My sister and I found ourselves with a free night in Boulder, and we decided to cocktail and appetizer hop our way through the city. Having never spent much time there, we went off of what we had heard through the foodie grapevine and 5280.
First on our list was Basta, which was named #10 for this year’s 5280 Best Restaurants (and #8 last year). It was crazy hard to find, and we almost gave up. Google Maps was taking us in circles and saying we had arrived when we clearly hadn’t. Luckily at just the right time, we spotted a little sign that said Basta with an arrow, and led us into an apartment complex. There, tucked away in the middle, was Basta. They are known for their brick-oven pizzas and fancy hand-crafted cocktails. The restaurant is pretty small, and has an Italian feel to it. We ordered the Burrata, which came in a skillet with pancetta & leeks. It was one my favorite burrata dishes I’ve ever had. I appreciated the originality, and it had great flavor.
I got the Whiskey Daisy (which held the award of my favorite whiskey drink ever for about 30 minutes, until I took a sip of my cocktail at Oak at Fourteenth.) It was made with rye whiskey, strega, basil, citrus, and OLIVE OIL. It had a great flavor to it, and the olive oil cut the richness so it maintained balance. Strega is an herbal liqueur, so you can see how it would pair well with the whiskey. My sister, being someone who likes more fruity can’t-taste-the-alcohol cocktails, got the Nola Pimm’s Cup, which has Pimms, lemonade, and green chartreuse. She really liked hers and it was very pretty, as you can see from the picture (hers is on the left).
Our bartender was attentive, and taught us several new things about cocktails and liqueurs. He let us sample many of the liqueurs, including Aperol. Aperol is a slightly bitter liqueur made from orange, rhubarb, and various other ingredients. It’s a good choice for those who don’t like sweet drinks.
We had a great time at Basta, although we didn’t order their signature pizzas, since they were a bit on the expensive side, and we were just ordering appetizers anyway. We will definitely be back to get some of that pizza and try more of their cocktails.
Address: 3601 Arapahoe Ave Boulder, CO 80303