Cocktails & Tastes Tour in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs has more going on after dark than its mountain-town image might suggest. This tour gives you a guided introduction through four cocktail stops, with four signature or seasonal drinks and a look at the city’s Prohibition past along the way. You move through downtown on foot, with enough time at each bar to enjoy the room rather than simply rush in and out.

I like the mix of local history and modern drinks, especially the stories tied to old downtown buildings and Wild West drinking culture. I also like the small group limit of 12, which makes it easier to ask questions and keep up with a guide such as Jason, Beth, Adam, or Heather. The main caution is food: the pairings are small, and this is not meant to replace dinner. Two stops may offer only a modest snack, so arrive ready for cocktails first.

Key points to know before you book

• Four cocktails at four different locations: You receive a signature or seasonal drink at each cocktail stop, not one shared tasting.
• A true downtown walking route: The tour connects the Mining Exchange, Acacia Park, Tejon Street, and several nearby bars on foot.
• Prohibition stories are part of the evening: Your guide links Colorado Springs history with old-school drinking culture and a local speakeasy.
• The group is limited to 12 people: That helps the guide manage bar visits and gives you a more personal outing.
• Small bites come with most drinks: Expect light savory or sweet pairings, not a full meal.
• Budget for a 15 to 20 percent tip: Gratuity is not included in the $94 price.

Four cocktails and a quick lesson in Colorado Springs

The appeal here is simple: you get a ready-made night out without having to research four bars, make reservations, or guess which drink to order. Your guide handles the route and provides context, while you sample cocktails and see how different downtown businesses shape the city’s nightlife.

The 4 p.m. start works well. You begin early enough to walk in daylight, then finish around the time many people are deciding where to eat dinner. The timing also gives you a useful first look at downtown. You can continue your evening afterward, perhaps returning to a favorite bar or finding a proper meal.

The $94 price is not cheap for a two-and-a-half-hour activity, but the value depends on how you use it. Four cocktails alone can account for a large part of the cost at independent bars. Add the food pairings, guide, historical commentary, and the convenience of a planned route, and the price is reasonable for someone who wants a guided introduction rather than a self-led bar crawl.

Still, I would not book this expecting dinner. The food is intended to accompany the drinks. At most locations, that may mean a creative sweet or savory bite, but the amount can vary. One stop may provide something as simple as bar snacks, so eat a light meal beforehand if you are hungry.

Starting at the Mining Exchange in downtown Colorado Springs

The tour begins outside the Mining Exchange at 8 South Nevada Avenue. This historic hotel dates to 1903 and has undergone a major renovation, making it a fitting place to begin a walk through the city’s past and present.

You spend about 15 minutes here, with your guide setting the historical tone. This first stop is less about drinking and more about understanding the downtown setting. The old hotel helps frame the stories that follow, particularly the contrast between respectable public life and the less visible drinking culture of the Prohibition era.

The meeting point is central and near public transportation. You receive mobile ticket confirmation when booking, so keeping the ticket available on your phone is the easiest plan. Arrive ready to start at 4 p.m., since the route is timed around bar visits.

AdAmAn Alley and the city’s climbing connection

From the Mining Exchange, the route continues to AdAmAn Alley. The alley was installed to mark the 100th anniversary of the AdAmAn Club, a Colorado Springs group connected with mountaineering and the annual New Year’s Eve ascent of Pikes Peak.

You spend about 10 minutes here. It is a short stop, but it adds a distinct local detail that you would probably miss on a standard cocktail outing. The setting also keeps the walk from becoming a string of indoor tastings. You get small bits of public art and local identity between drinks.

This is one reason the tour suits someone visiting Colorado Springs for the first time. You are not simply being driven between venues. The route gives you a basic sense of how downtown streets, parks, historic buildings, and bars fit together.

Four by Brother Luck brings a chef-led stop

Four by Brother Luck is the first substantial food-focused stop, with about 25 minutes scheduled here. Chef Brother Luck’s flagship restaurant is known for an innovative Southwestern menu, and he has appeared twice on Bravo’s Top Chef.

