Entry No. 167 — the Denver file — filed under: haunted
12 Spirits Tavern
“12 bottles of bourbon stand on the back bar every night, one for each of the entities”
Tucked into the carriage house basement of the 1891 Croke-Patterson Mansion — billed as one of Colorado's most haunted properties and featured on Travel Channel's "Portals to Hell" — 12 Spirits Tavern is the kind of place that doesn't announce itself. The name is no gimmick: 12 bottles of bourbon stand on the back bar every night, one for each of the entities reportedly haunting the grounds, where Senator Thomas Patterson watched his wife, son, daughter, and infant child all die before him. The entrance is a discreet door on 11th Ave; you do not enter through the hotel lobby, and the mansion itself won't be on any tour-bus itinerary you've seen. It opened in 2022, stays small, and most people driving down Colfax have no idea it's there.
The move: Book a reservation on Toast (capacity is tight), arrive at the carriage house entrance on 11th Ave around 4pm for happy hour, and order the coffee old-fashioned while your date decides whether the draft or the atmosphere is making the room feel strange.
📍 Before you go Capitol Hill street parking is metered and tight, especially near the Colfax corridor — budget time to circle for a spot, or just come by rideshare. Remember the mansion above is a working inn, so keep voices low at that discreet 11th Ave door and out on the grounds. Being a basement, it's a weatherproof, year-round pick, though October and the run-up to Halloween are the thematic peak. To extend the evening, the Patterson Inn itself turns up on Denver ghost tours, or you can walk it off toward Cheesman Park, the Denver Botanic Gardens, or a Colfax nightcap.
- 📍 Capitol Hill
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 420 E 11th Ave, Denver, CO 80203 (basement/carriage house; enter on 11th Ave, not through the hotel lobby)
Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · book.toasttab.com · 303magazine.com · Yelp
last checked: 2026-06-09