TAG Raw Bar may be Denver’s freshest restaurant in both senses of the word. Fresh, raw ingredients from vegetables to sushi to noodles come together in complex and unique dishes full of flavor, and the same is true for the drink menu. If you’re on the hunt for something fresh, check out the just-updated spring cocktail and sake list.

TAG mixologist Nikki Schaeffer builds on the food offerings by putting fresh, seasonal elements into a variety of cocktails. Even though TAG’s emphasis is on the Pacific Rim, you’ll find a variety of rum, bourbon and gin drinks at the bar along with a choice of fine sakes.

One of our favorite of Nikki's new creations is the Hawaiian Pride. Made with rum, bourbon, and hazelnut liquor along with pineapple, demerara syrup and lemon, it tastes like Maui in a glass. The Lemon Thyme, also made with rum, uses the distinctive flavors of lemon, thyme and agave to create a tart and tangy drink. The house specialty, Ninja Juice, is a sake cocktail with lemongrass, fresh lime and coconut milk. Hints of citrus and nuts come together for a light airy drink perfect for sunny weather. Paired with the lightness of TAG’s foods, these drinks will supplement dishes well.

TAG also offers a full complement of sakes, and Nikki offered us a brief sake lesson. A rice-based alcohol originally from Japan, sake comes in different levels, and these levels depend on the amount of polishing the rice undergoes before being distilled. Polishing removes fats and amino acids, leaving behind pure starch. The first level is Junmai, then Junmai Jinjo and the most polished, Junmai Daiginjo. Nikki points out that like wine, rice crops can have good and bad years and a good rice harvest will make a fine sake. However, unlike certain wines, which are tied to a particular region or country, sake is made all over the world and some quite flavorful sakes actually hail from Oregon.

An example of TAG’s Junmai sake is Hakushika's Fresh and Light. It tastes like sweet bread with some bitter at the finish. White Deer is a Junmai Ginjo sake also by Hakushika. This sake is very dry with hints of botanicals and noticeably smoother than the Junmai. Another Junmai Ginjo is Pearl Nigori by Momokawa, which is based in Oregon. Nigori is an unfiltered sake so it has a white, creamy appearance. The Pearl tastes very tropical with touches of banana and coconut.

For those interested in learning more about sake, consider attending Raw University, TAG’s culinary classroom. On Saturday, May 11, Raw University will have a sake styles and presentation class. Attendees will learn about and sample the different types of sake as well as how to present sake to guests. Cost is $60 per person and the class begins at noon. To register, call 303-996-2685 or email getraw@tagrawbar.com.

TAG Raw Bar is located in Larimer Square downstairs in the walkway. Hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 AM to 9 PM and Friday and Saturday from 11:30 AM to 10 PM. Industry night is Wednesday from 9 PM to 1 AM with food service until Midnight (1423 Larimer St., Ste. 10; 303-996-2485).

Photos by Carrie Dow