{"id":1312363,"date":"2019-07-12T20:30:33","date_gmt":"2019-07-13T02:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/?p=983472"},"modified":"2019-07-12T20:30:33","modified_gmt":"2019-07-13T02:30:33","slug":"277-martinis-a-night-miners-claim-owner-christian-harra-wins-best-bartender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/277-martinis-a-night-miners-claim-owner-christian-harra-wins-best-bartender\/","title":{"rendered":"277 martinis a night, Miner\u2019s Claim owner Christian Harra wins \u2018Best Bartender\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.2571428571429\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-983472-834\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/MinersClaim-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/MinersClaim-1024x668.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Provided \/ Miner's Claim | Voted 2019's best bartender by locals Christian Harra and company have kept Miner's Claim a hot spot to eat and drink for two decades.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Voted 2019&#8217;s best bartender by locals Christian Harra and company have kept Miner&#8217;s Claim a hot spot to eat and drink for two decades.<\/strong><br \/>Provided \/ Miner&#8217;s Claim<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/MinersClaim-1024x668.jpg\" alt=\"Voted 2019's best bartender by locals Christian Harra and company have kept Miner's Claim a hot spot to eat and drink for two decades. \"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/MinersClaim3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/MinersClaim3-1024x671.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"MinersClaim3 |\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>MinersClaim3<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/MinersClaim3-1024x671.jpg\" alt><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/minersclaim-gpi-071319-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/minersclaim-gpi-071319-4-1024x686.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"minersclaim-gpi-071319-4 |\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>minersclaim-gpi-071319-4<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/minersclaim-gpi-071319-4-1024x686.jpg\" alt><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/Martini-Dry-Ice-2019-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/Martini-Dry-Ice-2019.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Martini-Dry-Ice-2019 |\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>Martini-Dry-Ice-2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/Martini-Dry-Ice-2019.jpg\" alt><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/277-martinis-a-night-miners-claim-owner-christian-harra-wins-best-bartender\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/277-martinis-a-night-miners-claim-owner-christian-harra-wins-best-bartender\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Miner\u2019s Claim restaurant owner Christian Harra\u2019s first job in the service industry did not involve mixing gin and vermouth.<\/p>\n<p>Barely a teenager and living in Milford, Connecticut, Harra rode his bike down to a local Mexican restaurant where his friend washed dishes, hoping to get his foot in the door also.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[The manager] didn\u2019t have any work inside the restaurant but said, \u2018Come in once a week and pick up cigarette butts.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd that\u2019s what I did,\u201d Harra said of the job that paid five bucks a week. \u201cUntil one night, when the back door opened up while I was picking up cigarette butts and I heard, \u2018come on in.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Christian\u2019s \u201cin\u201d was washing dishes, which eventually led to bussing tables, waiting them, cooking and finally bartending.<\/p>\n<p>Now 47, for the third year in a row, Harra was voted Best Bartender in this year\u2019s Glenwood Springs Post Independent Locals\u2019 Choice.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/MinersClaim3-1024x671.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-983768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/MinersClaim3-1024x671.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/MinersClaim3-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/MinersClaim3-768x503.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/MinersClaim3.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption><strong>Christian Harra (courtesy Miner\u2019s Claim)<\/strong><br \/><em>MinersClaim3<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Last Tuesday, while concocting margaritas, mules and other libations off the Silt staple\u2019s 24-page drink menu, Harra also prepared 277 martinis \u2014 just another \u201cTini\u201d Tuesday, Harra explained of Miner\u2019s Claim\u2019s 2-for-1 martini night.<\/p>\n<p>Harra discovered his love for the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys following a few blurry spring break trips to Aspen during his college and culinary school years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDrinking, apr\u00e8s ski, dinner \u2014 it was unbelievable,\u201d Harra said of the Western Slope lifestyle he grew to love. \u201cI was like, I\u2019m moving out here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harra did exactly that when he made the roughly 2,000 mile drive to the Roaring Fork Valley in a 28-foot U-Haul. Upon arriving Harra quickly made a name for himself with locals and celebrities, working in restaurants such as the former Rainbow Grill in Basalt.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/Martini-Dry-Ice-2019.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-983770\"><figcaption><strong>Dry ice martini (courtesy)<\/strong><br \/><em>Martini-Dry-Ice-2019<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201c[Hunter Thompson] used to come in. Came in twice. I had to kick him off the [Rainbow Grill\u2019s] deck twice,\u201d Harra said, explaining how the gonzo journalist would always order the same round of drinks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree, triple absolute citron and lemonades, and he would never finish one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Harra, Thompson would leave a little bit at the bottom of the glass before moving on to his next drink. \u201cAt the end of that, [Thompson] would have a triple Chivas \u2014 again, he would always leave a little bit in the glass \u2014 and at the end of that, a quadruple espresso.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The first time Harra had to speak with Thompson was when he lit up a joint on the restaurant\u2019s busy patio. The second pertained to the author turning the restaurant\u2019s deck into a revealing photo shoot of his personal assistant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Hunter, come on, we talked about behavior,&#8217;\u201d Harra laughed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/minersclaim-gpi-071319-4-1024x686.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-983769\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/minersclaim-gpi-071319-4-1024x686.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/minersclaim-gpi-071319-4-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/07\/minersclaim-gpi-071319-4-768x514.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption><strong>Miner\u2019s Claim restaurant in Silt (courtesy Miners Claim)<\/strong><br \/><em>minersclaim-gpi-071319-4<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>At the age of 25, Harra purchased a 3-bedroom, 2-bath cabin in Silt that was zoned for commercial use. Working by day with his father to turn the dwelling into a restaurant and sleeping on its bare floors at night, Harra opened Miner\u2019s Claim in 1999.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty years later, the majority of the restaurant\u2019s original crew \u2014 including 2019\u2019s \u201cBest Chef\u201d in Locals\u2019 Choice, Oscar Sanchaz \u2014 has remained intact. A crew Harra considers family.<\/p>\n<p>Loved by locals, Miner\u2019s Claim in 2018 squeezed 10,028 pounds of lemons, oranges and limes and made 15,681 martinis \u2014 almost five times that of the town\u2019s population.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love my locals,\u201d Harra said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we are, a locally driven restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"mailto:mabennett@postindependent.com\">mabennett@postindependent.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/277-martinis-a-night-miners-claim-owner-christian-harra-wins-best-bartender\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Voted 2019&#8217;s best bartender by locals Christian Harra and company have kept Miner&#8217;s Claim a hot spot to eat and drink for two decades.Provided \/ Miner&#8217;s Claim MinersClaim3 minersclaim-gpi-071319-4 Martini-Dry-Ice-2019 Show CaptionsHide Captions Miner\u2019s Claim restaurant owner Christian Harra\u2019s first job in the service industry did not involve mixing gin and vermouth. Barely a teenager [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1312363","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-20 15:30:25","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1312363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312363\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1312363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1312363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1312363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}