room on this list pours half measures on request. Ask for the bottle you have not heard of; Denver’s shelves move faster than their printed lists.
Drivers and abstainers do fine here too. La Doña and La Diabla both run full kitchens, and the food carries the night for anyone skipping the copitas entirely.
Where the Scene Goes Next
Denver’s cocktail rooms increasingly keep a mezcal serve on the main list, and the gap between taqueria pours and cocktail bar pours is closing fast. The smart crawl starts with food in Platt Park and ends with a nightcap in Ballpark.
For the source material, Mexico City’s mezcalerías set the standard every American room chases, and our global mezcal guide places Denver in context.
The Verdict
La Doña for the education, Mezcaleria Alma for the occasion, La Diabla for the late bowl and pour. Denver’s mezcal circuit is three rooms deep and tight enough to walk in one evening with a single rideshare in the middle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Denver bar has the best mezcal selection?
La Doña Mezcaleria on East Louisiana Avenue holds one of the deepest artisanal selections in Colorado, and Palenque Cocina y Agaveria in Littleton stocks more than 200 bottlings.
Is mezcal expensive in Denver?
Entry espadín pours sit close to standard cocktail prices, while wild agave bottlings climb steeply. The three rooms above will say honestly when a bottle earns the jump.
Where can you drink mezcal late in Denver?
La Diabla in the Ballpark neighborhood keeps the pozole and the mezcal shelf going after most Denver kitchens close, which makes it the natural last stop on the circuit.
