The bar top at 2839 W. 44th Ave. is made entirely from post-consumer recycled plastic. The facade of the bar is pegboard. Martinis on the menu run $10 to $13. As of the October 29 announcement, this room in Sunnyside holds the highest bar rating anywhere in Colorado.
The Denver Gazette reported that Semiprecious earned two-pin status from The Pinnacle Guide. That makes it the first Colorado bar at that tier and one of only 19 two-pin bars in the United States. It got there by doing what it set out to do on its first night in May 2025, which was to be a neighborhood bar on 44th Avenue. The rating comes with an expiration date, and the guide's anonymous reviewers judge the bar on visits that look a lot like an ordinary Tuesday on the block.
Five Bars Worldwide, One of Them on 44th Avenue
The Pinnacle Guide rates cocktail bars around the world in a way the Gazette compares to Michelin's restaurant ratings. In this award season, the guide added only five bars worldwide to its two-pin list. Semiprecious was one of them, and it joined 65 bars at that level, with just four three-pin bars ranked above them.
Here is how the tiers break down, with the Colorado picture next to the global one.
| Pinnacle tier | Guide's label | Colorado bars at this level | Global context |
|---|---|---|---|
| One pin | Excellent | Call Me Pearl, Denver | Part of 220 pinned bars worldwide |
| Two pins | Outstanding | Semiprecious, Sunnyside | 65 bars, 19 in the U.S. |
| Three pins | Exceptional | None | Four bars |
Across all tiers, the guide has pinned 56 bars in the United States. The only other pinned bar in Colorado is Denver's one-pin Call Me Pearl. Sunnyside now holds a higher rating than any downtown hotel bar or RiNo rooftop in the state.
Mike Capoferri, the bar's co-owner and lead barman, gave the Gazette this account of the goal:
"We set out to build a neighborhood bar in Denver that could hold its own against any cocktail bar in the world, and we're so honored that The Pinnacle Guide has recognized our team's relentless work."
How a Pin Gets Earned, and Why It Runs Out
The Pinnacle Guide doesn't hand out pins from a single critic's visit. According to the guide's application page, a bar first submits a detailed self-assessment, which the guide says takes "significant consideration" and is not meant to be finished in one sitting. Spot-check interviews may follow to verify what the bar claimed. After that, anonymous reviewers visit and score the bar. The bar has to reach a pin level on both its application and its reviews, and the average of the two becomes its overall status.
For the top tier, the guide says a bar must deliver exceptional service "across multiple visits." The whole process from self-submission to announcement can take a few months, and the guide announces new pinned bars several times a year.
The part that matters most for a bar a few blocks from home is in the fine print. Pins are valid for up to two years. A bar that wants a higher tier can reapply once within that window. For a pin announced on October 29, 2026, that means two years from the announcement at most.
The rating describes how the bar runs on unannounced nights, and it doesn't last indefinitely. The judges are anonymous, so the night that counts could be any night, including the one when a neighbor walks over from Tejon Street for a single martini.
A Room Built From Ordinary Materials
The design shows what kind of bar this was meant to be. Capoferri and fellow hospitality veteran Rahul Marwah opened Semiprecious as their first bar outside Los Angeles, where their team runs Thunderbolt. They hired the Denver design firm Wunder Werkz, and the firm liked the project enough to become co-owners, according to 5280.
Wunder Werkz founder Jon Hartman told 5280 the team was "heavily inspired by Le Corbusier's ability to elevate humble materials through proportion, color, and composition rather than extravagance." That explains the recycled-plastic bar top and the pegboard. The walls and booth upholstery are a deep burgundy, set against electric blue tile and light oak accents.
Hartman summed up the result in a line that also explains the name: "Nothing feels overworked or overly precious. Semiprecious, some would say."
Visit Denver's description of the May 2025 opening called the bar an "anchor for Sunnyside's neighborhood spirit, design community and cocktail culture." Capoferri said much the same to Ringleader in December 2025. He described the goal as a bar that is "not pretentious" and "not too fussy," with a room that is beautiful and also comfortable. The bar's own site describes itself the same way, as a Sunnyside neighborhood cocktail bar with accessible drinks and a relaxed, no-pretense atmosphere.
The Menu Behind the Rating
The drinks follow the same idea of good execution at a neighborhood price. The bar's site says the menu draws on Western European flavors and drinking customs and centers on martinis, amari, aperitivi, highballs and salty snacks. It also has a dedicated martini express list.
Drinks on the current menu include:
- Sour Cream and Onion Martini, one of the drinks Capoferri named as a personal favorite in his Ringleader interview
- Tomato Highball, another of his picks
- Guava Sour and Pineapple Infante, which he called recent best-sellers at the time of that interview
- Frozen Peanut Butter & Banana Coffee, the drink most likely to come up when someone describes the place to a friend
The Gazette also mentions a nonalcoholic lychee daiquiri. Most listed cocktails are $15 to $16, and the martinis are $10 to $13. A two-pin martini on 44th Avenue costs less than many of the house cocktails downtown.
Hours as listed in BARTENDER.com's November 2025 profile of bar lead Kevin Pérez Castillo:
- Monday: closed
- Tuesday through Thursday: 4 p.m. to midnight
- Friday and Saturday: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
- Sunday: 4 p.m. to midnight
Ringleader listed the same Tuesday through Sunday hours. The bar's visit page is the place to check before heading over on a weeknight, especially now that word of the rating is out.
A Destination Rating on a Neighborhood Block
Semiprecious isn't the only spot in Sunnyside that pours a good drink, and the Gazette called the neighborhood one of the top cocktail destinations in Denver. Up at 4401 Tejon St., The Monkey Barrel calls itself part of historic Sunnyside and pours Colorado spirits, local beer and its own cocktails. Its site lists events from Halloween weekend into the first week of November. The two bars hold very different places in the cocktail world and serve the same few blocks.
Back in September, we wrote about how a Sunnyside corner can turn over fast while the neighborhood keeps the traditions it has held for decades. Semiprecious is about a year and a half old, newer than much of what's around it. It now carries a rating built to stay temporary. The bar earned its two pins on nights nobody announced in advance, in the same room the bar promised the neighborhood in May 2025.
Under the guide's rules, the pin announced October 29 can stay valid for up to two years. For now, Colorado's only two-pin bar sits at 2839 W. 44th Ave., with posted hours that start at 4 p.m.
Jon Mottern started his real estate career in a rented duplex near 42nd and Bryant, a short walk from where Semiprecious opened. Today he follows the 44th Avenue and Tejon corridors one new storefront at a time. If you're curious how the blocks around Sunnyside's bar scene compare with the rest of northwest Denver, The Source at SERHANT. is happy to talk it through over coffee or a martini, with no pressure and no agenda. Work With Us.
