Bar Talk: Stanahan’s Whiskey Lodge

The tagline for Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge in downtown Aspen should be “A whiskey lodge even non-whiskey drinkers will love.”

As to be expected, most of the menu at Stranahan’s is packed with whiskey-based drinks that highlight a variety of the distillery’s small-batch, American single malt — from classics with a twist to inventive cocktails that you might not expect to be made with whiskey.

The best seller on the menu is the impressive Smoked Old Fashioned (You can also get it unsmoked, but go for the spiced up original here) — Stranahan’s Original Single Malt, Luxardo Cherry, Demerara syrup, bitters, orange peel, cherry wood smoke — served as the aromatic smoke is wafting from the top. 

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It’s easy to see why less than a year into operation, the Smoked Old Fashioned is a top seller: It’s an approachable whiskey drink that most people know, jazzed up and visually appealing with the smoked concept, and a nice way to get a taste of Stranahan’s smooth whiskey.

However, there is also a section of seasonal cocktails on the menu that showcases whiskey’s more playful side and the staff’s creativity.

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“It’s a collaborative creative process here,” said General Manager Max Ben-Hamoo, emphasizing that all the staff, not just the bartenders, are encouraged to contribute to the process when developing new drinks.

Developing new whiskey-based cocktails takes time, testing, and patience to refine and become worthy of adding to the menu. Dealing with whiskey as the showcase spirit in all the drinks is a “fun problem to have that forces you to be creative,” he said.

For both Stranahan’s and him, this whiskey lodge is a return to their roots. Ben-Hamoo is a native Aspenite who grew up playing at George Stranahan’s Ranch as a kid, while Stranahan’s was founded on that very ranch by George and local firefighter Jess Graber who stepped foot on the Woody Creek property to save a burning barn and left as the co-founder of Colorado’s first Rocky Mountain Single Malt.

One of the seasonal, innovative cocktails currently on the menu is the tiki-inspired Lost in the Rain, essentially a spin on a banana colada. 

Served in a pineapple glass and made with banana-infused Stranahan’s Blue Peak (double-distilled and aged for 4 years), pineapple juice, and cream of coconut, garnished with banana chips and a paper umbrella, it brings a burst of tropical energy to the otherwise cozy feel of the whiskey lodge.

The taste of whiskey gets lost in the tropical mix with predominant flavors of sweet banana and coconut, making this easy to enjoy if you’re not looking for a whiskey taste and you like a sweet, tiki-style cocktail.

However, if you’re there for the whiskey but still want to stick to something seasonal, I’d suggest the Peach Whiskey Smash.

Again featuring Stranahan’s Blue Peak alongside Colorado peach puree, lemon juice, mint syrup, bitters, and garnished with fresh mint leaves, this cocktail is a juicy, herbal smashup that is perfect for late summer and the transition into warm fall days.

With vague mint julep vibes, the Peach Whiskey Smash is like a high alpine Colorado take on a Southern classic. It smells like a peach popsicle and tastes like biting into a fresh peach, no fake overly sweet peach ring flavor here thanks to the use of a made-in-house, Colorado peach puree. In fact, a majority of the ingredients used in cocktails at the bar are made in-house, from the syrups to the liqueurs like orgeat, which is a point of pride for the Stranahan’s team that sets them apart from some other bar programs.

“Everything we serve, we craft,” Ben-Hamoo said.

This ethos is also reflected in the non-whiskey spirits served at Stranahan’s whiskey lodge, which are made in Stranahan’s Denver distillery, “branded” with an old label from another Proximo Spirits company, and distributed as a behind the bar exclusive only served at the brand’s Denver and Aspen locations.

There are four non-whiskey cocktails on the menu made with these spirits that are crafted with just as much care as the whiskey-based cocktails and allow the bar to appeal to customers who either aren’t in the mood or are convinced they don’t like whiskey (to which Ben-Hamoo says he’s always up for the challenge of changing those customers mind).

These secondary Stranahan’s spirits are so good that customers often ask where they can purchase them. When I was at the bar, a patron asked the bartender if he could purchase a bottle of the gin because he loved it, only to be told “Sorry, no,” that it was a bar exclusive made in limited batches, to which the customer asked if he brought in a growler if he could pay the bartenders to fill it up with the gin, again the answer was “Sorry, but no.”

For the non-whiskey lover looking to be wowed by a whiskey cocktail, one of my surprise favorites on the menu is the Espresso Martini.

An Aspen classic, espresso martinis can be found on just about every bar menu in town, but this one is unique, elevated, and after one sip jumped to the No. 1 spot on my espresso martini list.

The Whiskey Lodge version is made with, you guessed it, whiskey, but not just any old whiskey. Instead, a brownie-infused (Yes, they make fresh brownies from scratch in-house to use) whiskey, coffee liqueur, espresso, and orgeat.

The result is an ultra-smooth, chocolaty, perfectly-balanced espresso martini that you can’t even tell is made with whiskey. And if you’re really nice, you might be able to get a side pour of the brownie-infused whiskey to try, which is exceptional.

The team at Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge has made sure that while still staying true to its whiskey roots, they have crafted a space that everyone can come together in and enjoy — whiskey lover or not.