Dining

Bar Cart

February 8, 2026

Meet KEEGAN LABRADOR of The Culinary Creative Group

Keegan Labrador is a character. He’s the orchestra conductor and emcee behind the bar that you hope to encounter when you’re settling in for a night out. As the Beverage Director for The Culinary Creative Group and all of its Denver and Cherry Creek establishments (including Mister Oso in Wash Park), we had to sit down with the man with the stories for our latest installment of Bar Cart.

How did you get into this industry and why? I grew up working in hospitality, but after college I began a career in financial services. I was miserable managing in a cubicle farm environment, so I picked up some shifts working at a friend’s high end rooftop bar. Quickly, I was having much more fun working at the bar at night than I ever had at the office job, and the money was just as good. It was an easy decision to make the switch full time, and then I had to figure out how to make it a career path.

Talk about the bar scene and vibe at Mister Oso Wash Park. Mister Oso is all about fun, approachable hospitality paired with really great food and drinks. We work really hard at our craft so that we can serve our guests some amazing offerings, but we never brag about it or try to preach to anyone about how special our favorite mezcal is, for example.

What have you come to expect from the patrons? People come into Mister Oso to enjoy refined food and drinks in a high energy, vibey yet relaxed environment. Our guests are different at each location. For example, the RiNo crowd is more party while the Wash Park neighborhood has more of a family-friendly feel. But, regardless of location, our guests want to come in and eat great tacos and drink authentic, delicious tequila for a fair price and without any pretension.

What’s the best drink we’ve NEVER had?

Have you ever had a Chilcano? It’s basically the Peruvian answer to a Moscow Mule. Pisco, lime, ginger beer and angostura bitters. Simple, fresh, delicious.

Is there one drink that you love to make?

The next one…

What’s the funniest or weirdest thing you’ve overheard while bartending? Well, more a story than a comment, but a few years ago we had a group of business people come to the bar and one of the guys had a cat carrier with him. He looked absolutely miserable, and it turned out that they had just come from their holiday party and, in the gift exchange, this guy was given a cat! He didn’t stay long and, on his way out, someone in the group excitedly asked him, “What a unique gift idea!” to which he replied in the most somber tone “Yeah. Thanks so much for the 10-year commitment.” That killed me and I’ll never forget the dejected, pissed off look on the guy’s face.

What’s the oddest drink order you’ve ever received? I don’t know. I try not to judge someone by the drink they enjoy, but I will say that I’ve had a few guests ask me for warm beer and I’ve never quite understood that.

Is there a guest you’ll always remember? I mean, Cat Guy, but I’ve also met so many wonderfully kind and interesting people that there are many I’ll always remember. One who made a lasting impression was a regular at this spot I worked at a while ago that would come in almost every night and, over the course of several years, we got close. He was a nice guy that had a great sense of humor and was always positive about everything. He made friends with everyone around him and just made the bar a better place when he was in it. One night, he paid his tab and told me that this was “Goodbye.” I thought he was joking around, but he said he was ill and moving closer to family to spend the time he had left with loved ones. I was speechless. We shook hands, he walked out, and I never saw him again.