Greenlight LAB

OUR ARTICLE

Da Vinci, Copernicus, Edison, Tesla, Einstein, and Hawking are undoubtedly some of the most brilliant men of all time. They set an example to modern men, showing that experimentation can lead to innovation and legacy. To experiment with your job, style, food, workout, hobbies, passions – it’s all to help formulate, mold, and invent the man that you are meant to be. There’s so few places in this world that celebrates experimentation, which is why Greenlight LAB in Denver caught our eye – and we can’t look away.

There’s a speakeasy vibe to Greenlight LAB, which looks like another graffiti-laden brick building in Denver’s RiNo Art’s District. The only indication that it’s open is a brightly-shining green light bulb.

In a world where you may feel stifled by a job or routine, Greenlight LAB refreshingly lets you contribute and interact with the bar in a whole new way, and that’s inspiring.

At first look of the interior, there’s not much that says “experimental.” The low lighting, curved booths, bookshelf, and trendy lamps are similar enough to other cocktail bars. But if you look closer and visit a few times, you’ll notice something – the décor changes. It’s subtle at times, more obvious at others, but the stools, the art, tables, and chairs, all change occasionally.

Greenlight LAB owner Brandon Anderson is also the owner of design and architecture firm LIV Studio, and with Greenlight LAB, he’s created a space, a lab some might say, in which he can test out design elements. Anderson has created an experimental experience, one in which, you, are asked how you like the newest chair, art piece, table, or whatever it may be.

The experimenting doesn’t stop with the décor. It blends into the best part of the place, the bar. There’s two menus, the “Approved” menu and the “Beta” menu. The mixologists are given freedom to mix, blend, and create new and wild drinks, and like the décor, you get to rate what you like best.

The Beta menu is a constantly-changing menu of potions and brews like the Rhapsody in White, a two-drink deconstructed mix that alludes to a classic Ramos gin fizz. Other favorites include a drink with a hollowed orb of ice filled with a house whiskey blend and cracked with a hammer, or a cognac cocktail served in a beer can and paired with beer in a sidecar.

In a world where you may feel stifled by a job or routine, Greenlight LAB refreshingly lets you contribute and interact with the bar in a whole new way, and that’s inspiring. So, roll up your sleeves, relax in that chair that may be gone next week, and drink that peculiar cocktail that fizzes or smokes. It’s time to experiment.