The stop adds a different mood from the cocktail lounges. Instead of focusing only on a drink and a room, you get a taste of a restaurant shaped by a recognizable local chef. The pairing may be one of the more substantial food moments of the evening, though you should still think of it as a tasting rather than a meal.

I like this part of the route because it shows that Colorado Springs’ food scene is not limited to generic bar fare. If you are interested in regional cooking, this stop gives the cocktails some culinary context. It also creates a useful change of pace before the more bar-centered portions of the tour.

Acacia Park keeps the route connected to the city

The walk pauses for about five minutes at Acacia Park, one of the first parks in Colorado Springs. Today it hosts activities such as festivals, concerts, a splash pad, and an ice-skating rink.

There is no long visit here, and you should not expect a major attraction stop. Its value is its location and role in the city. The park offers a brief outdoor break and helps explain why this part of downtown remains a gathering place.

The stop also matters practically. A cocktail tour can feel enclosed if you spend the whole evening in bars. A short walk through a public park gives you a little air and keeps the experience feeling like a city tour, not only a series of tastings.

District Elleven delivers the moody cocktail-bar atmosphere

District Elleven receives about 25 minutes and is one of the more distinctive bar stops. The setting is described as a moody, old-world-style bar with a back-alley entrance, which gives the visit a sense of occasion before you even order.

This is the kind of place where the room matters as much as the drink. You get a cocktail chosen for the tour, plus a light pairing, while your guide explains more about the local scene. The back entrance and darker design fit the evening’s Prohibition theme without pretending that modern Colorado Springs is still an underground drinking town.

The bar atmosphere may appeal strongly to you if you enjoy unusual interiors and smaller independent businesses. If you prefer large, polished cocktail rooms or the scale of a major city nightlife district, the route may feel more low-key. That is part of its character, but it is worth knowing before you pay.

Colorado Custom Catering adds comfort food

The stop at Colorado Custom Catering lasts about 20 minutes. Despite the catering name, this part of the route centers on creative comfort food, including gourmet waffles and street tacos.

This is a welcome shift after the more refined restaurant and cocktail-bar settings. The food here is meant to be approachable and filling in spirit, though the tour still provides only a small portion. You might find this stop especially useful if you prefer familiar savory food to elaborate tasting-menu bites.

Food quality can vary by location and by the night’s selection. The tour description makes clear that pairings are served at most stops, not necessarily every stop in equal size or style. If you have dairy or gluten restrictions, this outing is not recommended, so it is best to choose a different food experience rather than hope substitutions will be available.

Pikes Peak from downtown

The route includes a brief five-minute look toward Pikes Peak, also called America’s Mountain. From downtown Colorado Springs, the mountain provides a memorable visual reference and helps connect the city to the wider region.

This is a talking point rather than a mountain excursion. You will not be riding up Pikes Peak or spending a long time at a viewpoint. Instead, your guide uses the downtown vantage point to add a sense of place to the walk.

I appreciate this detail because the tour could easily stay focused on bars. A quick look toward the mountain reminds you that Colorado Springs has a strong outdoor identity alongside its newer food and drink scene. It also gives you a good chance to pause before the final bar.

Bloom Ultra Lounge finishes underground

The final stop is Bloom Ultra Lounge at 114 North Tejon Street, though the ending location can change. You spend about 20 minutes in this subterranean bar, described as floral, stylish, and playful.

Bloom provides a clear contrast with District Elleven. Instead of an old-world mood, you get a more decorative and contemporary setting. The tour finishes here with the fourth cocktail, making it a natural point to decide whether you want to keep the evening going downtown.

The end point is close to the start, but not identical. That is useful if you want to continue along Tejon Street, though you should not plan on collecting a car parked directly at the Mining Exchange without allowing time to walk back. The tour is central enough that public transportation is a practical option.

