Opus won: In pursuit of the perfect cocktail
Twelve years in, The Wobbly Olive still obsesses over drink innovation; Pin-Txi Wey partners with WestFax to anchor its fine-Mexican food truck + saucy news briefs, beer haps and this week's events
At some point in their school years or career, every journalist has studied one of the most literarily brilliant profile pieces ever penned, Gay Talese’s “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.”
I’m thinking back to the structure of the famous article because of how it focuses on the reverberations and ripple effects of the central character’s mood; how that affects everyone and everything in his orbit.
While The Wobbly Olive’s co-owner Sean Fitzgerald is no Sinatra — pshaw, he wishes!— his entrepreneurial drive and thirst for reinvention, à la the attached, quarterly-rotating popup theme-bar Allusion Speakeasy, has profoundly shaped the direction of the Springs’ arguably most ambitious cocktail program.
His whims become your fantastical cocktail whimsy, be it for Barbie or SpongeBob. But when Seans’s unhappy, the whole of the company will know about it.
Take for example his recent disappointment with his own leadership. As documented by For Chef’s Sake, Sean and his wife and co-owner Inez had a collective epiphany after stepping in to cover shifts after some employees quit. Walking in their shoes, they realized multiple failure points, finding their own operations structure unsustainable and primed for staff burnout. They took full responsibility, showed humility and enacted immediate steps towards solutions, with full transparency.
That’s a rare move in a too-often-toxic industry. They know they aren’t irreproachable, but damn they would like to be. While mentally laboring over Wobbly’s soon-to-release, new cocktail menu, Sean says he told his chef and co-owner Mark Henry “I want this to be perfect.” Mark responded: “There’s no such thing.”
Sean had conceived nearly 80 drinks for the menu, but has been slowly killing his darlings to pare down to less than 50. Two-thirds of those aim to be N/A-flexible, requiring their own recipes to re-achieve balance. He’s been developing those recipes for the better part of a year. While one might suspect an obsessive element that’s grown into impatience to cross the finish line (yeah, there’s some of that), Sean tells me that’s just the beginning of the story.
“I want Wobbly Olive to be much more than just a waiting room for Allusion,” he says self deprecatingly. “For a long time, I’ve struggled with the direction of our cocktail menu. Our menus are already successful. Sales are strong, guests are happy, and because of that, I became creatively apathetic. There wasn’t urgency to reinvent anything. Over time, I realized I wasn’t proud of what the menu represented anymore.”
So, he’s taking a fresh crack at refreshing and reinvigorate it.
“Every single drink now exists for a reason,” he says. “Instead of asking, ‘What cocktails should we serve?’ we started asking, ‘What are we actually crafting for our guests?’ That question changed everything.”
Sean says “The focus became technique, preparation and originality. Not just making classics well, but creating cocktails that require real culinary work behind the scenes.” To that end, his bartenders make a long list of mixers and infusions, items like a miso bourbon for the current Star Wars theme at Allusion.
“Lately I’ve become fascinated with savory and umami-driven flavors,” he says. “We’re using black garlic in two cocktails on the new Wobbly menu. One is a blackberry and black garlic rye cocktail with black walnut bitters. And another, called the Olive + Ink, combines black garlic-infused gin with olive brine reduction, charcoal-infused vermouth and an umami tincture.”
For a new drink named Don’t Stop Believing, Sean has combined Thai basil-infused gin with mezcal, Green Chartreuse, Aperol, agave and a house honeydew tincture. He describes it as “herbal, smoky, bright and surprisingly delicate considering how aggressive those ingredients sound on paper.”
Another cocktail takes inspiration from a strawberry lassi, he says, reinterpreting it as a clarified cosmopolitan with rose water, gin and clarified yogurt.
“The goal isn’t shock value,” he insists. “It’s depth. Balance. Texture. Hospitality through craftsmanship. We’re trying to push ourselves creatively and technically in a way we haven’t before.
“I think it represents the clearest expression yet of who we are as a cocktail bar. It’s the most honest cocktail menu I think I’ve ever written.”
Opposite the incoming cocktail menu update, Wobbly Olive Chef Mark Henry and his team have just refreshed the food menu for the season (set to run through late July). Henry tells me it’s partly inspired by his recent nine-day motorcycle round-trip to Key West. “The focus in on spring produce and big, bright colors and flavors,” he says.
