How The Brains Behind Denver’s Most Beautiful Cocktail Bars Makes Magic

Though drinking can give one rose-colored glasses, you don’t need those at any of the cocktail bars launched by Nicole Lebedevitch.  This especially proves true at her latest venture, Sorry Gorgeous.

As a managing partner and director of beverage for the Culinary Creative Group (A5 Steakhouse, Ash’Kara, Fox and the Hen, Mister Oso, and more), Lebedevitch has had a hand in designing and executing Cherry Creek spots Forget Me Not and Ay Papi. Now, she’s opened the third concept, a rooftop bar in RiNo. While each space offers guests a different experience, all have stunning decor and a vibe that drives one to want to be there, drink in hand or not. Sorry Gorgeous is no exception.

We caught up with Lebedevitch to learn more about her latest venture, as well as the thought behind the stylish bars in her repertoire. 

Wow, this is your third bar with Culinary Creative. How did Sorry Gorgeous come to be? 

Juan [Padró, CEO and co-founder] is kind of enough to let me be creative in another bar. With Sorry Gorgeous, it’s apologetic and unapologetic in this amazing space. We are in a really special spot too, the Novel [RiNo] building.

With this concept we wanted to do something different. There are always apartment complexes with retail on the first floor, but you rarely see it on the roof. We have this unreal, unique space on the 12th floor of the complex. And the view, once we started stepping outside I remember thinking, ‘this palace is gorgeous.’

Is that how you came up with the name of the bar, Sorry Gorgeous? 

It’s kind of like the phrase, “sorry gorgeous, the seat is taken.” Or, “sorry gorgeous, it’s time for a cocktail.” It was a cheeky way of saying look, this is special and I am holding it for someone else.  It’s something special inside an apartment building, but I can share with everyone else. 

When did you conceive of the project? 

It’s been in the works for about three years. We started construction about nine months ago. We have a partnership with Abigail Plantier [founder of House of Plantier and principal designer at Maximalist, an interior design and branding studio]. I wanted the space to feel like you are in a different world, that you’re up in the clouds.

What’s the menu like? 

We are here, for everyone, but because the space is so beautiful and unique, I wanted the cocktails to be too. You feel special when you drink them. Come up here and enjoy a spritz in the afternoon. Or a perfectly stirred martini with a bump of caviar. Or a gin sour. Right now we have nine cocktails, a selection of wines by the glass, beers, spirits, and we also offer curated bottle service on Fridays and Saturdays

We have light snacks and light fare. But it’s supposed to complement the Filipino restaurant [Magna Kainan] we are opening downstairs [hopefully next week]. We are really excited, we want to play off the downstairs restaurant. You wait for your table and have a cocktail at Sorry Gorgeous before dinner. You don’t have to go solely to dinner or solely go to a cocktail bar, you can do both. People want an experience, and they get to round out the experience here. 

What else can we expect at Sorry Gorgeous? 

With Sorry Gorgeous we are also leaning toward amplified music and DJs.  And it’s going to be a snow globe in the winter with floor-to-ceiling windows. You will still see the views, the bar is meant to be enjoyed year round.

I think I am really excited to continue to expand the cocktails and bar experience. It’s a place for people to go out and get together, encouraging them to be themselves. That’s what’s most important to me, to enjoy each other’s company and have a special experience.

Visit Sorry Gorgeous Wednesday and Sunday, 3 p.m. to midnight, and until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. 1350 40th St., Denver, sorrygorgeousrooftop.com