Colorado Springs cocktail lounge inspired by confessional booth

By Kristian DePue

In an alleyway in downtown Colorado Springs is a nondescript door with the simple address marker: 15c. Turning the knob has opened an unexpected experience for many. “We wanted to be a little mysterious,” says manager and co-owner, Matt Baumgartner. “I’ve heard guests assume we might be a strip club or a total dive. There was a rumor we were a swingers’ spot.”

Although none of the descriptors are accurate, the moniker, Shame & Regret, demands attention and is rooted in truth.

“Our name has a lot to do with business,” adds bartender, Matthew Judd. “We’ve had several out-of-state visitors say they had to check us out because they found us on Google. We’re a destination bar, I’ve been told.”

Counter to assumptions, Shame & Regret has been frequently described as swanky and elegant. Baumgartner gives credit to woodworker Ryan Rodriquez who helped bring his vision to life. Rodriquez also worked on the Cork & Cask space in Colorado Springs.

“For me, the back bar was important,” Baumgartner said. “Our concept was inspired by Catholic confessionals.”

Baumgartner has several years of experience in the industry. He was previously general manager of The Rabbit Hole for five years – a subterranean restaurant only a short walk away. At that time, he had his eyes on the 15c location, previously a cigar lounge that seemed to have the writing on the wall for Baumgartner.

“The name, Shame & Regret, has to do with what I was going through,” he says. “I had a lot of emotions associated with a breakup, and I felt lost. When that relationship ended, some friends brought me here when it was the cigar bar, to help drink away the pain.”

Years prior to managing The Rabbit Hole, Baumgartner worked in Chicago, the city behind Shame & Regret’s fun Fujifilm tradition in which guests are photographed taking shots of Malort – a bitter liqueur, whose name is Swedish for wormwood. “There are a lot of Chicago visitors and transplants who ask for Malort,” says Baumgartner. “I don’t think there’s a better place for it than Shame & Regret. As soon as it became available in Colorado, I jumped on it.”

The Smoking Strawberry and Gin & Sin are some of the bar’s most popular cocktails, along with Drunk Dial and Ball & Chain. Drunk Dial is a cinnamon infused tequila drink, and the latter is a light, refreshing concoction of vodka and elderflower.

“I enjoy the Prenup. It’s our take on the New York Sour,” Baumgartner says. He also cited the The Betrayal, which is based on the Old Fashioned, and his favorite drink, the Toronto, as cocktails to try.

Bartender Judd suggests checking out the scotch list. “I enjoy when a customer tells me they don’t like scotch. I offer tastes of different varieties, see their mind change – and then they order a glass of scotch.”

And as the new year unfolds, business is growing. Baumgartner and Judd have noticed multiple evenings within the last few months with unexpected rushes. “We’re ready to be busy on Fridays and Saturdays, but it’s often a random Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday that we’re getting hit with large groups all at once – again, often from out of town,” explains Judd. “We’re getting better at informing ourselves on what’s going on around town, but it’s hard to predict a wedding party of 120 walking in.”

Baumgartner expressed appreciation for all of those who helped shape his career and make Shame & Regret a reality: “Seeing so many come together to complete this idea – that’s what makes me most proud and grateful.”