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The original Mozart Hall, opened in the late 1800s, was a social center and bar for German immigrants downtown. He was quick to greet us, offer us a shot of his pickle vodka (which tasted impressively like pickle juice) and give us the lowdown on the rebirth of the Mozart Lounge. The place was quiet, and owner Michael Bruntz was chatting at the bar with a customer. We ordered mixed drinks because of the Lounge's special on various top-shelf flavored vodkas and whiskeys, and some tater tots, because tater tots – and also because all of the bar snacks on the menu were a dollar off for happy hour. It was around 6:30 in the evening, but our super-friendly bartender informed us that happy hour was still in progress. It's amazing what a little drywall and paint can do. When I stopped in with a friend on a Monday night, I immediately noticed the crisply painted walls, nicer bar furniture and overall brighter, cleaner look of the bar. But I, like many who are a little newer to the Denver scene, never knew the history of the Mozart until it became the Mozart Lounge once more.
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I enjoyed the Aqua Lounge, a friendly bar geared toward older gay folks that hosted outstanding karaoke talent on Thursday nights as well as intense dart tournaments. For the past eight years, and since I have lived in Mayfair in east Denver, the location has been known by the latter name, and the neon sign has been covered with a black and blue sign bearing the same. Right under my nose, in my own neighborhood, the Mozart Lounge and its old-school neon sign had been hiding at 1417 Krameria Street, disguised as the Aqua Lounge.