A few years back, Stuart Weaver — the general manager at Lady Jane, a LoHi cocktail bar — was on vacation in London with his husband. They came across a “one-sip martini” on the menu at Tayēr + Elementary, an acclaimed cocktail spot that ranks high on The World’s 50 Best Bars list.
“I’m a huge martini fan, so I was like, ‘I need to have this!’” Weaver recalled. “It was so cute.”
Back in the states, Weaver created a similar drink for Lady Jane, 2021 W. 32nd Ave., and the $6 Tiny Tini — it changes seasonally — has been a hit with bar-goers ever since.
Tiny tipplers are emerging as a microtrend in Denver bars, and cocktail experts have a few theories as to why these demure little drinks are having a big moment. On one end of the spectrum, their popularity could be an offshoot of the mocktail and the low ABV trend, providing patrons with a small-format drink option. On the other: “It’s an excuse to have a composed shot,” Weaver said.
At Lady Jane, the bar’s current Tiny Tini offering is a Hendricks gin martini with a green cardamom-infused brandy and some vermouth. The one-ounce cocktail packs a punch; it’s bright, fresh and bracing.
In a way, though, tiny cocktails are throwbacks. Classic cocktail recipes are capped at just 2 to 4 ounces, Weaver points out. We can trace the larger, boozy drinks in big glasses filled with lots of juice to the post-Prohibition tiki bar boom.
Petite cocktails are also a diplomatic option for those who want to begin a meal or enjoy a happy hour with a cocktail and then switch over to wine or beer with dinner.
“The tapa of the cocktail world it is,” said Vajra Stratigos, Jax director of operations. Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar’s locations in Boulder (928 Pearl St.) and Glendale (650 S. Colorado Blvd.) serve a 3-ounce, $10 Tito’s martini garnished with olives on happy hour menus, a miniaturized version of its 9-ounce martini.
“When the lil’ junior martini hits the table, guests proclaim, ‘Oh it’s so cute,’” Stratigos said.
At Poka Lola Social Club (1850 Wazee St.) on the Dairy Block, the Shots! Shots! Shots! section of the menu came about after bartenders noticed more people were starting to belly up to the bar and order mixed shots. So the team dreamed up some craft cocktail-like shooters (that you could also sip) that incorporate seasonal ingredients. Fresh Pow Pow is a tiny chocolate martini, and Fireside includes a cinnamon-infused Old Forester Rye while Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice is a mezcal, melon and honey concoction.
“It was a nice challenge to transform something that is thought of as cheap and something you drank in college into a drink that is actually very tasty,” says Lexi Parker, lead bartender at Poka Lola.
The mini cocktail trend also works fantastic with boozy and caffeinated drinks, like the wildly popular espresso martini, with spots like Millers and Rossi (3542 Walnut St.), a dive bar-meets-cocktail bar in RiNo, serving an $8 shot-sized espresso martini.
At Jacques (3200 Tejon St.), a Lohi French bistro, guests can enjoy a 2-ounce Grey Goose Espresso Martini ($7) as a nightcap.
“Our mini espresso martini is the perfect way to wrap up a meal at Jacques, because who doesn’t love a tiny version of their favorite sweet cocktail on the dessert menu?” said chef Nick Dalton.
Shopping for tiny glassware
Want to try the tiny cocktail trend out at home? There is a treasure trove of vintage petite glassware and gorgeous shakers at thrift stores and antique shops. Some, of course, are crafted for aperitifs and digestifs. But interesting finds range from Art Deco-era crystal coupes to pistachio-green Depression-era uranium glasses.
I consulted with Elle Spurr, a researcher at Rau Antiques — an antiques, art and jewelry business headquartered in New Orleans with a gallery in Aspen.
Pre-World War II barware was notably smaller than modern glassware, which reflects cultural drinking habits and economic constraints of the time, Spurr said. “Cocktails were originally designed as quick, bracing aperitifs meant to be consumed in just a few ounces to stimulate the appetite rather than sipped leisurely.”
This is evident in the compact size of barware from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where standard cocktail glasses often held around 3 ounces. During Prohibition (1920-1933), the production and sale of alcohol were restricted, but medicinal and sacramental wine was permitted, resulting in small wine goblets, typically just 2 to 3 ounces in capacity, compared to modern glasses that can hold 12 to 16 ounces.
Rare hues like cobalt blue, ruby red and emerald green tend to be more sought after than standard clear or pink glass, Spurr said. Patterns are also important. Intricate American Brilliant Period cut glass, known for its dazzling geometric designs, remains highly collectible, with works from firms like Libbey Glass and T.G. Hawkes commanding high prices. Depression glass, originally produced as an affordable option during the Great Depression, is now prized by collectors, especially in rare colors and patterns.