The ViewHouse Pub and Eatery downtown is beginning its second year on the Denver restaurant scene and this bar and grill near Coors Field is keeping up with our seasonal tastes. New for spring and summer, enjoy the ViewHouse Mule Menu.

The Moscow Mule has been making a huge splash at Denver bars and restaurants this last year. The original attraction may be the shiny copper mug the drink is served in, but the mule’s refreshing taste is what keeps people drinking more. Moscow Mules are made with ginger beer, which, not long ago, was hard to find in Denver. Now ginger beer is everywhere and the mule is front and center. To highlight this old/new cocktail, ViewHouse Managing Partner Brad Manske and his staff have put together a special “mule menu” at the ViewHouse bar.

The ViewHouse keeps things traditional serving a Moscow Mule made with Spring 44 Vodka, Goslings Ginger Beer and freshly squeezed lime wedges. Like all the bar’s mules, it is served in the traditional copper mug with the Spring 44 logo, this drink is perfect for warm weather with a cool lime scent and ginger and lime taste. The vodka is there, but that’s not the focus. The focus is a well-blended cocktail so enjoying more than one won’t ruin your afternoon. Sip a Moscow Mule on the ViewHouse “lawn” complete with comfy sofas, umbrellas and new this summer, pergolas to keep things cool during those hot Denver afternoons.

Manske noted the popularity of Fireball Whiskey at the bar, a super-sweet yet hot spirit that is popular as a shot, but not a good shot. It’s one of those shots that your friends make you drink without telling you what it is. Manske thought that a cinnamon whiskey had potential, but Fireball was not the way go so he worked tirelessly on making a cinnamon-infused whiskey of his own. He even enlisted the help of Chef Jose Guerrero who picked out the proper cinnamon. After much trial and error, he has hit on the perfect cinnamon whiskey.

 “People who order a Fireball, I tell them to try this first and if they don’t like it, I’ll buy their shot,” Manske says. He has yet to pay out on that bet.

With that in mind, ViewHouse is going outside the copper cup with the Angry Mule, made with Angry Orchard Cider, Manske’s house-infused barrel-aged cinnamon whiskey, Goslings Ginger Beer, Apple Liquor, fresh juices and apple and cinnamon garnish. This mule, with its apple and cinnamon flavors has a taste of fall in it, but is still refreshing and light for summer.

Another twist on the mule is the ViewHouse Mule using house-made cucumber-infused vodka, Goslings Ginger Beer, fresh cucumber, mint and lemon juice with freshly squeezed lime wedges. It will soon be another VH favorite. The cool of the cucumber up front acts like air conditioning, while the mint provides an invigorating finish.

The Bourbon Buck Mule uses Spring 44 Bourbon instead of vodka along with fresh lemon juice and Goslings Ginger Beer. While similar to the traditional mule, this cocktail has the musky scent and taste of the bourbon and the tartness of lemon to set it apart. Bourbon lovers will enjoy this new twist providing another option for summertime drinking. Other nonconformist mules are the Botanical Mule with Spring 44 Gin and the Paloma Mule using Patron Tequlia.

The ViewHouse has plenty of new cocktails for spring for those who don’t prefer gingery mules. Try the ViewHouse Lemonade made with Skyye Raspberry vodka, fresh raspberries and homemade lemonade or the Colorado Peach made with Colorado’s own Goat Vodka by Peachtree Distillers, peach schnapps, fresh squeezed lemon and iced tea.

Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 PM and features a special food menu that ranges from $3-$6 and includes Aspen beef sliders (with fried egg), gourmet pigs in a blanket and a beer batter fish sandwich that are not on the regular menu along with $3 domestic drafts, $4 craft brew of the month and $5 frozen drink of the day. Visit the downtown location and find out why it’s called the ViewHouse by getting a table on the rooftop deck that has two bars and overlooks both LoDo and Coors Field.