Alcohol-Infused Doughnuts, Because Life Is Too Short

Denver, Colorado is widely known for its green dispensaries, but did you know that this hipster town has been harboring an alcohol-infused doughnut dispensary? That’s right, Habit Doughnut Dispensary is offering customers the option to order one of the most glorious desserts known to man — the drunken doughnut.

“Habit is more of a hip-hop, crazy, urban, high-end convenience store-meets-doughnut shop,” founder and restaurant designer of Habit Doughnut Dispensary and its sister store Carbon Beverage Café, Lisa Ruskaup said in an interview with Westword.

Some of Habit’s best-sellers include The Habit Doughnut, which consists of raspberry puree goodness, topped with a raspberry crumble, a white chocolate drizzle, and fresh blueberries, and The Blazed Doughnut, made with Habit’s original malted milk glaze topped with a crème brûlée finish.

According to Ruskaup, doughnuts can be ordered by the dozen or as a single order. Customers are guaranteed to receive a free small cup of black coffee with their doughnut purchase, whether they bought one single doughnut or an entire box.

And, when coffee isn’t enough, Habit’s liquor license allows guests to order an airplane bottle of liquor with their dessert. Bonus, Habit offers a 4/20 special that includes a dozen “blazed” doughnuts that are brûléed with a torch.

In addition to doughnuts, Habit also offers fresh-baked bread and other treats. Cold cases, shelves stacked with convenience-store items, and bulk coffee dispensers (left over from the former business, Paris on the Platte) filled with quirky display items make up the front of the bakery.

“It’s a little edgy,” Ruskaup notes, “but I think it’s something special.”

Habit’s unique menu is packed with pop-culture name drops, including the “King,” and Elvis-inspired doughnut sandwich topped with a peanut butter glaze, house-made banana marshmallow fluff, and Tender Belly bacon and the “Lil’ Kim,” a Korean barbecue pork sandwich served on a savory togarashi doughnut with house kimchi.

Last summer, Habit released the ReHabit food truck – a medicinal-looking pink and white food truck filled with brioche doughnut creations.

Caffeine-crazed guests only need to walk a few feet to cut their sugar high with an unusual coffee beverage from Habit’s sister store, the Carbon Beverage Café. Carbon features a high-tech “Mod-bar” system that hides most of the espresso-making machinery underneath the counter, giving customers a sleek, taproom experience.

“You get to pay at the counter and play at the tap,” Ruskaup told Westword, adding that “tap-tenders” are always available to help guide the drink-making experience.

“It’s an extremely sexy coffee system,” Ruskaup told BusinessDen. “You say you want a large mocha, and they’ll ask you how you want it. You’ll go down the tap and choose flavors.”

Unlike typical coffee hangouts, Carbon is divided into several different spaces from a cozy backroom called “The Locker” to a rustic room called “The Lounge.”

“What I was designing Habit and Carbon to be was a simple concept that was on-trend right now and wouldn’t need refinement,” Ruskaup continued. “We won’t make any radical refinements; we’ll just make a new concept.”

Carbon offers a lengthy food menu including breakfast items such as, “Green Eggs and Hash” and “Almond Waffles and Bacon” in addition to novel sandwiches like the “Cubano” – layered with house-cured ham, slow-roasted pork, Swiss cheese, house-brined pickles, and red hook whiskey mustard, served on a brioche bun. All Carbon sandwiches include “Wu-Tang Tots” — light, buttery brioche tater-tots.

Customers will also find a wide-range of eccentric items on the menu such as a “60s TV dinner” with meatloaf, green beans, and mashed potatoes, and “Pizza in a Cup” made with brioche bites, thick-cut Polidori Pepperoni, mozzarella, and tomato sauce.

[Featured Image by Melpomenem/Thinkstock]