Chef Jimmy's (Denver International Airport, CO)

This post was originally published on June 4, 2015.

Today I bring you a little Throwback Thursday action from the last time I was at the airport in March– thus bringing you a review of Chef Jimmy’s Bistro and Spirits’ Habanero Mary. And don’t worry– I took detailed notes on this bad boy as I was drinking it, so none of the words below are “fluff” from the past as some may think. Chef Jimmy’s is located in Denver International Airport in Terminal A and is the only dining establishment open after 10PM. The last time I was at DIA in March en route to the Cayman Islands, I actually got pretty mad because I was running around looking for a place to grab a drink and some food and everywhere was closed. Then– voila! I did some quick searching on my iPhone and hustled over to Chef Jimmy’s via the airport train when I saw the closing hours were midnight. I have been to this place many times before… I often sit at a table by myself under the dim lights and order a Bloody and a burger– sometimes a beer too. I have also met airport buds at this bar while waiting for delayed flights (I sat at the bar during those times) and have had dinner with good friends here. So, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down, you now understand that Chef Jimmy’s is one of my favorite places in DIA. I always get Bloodys here, no matter the hour, no matter the trip. Therefore, below you will find my review of Chef Jimmy’s Habanero Mary.

AT A GLANCE 14/20

The Habanero Mary from Jimmy’s looked simple, but good when it appeared at my table. The color was a lighter red (I feel habanero-infused Bloodys tend to have a lighter color than your traditional Bloodys) and there was some liquid that spilled over the sides of the glass, but the cocktail still looked tasty. The garnish was straightforward and consisted of a pepperoncini, olive, and lime.

GARNISH 14/20

The garnishes tasted good, but were nothing special. The pepperoncini was smashed, but still had a good flavor. The olive and lime tasted fine. The garnish was not very creative, but then again I was at an airport establishment. You really can’t be too picky at airports.

SPICE 19/20

As I did order the Habanero Mary, it was quite spicy and had a little burn to it. The Chef Jimmy’s housemade mix is super, super good though and I was content with my order. You could really pick out all of the spices present and there were some larger chunks of spice throughout, which added more depth and brought fullness to the flavor. Celery seed was a prevalent flavor, along with a salty tang.

TEXTURE & ACIDITY 18/20

The Habanero Mary was a bit acidic, as it is a HABANERO MARY. The acidity was definitely due to that peppery addition, so I didn’t get any heartburn like I would with just straight acidic Bloody Marys that are made with bad mix. The texture of the cocktail was perfect and it went down like a charm.

UNIQUENESS 15/20

The habanero infusion made Chef Jimmy’s Bloody Mary unique, although I have had my fair share of habanero Bloodys before. The taste was on point and was just really…. good all around. I love Bloody Marys in the airport and have been coming to Chef Jimmy’s for awhile, so the place definitely doesn’t disappoint in the Bloody realm.

FINAL SCORE 80/100

Check out Chef Jimmy’s Bistro and Spirits here. Chef Jimmy’s is located in Denver International Airport’s Terminal A.