What the guides add to the evening

A cocktail tour lives or dies by the guide, and this one puts real weight on personality and storytelling. Jason is described as especially fun, informative, and polite, with a knack for making the walk easy and social. Beth has hosted the route with local history, independent businesses, drinks, and appetizers at the center of the experience.

Adam has led the outing with a strong focus on the locations and the history, while Heather has been praised for making Prohibition stories easy to follow and for adding a relaxed conversational style. Your guide will vary, but these names give you a sense of the tone to expect: part bar guide, part local historian, and part evening host.

The best guides do more than recite dates. They explain why a particular building, alley, park, or bar matters. That is where the tour earns its keep. Without the stories, you could simply order four cocktails on your own. With them, the walk becomes a basic introduction to the city’s character.

Group size, age rules, and food limits

The maximum group size is 12 people. That is small enough for a guide to keep the group together on downtown sidewalks and to explain each drink without shouting across a crowded room. It also makes it easier to ask about ingredients, local businesses, or the Prohibition stories.

Everyone must be at least 21. You should expect to show that you meet the age requirement, though the supplied details do not specify the exact identification procedure. Water is provided at all locations, which is a useful touch during a four-cocktail route.

The food is a supporting feature, not the main event. Pairings may be sweet or savory and are offered at most locations. Because the outing is not recommended for people avoiding dairy or gluten, those with strict dietary needs should skip it unless the operator confirms suitable options before booking.

Weather, cancellation, and gratuity

This is a walking activity, so weather matters. If poor weather forces a cancellation, you are offered another date or a full refund. The same applies if the minimum number needed to operate the tour is not reached.

You can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the 4 p.m. start time. Changes or cancellations inside that window are not accepted for a refund, and the cut-off uses Colorado Springs local time.

Plan on adding a 15 to 20 percent tip for the guide. That is not included in the $94 cost. If you are comparing this with an independent evening at four bars, include that extra amount in your real budget.

Who should book this Colorado Springs cocktail tour?

I would choose this tour if you want a friendly introduction to downtown drinking spots, prefer local stories to a silent tasting, and enjoy trying drinks you might not order on your own. It is also a good first-night activity because it shows you several places and leaves you with ideas for the rest of your stay.

It suits couples, friends, and solo visitors who enjoy small groups. The easy walking route, short outdoor stops, and 4 p.m. start make the evening manageable without turning it into a late-night event.

I would skip it if you want a full dinner, a large-city bar scene, or a highly structured food tour with generous portions at every stop. The cocktails are the main attraction, and the bars are independent Colorado Springs venues rather than grand nightlife institutions.

Should you book it?

Book it if four cocktails, small bites, downtown history, and access to a local speakeasy sound like a good use of two and a half hours. The strongest parts are the guides, the changing bar atmospheres, and the way the route links places such as the Mining Exchange, AdAmAn Alley, and Pikes Peak to the modern cocktail scene.

Skip it if dietary restrictions make the food pairings difficult or if you need dinner included in the price. For everyone else, the $94 cost is fair when you value convenience, storytelling, and a small group more than quantity. Come fed but thirsty, wear comfortable shoes, and leave room for a second Colorado Springs stop after Bloom.

FAQ

How much does the Cocktails & Tastes Tour cost?

The price is $94 per person. A 15 to 20 percent tip for the tour leader is not included.

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts about two hours and 30 minutes. It begins at 4 p.m.

How many cocktails are included?

You receive four signature or seasonal cocktails at four different locations. Water is provided at each location.

Is food included?

Light savory or sweet appetizer pairings are included at most locations. The food is not intended to replace dinner.

Where does the tour start and end?

The tour starts at the Mining Exchange, 8 South Nevada Avenue, Colorado Springs. It ends at Bloom Ultra Lounge, 114 North Tejon Street, although the ending location may change.

Can I cancel for a refund?

Yes. You can cancel at least 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not refunded or accepted.