Happy Hour Boulder

Celebrate Earth Day - Happy Hour Style

2009-04-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

We just got wind of this cool event taking place during happy hour on Earth Day! Check it out . . .

ORGANIC WINE TASTING at The Blending Cellar Wine & Tapas Bar: Join Winemaker Bob Swain of Paul Dolan Vineyard, Sonoma County for an organic and biodynamic educational and fun wine tasting in celebration of Earth Day, Thursday, April 23rd from 5 - 6 pm. $15. Tapas are available and served on organic bamboo biodegradable plates.

The Blending Cellar is located at 946 Pearl St., Boulder. 303-447-0475. www.blendingcellar.com.

"Paul Dolan Vineyard wines are a unique expression of carefully nurtured vineyard sites made manifest in each bottle. We do without conventional pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, treating the soil as a living, life-giving system. Our winegrowing practices create special wines, while sustaining our environment, the place where we live, and the people who live here."

Drink & learn about Organic and Biodynamic wines on Earth Day!

New Search Engine

2009-04-13T21:02:00.001-07:00

You asked for it . . . now you can search for happy hours by time of day, day of week, and special features like rooftops, patios, live music and more.

As if it wasn’t already easy enough to have all of Boulder’s happy hours listed in one place, now we’re doing everything except dropping you off at the bar. Aren’t we something??

Check it out at www.happyhourboulder.com!

Still Drinking for a Cause

2008-07-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t already made plans for happy hour today, consider meeting your pals at the Rio for a marg on the rooftop. And on the way, would you mind picking up some new school supplies for Crayons to Calculators?

We’re talking pencils, crayons, notebooks, calculators, glue, folders, pens, erasers, etc. for kids in our community who don’t have everything they need to start the school year. You can even Adopt a Student – that means filling up an entire backpack – and you’ll get a Happy Hour Boulder pint glass and an etched mini marg glass from the Rio.

See the post below or visit our website for more details.

New Happy Hour: The Lounge at Boulder Theater

2008-07-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

Boulder Theater has a cool new thing going just south of its main entrance at The Lounge. This trattoria-inspired cafe/bar features an array of fresh and authentic bruschette, panini and antipasti. Looks like the perfect place to relax and enjoy a glass of wine and little bite before attending any of the Theater's amazing shows.

You could also just drop in for happy hour. Even if you're not en route to a concert, it looks like it's definitely worth checking out their deals, like $3 drinks and an appetizer menu ranging in price from $1-$4.

We suggest stopping by for a drink on the patio - one more place to sit outside and enjoy happy hour. Yay!

Drinking for a Cause - Crayons to Calculators

2008-07-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Yay! It's our first Drinking for a Cause event! Read on . . .

Admit it, you know you’re going to find yourself at the Rio sometime in the next few weeks. It is summer, after all, and who can resist a frozen marg on the rooftop?

So, if you’re going anyway (and you know you will), we have a favor to ask . . . could you please bring some school supplies?

Here’s why . . .

Did you know that thousands of kids right in our community will start classes in August without pencils, crayons and calculators, much less backpacks in which to tote their supplies?

You remember how exciting it is to shop for colorful notebooks and cool pens, so imagine what it would be like to be the only kid in your class without nice, new things to learn with.

Please join Happy Hour Boulder and the Rio Grande Restaurant in our quest to collect school supplies for Crayons to Calculators, a non-profit organization that gives backpacks and more to underprivileged kids in the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley School Districts.

Drop off any of the items from the list below between July 21 and August 4. And, if you’re really inspired, you can Adopt a Student. That means filling up a new backpack with all the supplies on the list.

Bring in a full backpack and get a Rio etched mini margarita glass and a Happy Hour Boulder pint glass. (See supply list at right.)

Thanks so much for helping students in need! You get to enjoy your happy hour, and a little kid can be proud to show up for the first day of school. Everybody wins!

Visit www.crayonstocalculators.org for more information.

High Altitude Happy Hour

2008-06-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

What's an extra 20 or 30 feet of elevation when you're in Boulder? We are, after all, already over a mile high. But for rooftop connoisseurs, happy hour altitude makes all the difference.

Which bar do you think has the best rooftop? Make your selection in the poll at right.

Not sure? Check out our feature on Boulder’s Rooftops.

Cheers!

The Perfect Margarita

2008-06-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a good margarita, its limey, tequila goodness, spiked with a little citrus - salt or no salt, blended, over ice, or straight up - quenching thirst and bringing on a little buzz with each delicious sip. If you're me, it's the perfect summer beverage, and if you're not me, it's because you've not found a marg that suits you.

Margaritas are to summer (and for some, every season), like the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, the Kremlin is to Moscow or the Great Wall is to China. You simply can't identify with those places minus such landmarks, like you'll never really know what it means to enjoy summer without a good margarita.

So, what constitutes a good margarita? The criteria are somewhat subjective, as there are those who like flavored margs, like strawberry or mango, and some people like theirs sugary sweet, while others prefer tart or bitter drinks. But, there are some basic guidelines to follow when in search of the perfect marg.

