One evening in Phoenix, Jack Stevenson drank a cocktail that would change his life.
While visiting a friend at a craft cocktail bar, Jack was served the drink involving fresh-squeezed lime juice, house-made cane syrup, and Rhum Agricole. It was a simple daiquiri.
Most odysseys don't begin with the most remarkable or complex chapters, and it's somewhat of a comfort to know that a mixologist as accomplished as Jack had a beginner's phase; he wasn't someone who knew at a young age that this would be his calling. A unique experience in an interesting setting awakened his senses. Sometimes that's all it takes.
The ingredients fueling Jack's passion went beyond the cocktail glass. Escapism and the environment curated by a bartender was also appealing to him; for both he and the guests who he might find in front of him on any given night. Jack began working in the Phoenix area and became familiar with agave and other desert-friendly and Mexican-inspired cocktails and ingredients.
Shortly after the pandemic hit, Jack found his way to Denver, a place he'd been familiar with from growing up there, and eventually he landed at Death & Co.
Watch Jack make cocktails in the video above.
For Jack, Death & Co. was a perfect fit.
For Death & Co., making cocktails is a form of art and expression, and each mixologist's appreciation for the craft contributes to the innovation of the space and each individual.
"We all share articles with each other, and we all talk about a specific technique we use to make the drinks," said Stevenson. "We talk about the specific cocktail ingredients and why one rum is more interesting than another one."
Every detail of Death & Co. has been taken into consideration, from the well-curated cocktail menu to the ambiance of the space and the personal touch of people like Jack who are running it.