Examples include his personal favorite dish, Shrimp Caesar Tacos made with pan-seared garlic-Parmesan prawns and locally grown romaine, served on Raquelitas white corn tortillas. “They’re light, but full of flavor,” Henry says. Another seafood item he’s hyped about is a sumac-cured, pan-roasted salmon plated with sweet pea purée, corn succotash and a red pepper gastrique.
For something more in his comfort food zone, he offers birria hand pies constructed with beef cheeks instead of typical chuck roast. He braises them for 12 hours and presents them in a savory tart shell topped with roasted tomatillo emulsion and poblano-cilantro crema. “It’s all the components of a taco, but in a different form.”
“We’ve been incredibly intentional with our menu pricing,” he points out, noting that the most expensive item is $23. They’ve also just released the first happy hour food menu Wobbly has ever offered, with five items that top out at $9. The goal is for someone being able to nab a bite and drink for around $20 post-tip, which is increasingly hard to do in this economy.
In terms of the “why now?” behind that happy hour menu, Henry says it’s also about one more outlet to experiment and play with ingredients adjacent to the themed menus on the Allusion side of the building. Some items didn’t make the cut for those limited menus but got his cooks inspired, so they’ve added them at Wobbly Olive.
Examples include a highly addictive, dirty martini-invoking Wobbly popcorn that’s popped in coconut oil and dusted with an olive powder they make by dehydrating queen olives then pulverizing them with kosher salt, citric acid and citrus zest. To garnish the item before presenting it to guests, they mist it with a vermouth spritz for aroma and a hint of cocktail flavor. Trust me, you’ll want a bowl to snack on for $3.50.
Otherwise, consider beer battered fries with umami seasoning, covered in a béarnaise sauce. Or crispy Wobbly halloumi curds, which are oversized cheese cubes served on ciabatta toast points with giardiniera, red wine syrup and an oregano oil made smoky by infusing it with charcoal.
In a similar way that Wobbly’s cocktails aim to sidestep “shock value” despite ambitious touches, so too does the food menu desire to balance novel surprises with genuine culinary technique and foundational flavor. As Henry had told Sean, “there’s no such thing as perfection,” so for his part of the wild ride, he’s just trying to have more fun. That spirit should translate through to Wobbly’s dining and drinking experience for the guest now just as clearly as it does next door at Allusion.
Which leads me to personally conclude: “Always two there are… a master and an apprentice.” (Sorry, couldn’t resist the Star Wars reference.)
Join us from 4-7 p.m., May 25 at Wobbly Olive downtown for a Happy Hour Sip with Schnip sneak peek of the new cocktail menu. Be the first to try some of the new cocktails and enjoy an extended happy hour, with half-off all menu cocktails & mocktails — meaning $6 drinks!
Plus Chef Mark Henry's new happy hour food menu will offer bites for $3.50 to $9.
Pin-Txi Wey anchors at WestFax Springs
I’m having dinner with Chef Fernando Trancoso and Pin-Txi Wey co-owner Princess Deleon in their home on the east side of Colorado Springs. He’s just set a beautifully composed plate in front of me that contains patatas bravas. But they’re not in the typical country potatoes form typical to Spanish renditions. Rather, he’s presented the dish like French potato pavé, in stacked layers of thin-cut potatoes (sometimes called “thousand layer potatoes” à la mille-feuille in the pastry world).
Spices cling to a browned rectangular wedge. Dollops of habanero aioli adorn the top with cilantro microgreens. A puddle of sofrito purée rests on the side for dipping. I carefully (reverently) fork a bite and taste through every flavor, relishing the crispy then starchy texture. I probably close my eyes and nod my head for a moment, as I tend to do when meal-happy.
“We do a lot of comfort food, but with dishes like this, I’m trying to test the limit of what I can do out of a food truck,” Trancoso says. “I’m done playing it safe.”
The main reason Trancoso’s invited me over — aside from me being a roundly stellar houseguest, dontcha know — is to highlight new items he’s planning to add to his menu come early June when he starts a partnership with WestFax Springs to be its exclusive food truck. Pin-Txi Wey, which launched in October 2025, will be there daily except Mondays (hours TBD).
Trancoso says to think of his newly designed menu as “more tapas style,” which makes perfect sense when connected to a craft beer bar — making me think back to my recent experiences hopping from spot to spot on Plaza de Jesús in Madrid.
The chef says favorite items from his Tepex food truck (and stall at Avenue 19 briefly) will make appearances, such as the quesabirria. And he plans to revive popular dishes from Inefable (which closed down in mid 2024 after nine-month run), like his pork belly pastor and duck flautas appetizers. Then there’ll be new, beer-friendly items like a New Mexico green chile cheeseburger with smoked cheddar.
