College towns are notorious for having a great downtown bar scene, and Boulder is no exception. Having been 21 and vaccinated, this summer was a great opportunity to explore the bars and the Boulder nightlife. Whether you are just getting into bars, or have been going for a while, here is my personal favorite itinerary for a night out on the town.
- The “Bougie” Cocktail Bar
-
When starting out the night, and the group is dressed up and looking nice, a craft cocktail is a perfect drink to get the party started. I recommend starting the night out at one of Boulder’s bougie cocktail bars: Rosetta Hall, Avanti, or Bitter Bar. These are going to be the expensive sit-down bars you go to enjoy a craft drink with specialty alcohols and flavors. These are also the best spots to take pictures. I recommend only doing one round at the bougie bar for the night.
Cocktail recommendation: Earl Grey Gin Cocktail from Rosetta
Photo by Cassandra Rosen - The Fun Themed Bar
-
Boulder doesn’t have a ton of themed bars, but the ones that are here are incredible. These are also going to be fun cocktail bars, and I recommend going here for your second round. You are still enjoying craft cocktails, but the theme makes it a little less fancy and a little more fun! As far as Boulder theme bars go, Jungle, Supermoon, and License No. 1 are all great options. Jungle, as you can imagine, is a tropical-themed bar with rum-based cocktails and fun tropical glassware. Supermoon is a Japanese nightlife-themed bar with all Asian alcohol-based cocktails. Finally, License is a 1920’s speakeasy-themed cocktail bar featuring Prohibition-era cocktails, complete with live music and decor to match.
Cocktail Recommendation: Tiki Me Softly from Jungle
- The Mid-Range Bar
-
After you’ve had your first two drinks in the form of fancy cocktails, it’s time to move to mixers and dive bars. The mid-range bars are pretty reasonably priced and have food and activities for hanging out and drinking more heavily if you’d like. These bars for me would be The Attic or The Pub. Both of these places have a variety of beverages to drink, with pool tables and darts to pass the time. These are definitely good places to end the night if you want to set up camp since they both close at two am.
Drink Recommendations: I usually drink rum and coke during this portion of the night, but you can never go wrong with a vodka soda. Out with a group? Get a round of Vegas Bombs to keep the party going.
- The Close Down Bar
-
If you’re looking to stay out until last call, these two bars are awesome places to end the night. The Sundown Saloon or Press Play are two of my favorite bars to end up at for the end of the night. Depending on what the vibe is for the night, you can drink for cheap and play pool or darts at “the downer” or you can head over to Press Play and dance the night away in the club. In my opinion, though, you don’t want to go to either of these places relatively sober.
There are many ways to have a night out, but this is my favorite itinerary for bar hopping. Have fun exploring the bars of Boulder!