Speakeasy Denver: Retrograde

Denver has a new Speakeasy called Retrograde and Mystery Playground bloggers Kerry Hammond and Kim Hammond are here to tell us all about it.

At Mystery Playground we love to visit speakeasies, both in our hometowns and in cities we visit. At the top of my list in Denver is Williams & Graham and if I had to choose a favorite from my travels it would be Prohibition in Atlanta’s upscale Buckhead neighborhood. 

I recently came across an article about a Denver speakeasy that hadn’t even been on my radar. It’s called Retrograde and is in a neighborhood known as Uptown. It opened in April of this year, which is probably why it wasn’t yet on my radar. The fun part is that the speakeasy is hidden inside an ice cream shop called Frozen Matter. If you don’t know it’s back there, you may be intrigued by a very small sign on the counter that tells you to ask about their freezer.

To enter the speakeasy, you walk through an actual freezer door that is set into the wall behind some café chairs. You are then in a small room that has a set of swinging metal restaurant doors on the opposite wall. When you go through those, you enter the secret bar. It’s dark and you need to let your eyes adjust. It’s a small space, but very cool (pun intended). The bar is beautifully lit up behind the shelves holding the liquor bottles.

We tried three drinks and each was excellent. The Donkey Hotay was made with Vodka, Amontillado Sherry, Green Chartreuse, Lime, Ginger, and Cava. The Concentrated Dark Matter contained Rye, Rock Candy, and Orange Bitters. Lastly, we sipped on a City in a Garden, with Gin, Allspice Dram, Lemon, Lavender, Angostura, and Rosemary.

The bar serves Charcuterie and Cheese plates in case you get hungry, or you are more than welcome to purchase ice cream and bring it back with you. The staff was great and made drink suggestions. What a fun concept this place is.

You can follow Kerry on Twitter @kerryhammond88 or Mystery Playground @mysteryplaygrnd or find us on Facebook.

Have you visited any neighborhood speakeasies this year?