“Prep for this menu will be insane,” Trancoso says, sounding pleased by the challenge. “I want people to be happy with what I do l.”
Back to our meal together, he next serves a platter for us to share, featuring toast points, roasted cherry tomatoes and burrata, a classic chickpea hummus and a Mayan-inspired pumpkinseed dip named Sikil P’ak. Yum and yum.
Then comes slices of picanha (sirloin cap) steak with chimichurri on one half and salsa macha on the other. Trancoso adds piñon nuts and black sesame seeds to his salsa macha as his “personal twist” and I can’t think of a better version I’ve had.
For dessert, the two gather at their kitchen counter to play with the presentation on Deleon’s raspberry semifreddo with apricot clafoutis and berries. Then we all sit down to dive into it. I think the dish is wonderful, light and springtime perfect, but I enjoy listening to the two nitpick elements they want to improve upon, including the semifreddo texture, which was a little too crystaline in an icy way.
Deleon tells me she plans to rotate desserts regularly, with items like a dark chocolate ganache cake with raspberry sauce, panna cotta, and a tres leches tiramisu. They’re still in the R&D process, working on flavor development and other new creations, they remind me, as if I’m going to formally review them in their home. (I would never!)
Bites & Bits
• “A new café has opened at the base of the Manitou Incline, promising ‘earthly nourishment for the upward bound,”’ reports The Gazette. IncliNation Café, co-founded by SunWater Spa’s Kat Tudor (also the creative director at Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts, among many other things), offers coffees, kava, boba, pastries, breakfast burritos and more, according to the article. Coming later this year or early next: attached Bailout Spa & Groove Lounge “will offer post-hike massages, saunas, red light therapy, yoga, soundbaths and ‘late night grooves.”’
• Pizzeria Leopold quietly soft opened in Old Colorado City. It’s a spinoff from the original spot in Lakewood, opened under this brand in 2022. I’m looking forward to stopping by, based on high praise from a fellow foodie.
• Rocky Mountain Food Tours just passed their 16-year anniversary, with new tours around town now available on their revamped website.
• Michelin-winning Chef Johnny Curiel of Alma Fonda Fina and Mezcaleria Alma just launched his newest Denver eatery, Milpero. It’s designed around an 18-course tasting menu, even though “corn-obsessed” Curiel has “zero experience working at tasting menu restaurants,” writes New Denizen. Go behind the scenes with her as she interviews the chef at Milpero, detailing the long road that led him here. (And dig the pretty photos of some of the plates he prepared for her.)
• “I used AI to help market my bagel shop. Then the one-star reviews came in.” Read this cautionary tale at Business Insider. And here’s another local example of backlash recently on our Culinary Colorado Springs Facebook group, if you click into the comments. “Not supporting AI generated slop,” wrote one commenter.
• Why’s everything feeling so expensive, including dining out? Because Colorado’s cost of living soars, ranks third highest in the US, says Fox21.
• Also from Fox21: Warner Bros. put the kibosh on a Harry Potter-themed popup bar in Denver. Apparently it was “too magical.”
• Springs Magazine takes a look at Visit COS’ just-released Crafts & Drafts Passport, the free app that will score you BOGOs and such all over town. (I bumped into editor Jeremy Jones at the media release party at Pure Distilling this week, and we clinked glasses of an espresso martini made with Pure’s cacao-peppermint St. Bernard Mountain Whiskey and an Aviation rendition made with Dog Violet Crème de Violette.)
• Have you still not downloaded the Goodie Bag app to score deals and help avert food waste? (You’re welcome to use my code to earn a buck for signing up: YCZIPJ16.)
• I co-hosted one of Hey Neighbor’s 150 Tables Across COS events in my neighborhood last weekend. I ended up making the KOAA5 evening segment that day, hamming it up with a nearby neighbor I’d just met for the first time (despite us living just a block apart for 20 years). If you want to host your own shindig to get to know the humans around you, visit Hey Neighbor’s page to get started. The initiative runs through October, focusing on “the power of a shared meal with neighbors to create connection, trust and belonging.”
Side Dish Dozen happenings
Gold Star Bakery: We’re celebrating Memorial Day Weekend with free à la mode with every pie slice, May 22-25! Flavors include Derby Pie (Chocolate Bourbon Pecan), Grasshopper Pie, Four Berry, Strawberry Rhubarb and Dutch Apple. We’ve also baked extra pies for all the celebrations happening this time of year; preorder here.
