If you need the perfect excuse to indulge in a night out while making a meaningful impact, look no further than these three Denver bars where giving back to local causes isn’t just a transaction—it’s a great time.
Cart-Driver’s Cocktail for a Cause series features a unique cocktail each month, donating all proceeds from that drink to an organization that’s working to better the community, focusing on small, local nonprofits doing amazing work. And all these little contributions add up; to date, the program has raised $179,000 for nonprofits like Protect Our Winters and CHOW (Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness). Throughout August, orders of The Bend and Snap—made with gin, Salvia e Limone, snap pea and basil simple syrup, and skin-contact vermouth— help support two local GoFundMe campaigns for the families of chef Amos Watts and Todd Kidd, two industry veterans who recently passed away under varying circumstances. What better reason do you need to order another round?
At Berkeley Untapped on Tennyson, democracy is at the heart of every order. Every drink on your tab comes with a token that you use to vote for one of the bar’s current nonprofit partners. There’s always a trio of options—one animal, one environmental, and one humanitarian organization—and their details are listed on the wall. Toss your tokens in the corresponding bucket, and 25 cents from your drink purchase gets donated to that cause. But here’s where the democracy comes in: the nonprofit with the most tokens at the end of a threemonth run also receives a bonus $100 contribution from the bar itself. Cheers to raising your glass while raising some funds for a cause that speaks to your heart.
At Honey Elixir Bar, you can shoot for a better world while catching a botanical buzz. The apothecary-inspired cocktail lounge in RiNo curates a list of organizations and causes they care about. Make a donation to any of them, and Honey Elixir shows you its appreciation with a complimentary shot or NA alternative. The causes they champion— LGBTQ+ support through The Center on Colfax, The Trevor Project, and Campaign for Southern Equality, and equal rights for all through the ACLU—collectively focus on building a greater community, making the world a more loving and welcoming place for everyone.
