Up the ante on your next Aspen ski trips with these special spots. You don't need to be a celebrity to indulge in pop-up champagne bars and members-only clubhouses and mountains-you simply have to know where to find them.
Grab a drink at the buzzy speakeasy in the Aspen Times building.
Bad Harriet is a sultry 55-seat speakeasy located in the lower level of the Aspen Times building on Main Street in Aspen, and you're sure to miss it if you're not looking for it. The underground establishment, which is part of Hotel Jerome, was inspired by the 1920s and has leather chairs, a brown marble bar, antler chandeliers and plenty of mirrors. Since there's limited seating, be sure to make a reservation, dress to impress and bring a full wallet (cocktails are $17-$35).
$1,000 wine, please.
The only 5-Star spot in all of Aspen, The Little Nell is home to a highly coveted wine cellar that serves as a bragging point to anyone who dares enter. From Roulot and Romanee-Conti to Ridge and Screaming Eagle, more than 20,000 wines can be found in the cellar, compliments of more than a dozen sommeliers. Want some? It's a $1,000 minimum-no worries, that's easy to achieve, due to the price of the wines. Or, you could join The Little Nell Wine Club and receive preferred pricing-$8,000 per year.
Indulge in what may be the best breakfast you've ever had.
Hop in the car and head to Village Smithy in Carbondale, where locals and celebs alike can be seen waiting for as long as an hour for the best blueberry pancakes and skillets ever. Just a 45-minute drive northwest of Aspen, you'll be rewarded with what may be the best breakfast you've ever had. There's also a free public bus that goes from Aspen to Carbondale, with multiple stops along the way.
Get a weekly membership to the hottest private club in the city.
Caribou Club is the most exclusive private club in Aspen, and memberships are hard to come by in terms of access and finances. Additionally, they also offer a limited number of weekly private memberships-$500 minimum, depending on the week-which are much more accessible. If you're staying at a high-end hotel-The Little Nell or the Ritz, for example-you may ask your hotel to arrange for you to dine here as a potential member. The food is exquisite and at 10 p.m. the bar transforms into a very popular-and still private-nightclub.
Head to the clouds.
Cloud Nine is the place to be. Rumor has it that this mid-mountain restaurant sells the largest amount of Veuve Clicquot in all of America, and they earn the highest revenue per square foot out of any restaurant in the United States, despite the fact that they're only open 135 days per year. Translation: Cloud Nine makes about $10 million per season, while top-grossing Tao Las Vegas makes $42 in annual sales but is about 44,000 sq feet. An average of 120 bottles of bubbly are opened per night here, and most of that ends up on the walls and on the ceilings. It is quite the rowdy crowd.
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