First of all, use a little common sense. Ordering a margarita at a restaurant that serves, say Thai food, is probably not a good option. Yes, there are exceptions, but typically, you’ll raise some eyebrows at the bar, as maybe the fifth person ever who’s ordered a marg in such a place. Margaritas are super basic, but there are bartenders who can completely screw them up, so unless it looks like the bar is equipped to handle your order (that means, no margarita mixes), go with a beer instead.

That leads to our next lesson, which is ingredients. While some people really enjoy pre-made mixes, unless you’re in a pinch, don’t order a marg unless you know that the bar is using fresh ingredients or making their own mixers. Why pay a bartender to make your drink if you can do the same thing at home with a little Cuervo mixer from the liquor store?

The best margaritas usually come from the bar’s proprietary margarita mix. They may or may not tell you the exact ingredients, but you can be pretty sure that if a restaurant is taking the time to create their own special mixer, they mean business when it comes to margaritas.

Finally, ask around. Everyone knows a margarita connoisseur, and this person will probably be more than happy to point you in the direction of their favorite marg.

In Boulder, this usually means the Rio. Ask anyone in town where to get a good margarita, and they’ll, without hesitation, tell you about the legendary drinks at this famous Boulder establishment. Known for being exceptionally strong, they have a marg to suit every taste – flavored, frozen, on the rocks, etc. They even have mini margs so you can try out a few different varieties.

Another go-to margarita can be found at Tahona. This tequila bar features a full menu of margaritas and an even bigger list of tequilas. Made from fresh ingredients, these are margaritas in their truest form.

Other good margs can be found at Zolo, Illegal Pete’s, Mamacitas, Terrace Maya (margarita coupon) and Casa Alvarez. And, though not part of the happy hour lineup, one of Boulder’s best margs can be found at Efrain’s on east Arapahoe. This hole in the wall has a loyal local following, most of whom would argue that an Efrain’s marg ranks among the world’s best. Try a Premier and see what you think.

Have a favorite marg not on this list? Share the margarita love by adding a comment to this posting.

Cheers!

Live Music @ The St. Julien

2008-06-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday evening, the exceptionally pleasant weather left me no choice but to arrange a last minute happy hour outing. Seeing as it was already after 5 o'clock when inspiration hit, and my partner in crime wasn't free until 6 pm, AND we wanted to sit outside, our search for the perfect happy hour venue led us to the patio of the St. Julien Hotel.

Were we ever glad that our narrowed options led us to what might be Boulder's best kept happy hour secret. Not only does this happy hour run from 5-7 pm (click on the link above for details), but they also feature live music Tuesday thru Sunday. On this particularly perfect evening, AfroSamba provided jazzy tunes under a Flatiron backdrop while we enjoyed cold beer, frothy margs and a plate of nachos (I know, this is probably not what most people order while at the St. Julien, but sometimes you just want beer and nachos).

As hard as it was to resist the temptation to sit there all night enjoying the band, the cocktails, and the yummy bistro menu, all good things must come to an end. The good news is, you can have this same happy hour experience almost any night of the week at the St. Julien. Check out their website, http://www.stjulien.com/events.cfm, to see who's playing and to browse their extensive menu and creative cocktail list.

*Note: We were psyched to stumble upon AfroSamba! If you have a chance, definitely try to go to happy hour on a night when this stellar band is in the house.

A Euro Summer

2008-06-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

If you're lucky enough to be going on a European vacation this summer, ciao! The rest of us are just happy enough to be able to get to the mountains for the weekend, thanks to steadily climbing fuel prices. But, this is a happy hour blog, so who wants to hear more about that? The point is, if you can't make it to France or Spain or ride your bike through Italy, you can still have a little European experience at Amante, and it'll only cost you from $2.50-$3.50 if you go during happy hour. Merrilee, of Amante Uptown on North Broadway tells me, "We're all Euro, so we show the bike races like the Tour de France and the Giro, and we show soccer games on two different TVs."

You'll forget that you're just sitting around Boulder if you visit Amante from 4-8 p.m. any day of the week and enjoy one of their refreshing cocktails and a scoop of gelato while watching European sports channels. It'll feel just as though you're soaking up the flavor and culture of the Mediterranean without the jet lag.

Oh, and P.S. Beyond their regular happy hour offering, you can get Moretti Lager on tap anytime for just $3.50, all summer long. We say, Molto Bene! to that.

Trattoria on Pearl

2008-06-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

We at Happy Hour Boulder have always loved the Trattoria on Pearl. It was there, in fact, that we had dinner after conceiving our happy hour idea at Trilogy over bottomless glasses of wine (amazing that we ever launched a site after that). Sadly, we were never really able to celebrate happy hour success at this location, as they did not have a happy hour. Happily, they have remedied this situation and come up with something that looks worth our celebration. While we have not tried it out yet (according to our sources, it just recently launched), we have spent ample time fantasizing about the limoncello margarita. And, I'm done. You'll have to click on the link above to see what else their happy hour has to offer. I simply can't move on from the limoncello marg once I've gotten to thinking about it.

Cheers!

2008-06-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the HappyHourBoulder.com blog. We invite you to join us as we discuss happy hours in Boulder and beyond, covering topics like deals, drinks, food, style, dating and whatever else that $3 dirty martini inspires. Here's to enlightening discourse on all things happy hour - cheers!

To become a blog author, please email blog@happyhourboulder.com and we'll give you posting privileges.