Done Deal Launches Will It Cocktail LIVE! Event Series
TAG Restaurant Group Brings Social Media Hit to Life at Its Upscale Denver Cocktail Bar
DENVER, CO – Done Deal, TAG Restaurant Group’s upscale cocktail lounge in the heart of downtown Denver, is shaking up the city’s cocktail scene with its new monthly event series, Will It Cocktail LIVE! The next event will take place on Thursday, September 25, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., giving guests a front-row seat to a creative and interactive mixology experience unlike anything in the city.
What started as a fun social media experiment between Bar Liason Jacob Pike and bartender Emil Frieslaar has now evolved into a lively, in-person event. The concept is equal parts simple and daring: during the event, a member of the audience will randomly select a dish off the Done Deal menu on the spot, and the duo will take on the challenge of transforming it into a drinkable cocktail, all while the cameras are rolling and the crowd watches it unfold in real time.
“We love inviting people into the creative process and letting them see the wild side of mixology,” said Pike. “It’s one thing to make a great drink, but it’s another to take a dish that was never meant to be sipped and figure out how to turn it into something exciting and delicious. That’s where the fun begins. We get to experiment, fail a little, surprise ourselves, and hopefully blow people’s minds in the process.”
Will It Cocktail has produced some truly unexpected creations, from an oatmeal-inspired cocktail to a “guactail” built around guacamole and even a pizza-flavored drink. Each event features a spirit brand partner, celebrated with a limited-time cocktail available on the menus at both Guard and Grace and Done Deal in the weeks leading up to the event.
For September, Tito’s Handmade Vodka takes center stage with The Spiced Grove, a bold cocktail crafted with wasabi-infused Tito’s, jalapeño Lillet, salted tomatillo and cucumber simple syrup, and arugula.
On October 30, Will It Cocktail LIVE! will transform into a full-on Halloween celebration, featuring Williams and Grant as the partner spirit. The evening will showcase two inventive cocktails: one inspired by Chef Guard’s famous Guard and Grace cookies and another created spontaneously when an audience member blindly draws a piece of Halloween candy from a bucket. Guests can also enjoy a variety of Halloween candy throughout the night.
To keep the energy going, happy hour will be extended until 6:30 p.m. for each event, one hour later than usual. Admission is free, and cocktails are available for purchase.
With this new event series, Done Deal and TAG Restaurant Group continue their tradition of delivering elevated dining and cocktail experiences across Denver. With a focus on inventive menus, exceptional hospitality, and immersive events, Chef Troy Guard and his team reaffirm their commitment to creating memorable experiences for locals and visitors alike.
For more information and to learn more about upcoming Will It Cocktail LIVE! events, visit drinkdonedeal.com.
WHEN:
September’s Will It Cocktail LIVE!
Thursday, September 25, 2025
5:00 - 7:00 PM
October’s Will It Cocktail LIVE!
Thursday, October 30, 2025
5:00 - 7:00 PM
WHERE:
Done Deal
Republic Plaza Lobby
370 17th St.
Denver, CO 80202
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About TAG Restaurant Group
TAG Restaurant Group (TRG) is a Denver-based restaurant collection founded by Chef Troy Guard. TRG currently operates six concepts over eleven locations in the Denver metro area and Houston: Los Chingones (two locations), Guard and Grace (two locations), Bubu (two locations), Done Deal, TAG Burger Bar and HashTAG (two locations). In 2019, TAG Restaurant Group made its first move out of Denver, expanding the award-winning Guard and Grace to Houston, TX. TAG Restaurant Group strives to shake up your typical dining, by offering immersive culinary experiences that are deeply-rooted in and inspired by Chef Troy's life and travels. They are crafted with genuine hospitality in mind, and are never shy to produce bold, worldly flavors using local ingredients. More than the sum of their parts, TRG’s brands represent a way of life and a celebration of the unexpected. The feeling of an Ohana passionately pursuing culinary excellence is tangible.
About Chef Troy Guard
Born and raised in Hawaii, Chef Troy Guard has lived and worked across the globe, beginning his storied career in San Diego at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa. Guard moved back to Maui at the age of 21 where he met his mentor, Chef Roy Yamaguchi at the Kahana Bar and Grill. Under the tutelage of Yamaguchi, Troy traveled across Asia, opening multiple outposts over a span of eight years in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo. While in Asia, Guard had the amazing opportunity to set off on his own and work at two of the finest hotels in the world, The Peninsula in Hong Kong and Raffles in Singapore. Guard reconnected with Roy, landing in New York to open Roy’s New York in the Downtown Business District and eventually moved on to the prestigious TAO on 57th Street. Guard put down roots in Denver, CO in 2002, and helped modern-Mexican Chef Richard Sandoval open hotspot Zengo in Riverfront Park before joining the kitchens at Nine75 and Ocean with real estate development mogul Jim Sullivan.
Guard opened his first restaurant, TAG, on Denver’s Larimer Square in 2009 which led to his opening of Mister Tuna, Crazy Love Pizza, TAG Burger Bar, Lucky Cat, TAG Raw Bar, Big Wave Taco, Sugar Mill, Tiny Giant Sushi, Rado Burgers, Grange Food Hall and FNG. TAG Restaurant Group currently has six concepts over eleven restaurants including the boozy breakfast joint, HashTAG, the quick-casual, build-your-own bowl Bubu, the bold Mexican concept Los Chingones, the chic cocktail bar Done Deal, the neighborhood hangout TAG Burger Bar and the show-stopping, modern steakhouse, Guard & Grace, and most recently, the chic cocktail bar, Done Deal. While the concepts vary wildly, throughout you will find evidence of Troy's Hawaiian roots as well as special global touches, creatively woven into the menus.
Guard has numerous accolades and awards to his name including being voted Best Chef in Denver, awarded one of the Top Steakhouses in the Nation with Guard and Grace, named one of the “Great Regional Chefs of America” by the James Beard Foundation, named Bar & Restaurant Expo’s 2023 Chef of the Year and most recently was honored by the MICHELIN Guide as a recommended restaurant with Guard and Grace. Always giving back to his community, Guard is very active in local and national philanthropic efforts, including participation in a variety of cultural and charitable events throughout Denver.
Brynna Powell