The Southwest continues to represent in the James Beard finalists, this time with a newer category. Outstanding Cocktail Service was added to James Beard awards in 2025, and both years, one Colorado bar has been on that list. Last year as a nomination, this year, as a finalist.
Walk into Denver's Yacht Club and you might be surprised by what you find.
Shawn Campbell
For one, there are no yachts. And also no members-only gatekeeping. Instead, there's a neighborhood bar where guests can order a world-class cocktail alongside a hot dog, where a playful concept has quickly grown in popularity and national recognition.
In June, co-owners McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright will join family, friends and members of the Yacht Club team in Chicago, waiting alongside fellow finalists as the James Beard Foundation announces the winner of Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service on June 15. For Hedges, the national recognition is still a little hard to wrap his head around.
"It's a huge honor to be included in such an impactful conversation," he said. "It's been an honor to put a lot of time and effort and love into the community around us and the city itself. Happy to be representing Denver again this year."
The story behind Yacht Club starts with a bit of music.
Hedges and Wright had been working in hospitality throughout the South before spending time in the music industry. Eventually, they realized what they loved most wasn't the business of music, but the people, experiences and hospitality surrounding it. Nearly 15 years ago, they packed up their lives in Tennessee and moved to Colorado, where they slowly built careers in Denver's food and beverage scene.
When they opened Yacht Club, they intentionally flipped the idea of an exclusive club on its head.
"Instead of being an exclusive club, we're more like an all-inclusive version of that," Hedges said. "Everyone's welcome."
Luke Gottleib
That philosophy shows up on the menu. Guests can splurge on Champagne or grab a hot dog and a Jack and Coke. Or make the hotdog just as fancy with some caviar added on top, served in a dinosaur holder for extra class. Of course, cocktail program here is serious, but never pretentious. Wine is treated with the same respect as craft cocktails, and the staff places as much emphasis on making people feel comfortable as they do on what ends up in the glass. And that’s precisely what helps the bar make it to a finalist in outstanding cocktails, according to Hedges. He doesn't point to the drinks alone, but rather to the people.
“The crew cares so much here. They're so much a part of the entire personality and the entire experience,” Hedges explains. “I think a special mix of magic and care and weirdness, you know, I think that's created who we are.”
Luke Gottlieb
So, what are these cocktails that are getting so much recognition? When asked what the regular’s favorites are, the answer was whatever they want, Yacht Club has it. There are the signature drinks people are loyal to, then there’s the house style that have been there since the bar’s opening in 2021. Then there’s the seasonal options always evolving based on ingredients available. And then some cocktails bring their southern roots into play and that’s cocktails with a milk punch, but of course, with buttermilk in this bar. One drink in particular, the H.R.V. is a buttermilk base with Blanco tequila, Fino Sherry dill, mint, lemon and black pepper.
Shawn Campbell
“They're lovely when done right. It kind of speaks to who we are, where we come from,” he explains. “The American South is well known for its love and use of buttermilk and lots of things. It's like a ranch water flavors, very crushable, slightly savory drink.”
As Hedges prepares to return to Chicago, he's quick to share the recognition with the team that helped build the bar's reputation.
"We didn't set out to be recognized," he said. "We want to be recognized by our community. It's amazing that recognition happens beyond that. It's super humbling."
Whether Yacht Club brings home a medal or not, Denver already has something worth celebrating, and that’s a neighborhood bar with no yachts, no velvet rope and a seat for just about everyone—with mouthwatering cocktails and bites.
Learn more at yachtclubbar.com. Plan your trip to Denver at visitdenver.com.