Our bartender at the Principal’s Office suggested Shame and Regret. We asked our server at Streetcar 520 about it. His impression is that the bartenders need to get some of the basics of cocktails down before venturing into the exploding craft-cocktail/speakeasy momentum in Colorado Springs. His take was spot on. The entrance to Shame and Regret is in a back alley. We were invited to sit where we were comfortable, the bar, and noticed how the rounded booths created a feeling of privacy, like a confessional or on the set of The Godfather.
Their menu is filled with “modified classics”. I got something that as akin to a margarita (but probably should have tasted different). Cas got his standard Old Fashioned. The bartender did not put any simple syrup in it. As Cas always says, it is a simple drink that is so frequently messed up. It probably goes without saying, but we did not stay for a second round.
This is another new bar in town. So, hopefully, with time and some effort and an emphasis on the back-to-basics, they can get their bar program where it needs to be. They have so much in the mix that IS going well. The location, the decor, the vibe. More focus needs to be given to the drinks. A bartender at a place like this must know how to make the classics and make them in the same way every time. It probably should be noted that we had this same feeling at a few of the places owned by the owner of Shame and Regret –that they needed to up their bartender training and focus on some of the basics of customer management.
I’d like to think that this wave of new bars will offer competition to each other and help raise the, ahem, bar for all of them.