Last Sunday night I went out in town with a few friends to check out the nightlife around Crested Butte. Elk Avenue is known for great restaurants and tons of charm, so we had lots of options to find a great cocktail. We experienced quite a few fantastic happy hour specials, delicious concoctions, and phenomenal snacks, but the most creative drink special had to go to The Dogwood, for their Sunday Game Night.
The Dogwood is an adorable craft cocktail bar housed in an old miner’s cabin off of the main drag in Crested Butte. The rustic-chic candlelit atmosphere invites you to come in and relax. Their cocktail list is impressive, with unexpected combinations and twists on old favorites. Don’t miss the Up in Smoke, a twist on the traditional Paloma featuring Mezcal instead of Tequila and a “smoke cube”.
The Game Night special features a novel concept: each person draws a scrabble tile out of a glass, and you get special pricing on drinks that start with the letter of the tile you draw. With such an overwhelming menu, we found this to be a fun way to order an interesting drink that may be out of our normal comfort zone. With my draw of “P” I ended up outside of my normal tequila comfort zone and enjoyed the delicious Porch Song featuring Leopold’s navy strength gin, grapefruit, mint, honey and an unexpected IPA float. To qualify for the Game Night special, your group needs to be playing a game, so snag one as you walk in the door (we picked Apples to Apples).
The Dogwood is a bar first and foremost, and while they do have some delicious snacks and small plate options, this is best as a stop before or after dinner.
The Dogwood is 21+ at all times. Seating is first come first served, so hurry over to 309 3rd St, Crested Butte, CO 81224!