Kangaroo Coffee: Join us every Saturday in June at our Kangaroo Coffee House (319 S. Hancock Ave.) for our Summer Music Series! Featuring live local bands like Lookee Here and Mitguards, plus a special Open Mic Night. Grab your favorite drink, soak up the summer vibes, and enjoy great music with even better community.
Goat Patch Brewing: Catch Books & Brews with Roadrunner Bookshop, 2-7 p.m., May 22 at Northgate. Our Summer Music Series continues with Clay Cutler, 6-9 p.m. May 24 at Lincoln Center. And the May 28 Bleating Heart Night, 5-9 p.m. at all locations, benefits Pikes Peak Pride.
Edelweiss: Make your graduation party reservations with us early; we stay busy this time of the year! Catch happy hours in our subterranean bar, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Tuesdays-Saturdays. And traditional live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Thursdays-Sundays.
Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar: Catch daily happy hour from 3-5 p.m. and all night Mondays. And weekly specials like Cantina Tuesdays, Po Boy Wednesdays, Friday Date Nights, Saturday shrimp and crab boils, and Locals Sundays with $1 oysters.
Evergreen: Come try drinks from our new spring cocktail menu. And join us for lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays-Fridays, and brunch, during those same hours, Saturdays-Sundays. Menu items include shakshuka, saganaki, pork belly paprikash, Chicken Kiev, and an array of flatbreads.
Hoppenings of the week
Beer Events
1st Year Anniversary Party & Car Show at Ascent Brewery. May 23, 10 a.m. Classic cars, live music, food trucks, and family-friendly fun all day long.
Small Brew Saturday at The Carter Payne. May 23, noon to 4 p.m. New releases include a West-Coast IPA, plus small bites and build-your-own six packs to-go.
Beer Releases
Raspberry Blond at 105 West Brewing Company. A highly sip-able, spring-friendly, gluten-reduced fruit beer.
Angel Beer at Red Leg Brewing Co. A German Pilsner available after the 8th Annual Angel Run. Proceeds benefit Angels of America's Fallen. (Releases May 25.)
New Zealand Pilsner at Peaks N Pines Brewing. A crisp pilsner brewed with New Zealand hops, delivering a clean and refreshing lager experience. (Releases May 25.)
For full listings of events and releases download the free Hoppenings app on Apple on Google.
Upcoming events
Through June 12: Pilgrimage of Pints 2026. A self-paced brewery crawl to earn perks and rewards, leading up to the Feast of Saint Arnold beer festival on June 13.
Visit your local farmer’s markets: Full listings here via Visit Colorado Springs.
May 31: Happy Hour Donuts 2nd Birthday Bash. 7 a.m. to noon. Freebies, raffles and one-day-only donut and drink specials.
June 6: Manitou Springs Wine Festival.
June 6: Donut Day at Pikes Peak. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free with toll gate admission.
June 11: Local Relic’s 10th anniversary Party at The Carter Payne. 6-8 p.m. More than 2,000 unique beers later…
June 13: Feast of Saint Arnold beer festival at Chapel of Our Saviour Episcopal Church. Noon to 4:30 p.m. Family-friendly, live music, food trucks, beer, wine and spirits tastings. $55.20 to $108.55 (VIP).
June 13-14: Pikes Peak Pride in downtown. Includes food trucks, beer garden and vendor booths.
June 17: Colorado Springs Western Street Breakfast in downtown. 5:30-9 a.m. at Pikes Peak and Tejon streets.
Parting shot(s)
What happens when you miss a Sip with Schnip event?
You miss out on cool stuff like an exclusive Side Dish mousse cake!
Evergreen Restaurant produced a special cake just for our brunch bash, made with raspberry filling, Kangaroo Coffee espresso mousse and white chocolate. (No, the hats were not edible, but everything else was — and it was damn delicious.) Thanks to Goat Patch Brewing and KartveliWines for joining us with samples!
My next Sip with Schnip event with more exclusive access to treats is on Memorial Day at Wobbly Olive; don’t miss it!
And as a last parting shot: My pal Victoria from Blue Star Group took her Side Dish mousse cake on a date to Stellina, where it got sauced on a strawberry-cucumber Vesper before she ate it. I approve.
Any restaurant using AI images to advertise their food is likely one I'll never visit; I want to see the real food, not AI slop showing me imaginary food, so I get the deserved backlash. Reality and realness is key these days.