Bar Talk: Buck bar

There’s always a buzz surrounding new bars and restaurants in Aspen.

The first few weeks or months are busy and booked out. People are constantly asking if you’ve been there yet, what you thought about the food, drink, service, and, of course, the price point.

But how many of those new spots remain busy and talked about after the initial opening hype has died down and enough people have shared their reviews on the peculiarities of the place?

One of the new kids in town, Bar Under Cooper aka Buck, not only has generated a lot of hype, but it has consistent crowds to back up the excitement and chatter.

Since it opened over three weeks ago, the basement bar has been packed, mostly with locals, giving it a feel like it’s already a mainstay of the Aspen landscape.

Buck has been so busy since opening that I know many people, myself included, who tried going multiple times to grab a drink in the evening only to find it so full that there wasn’t even room to squeeze in at the bar – a good sign for sure.

I finally found my way into Buck, got a coveted bar seat, and had a chance to see what everyone was talking about.

The space is small, but the team behind the new hangout, pillars in the local restaurant industry Brad Smith and Jordan White (both formally involved in the Red Onion – Smith as a part-owner and White as a GM, and currently partners in Mexican restaurant La Raza in Carbondale), have made great use of the space available with a lengthy bar, plenty of TVs and seats tucked into every available nook and cranny in addition to the center of the room.

The décor, which pays homage to an Aspen past plus a fun ski wall reminiscent of the ski fence found along the catwalk on Ruthie’s side of Ajax, is a hit with everyone who takes a moment to look.

Space and decorations aside, let’s talk drinks, but first, a disclaimer:

I did not go into Bar Under Cooper expecting creative cocktails and a dedicated mixology program. That’s not the premise of the place and not what it’s about. Aspen’s bar/restaurant landscape is full of craft cocktail programs, some far better than others, but still, it’s not a city that lacks a place to get a unique libation that will either do the trick to give you a spirituous boost or at least look good on your Instagram story. Buck is not trying to infiltrate that space.

Instead, it’s an unpretentious place that you can roll up to with a roster of familiar faces behind the bar and feel comfortable and confident in ordering a drink that will do the trick and not cost you a minimum $20.

But disclaimer aside, again, let’s talk drinks.

As to be expected, the beer list is plentiful, the shelves are filled with a wide range of liquor options with many locally- or Colorado-made/owned/bottled companies front and center and the prices are affordable.

A draft beer will run you on the low end $4 and up, and like any good local haunt, there is a happy hour menu.

The only cocktail on the chalkboard menu above the bar is the Last Dollar … for $11.

It’s basically a Kentucky mule – ginger beer, lime, Stranahan’s and served in a copper mule mug  – with the added twist of blood orange and keeping with the ski Aspen theme, named after a ski run in the Dumps on Ajax.

It’s tasty and refreshing with a zesty pop from the ginger beer but the smoky warming notes from whiskey.

The blood orange is mainly present in color and smell with the taste getting muddled under the stronger ingredients.

Overall, I’d happily order this any time – although, if this one option doesn’t suit your cocktail mood, I’m sure the talented team behind the bar can craft something up for you, as long as you are not looking for them to get super fancy with it, infuse it with smoke, a dollop of edible glitter, or serve it in Instagram-famous glassware.

Truly, the Bar Under Cooper is a welcome addition to the Aspen bar scene that brings back a little of that divey, mountain-town charm where all the ski bums can gather that a lot of us have been missing.