A wine bar? that’s boring!
celebrate shared adventure
In June 2022, Matthew and Melanie Hexter were out for their anniversary in downtown Colorado Springs. Impressed with the vibrancy and the number of people out that evening, over dinner they discussed opening an Evergood wine bar. They later shared the idea of a wine bar with their adult children, who yawned and said, “That sounds so boring.” When they asked how to make it NOT boring, one of their sons immediately responded, “Add a ski and snowboard simulator. And make sure it’s not the janky kind!” That’s how Lemon Lodge Ski Bar was born as a sister company to Evergood Adventure Wines. Melanie is the owner of Lemon Lodge while Matthew, owner of Evergood Adventure Wines, does much of the heavy lifting.
EVERGOOD WINE COCKTAILS
For years, Matthew’s family and friends exclusively enjoyed his adult lemonades over ice. However, since launching Evergood, bartenders in Colorado realized that many of the best cocktails finish with a citrus chaser or a citrus wedge on the rim. “Why not build amazing cocktails around lemon wines?,” they asked. Evergood now has crowdsourced recipes for dozens of unique wine cocktails, including two printed on every can and bottle label. From the Colorado Mule to the Bunny PB&J, the Switcharita to the Stompaloma, the Melon Mojito to the Honey Heart Warmer, Lemon Lodge bartenders will craft a wide range of delicious wine cocktails found nowhere else. Obviously, lemon wines are the inspiration behind the Lemon Lodge Ski Bar. With adventurous outdoor names – Skier Pee, Snow Bunny, Switch Stance, Citrus Stomp, Heart Warmer and Jolly Camper – these wines were born for pouring in a Colorado lodge.
i earned my cowbell!
Each first time skier or snowboarder receives a Lemon Lodge Ski Bar cowbell, hung around their neck by their instructor. Cowbells are on every table so guests can cheer for family, friends, co-workers or strangers who are skiing or riding on the simulator. Authentic Olympic and World Cup cowbells are also prominently displayed on the Lemon Lodge Ski Bar merchandise wall.
But why cowbells? (And no, it’s not based on the SNL skit.) In alpine ski racing, the skiers glide past gathered crowds at speeds between 60-90 mph. With racers and fans dressed for winter weather, you can’t clap in mittens and expect to be heard. Instead, it’s a long-standing European tradition to ring cowbells loudly and quickly to cheer for racers. Listen for bells ringing during the alpine winter Olympic events, World Cup alpine racing, bobsled and skeleton competitions, the Tour de France and other bike races. At Lemon Lodge Ski Bar, ringing cowbells is just one way we want to encourage guests – whether it’s their first time trying to ski or they’re regulars at the top of the course leaderboard – and build a positive snow sports community.