#25: RIO Night Club

The Bar

RIO Night Club. 601 Rio Grande St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 2/4/17 @ 8:30pm.

The Drink

Tequila surprise. Dulce Vida tequila, grapefruit, lime. $11.

An obvious pun on "tequila sunrise", this drink's name is the bartender's joking reference to the fact that I almost didn't get one at all (see below). I took a vacation to Cancun in 2007 where, as is the law for gringo tourists, I drank roughly my own body weight in tequila sunrises, and then upon returning home I basically never touched them again. This would probably not have been a standout, as you can tell by the lack of "sunrise" that it was prepared in a hurry, and was missing the grenadine that is the key to the visual effect. I liked it anyway, but I had to drink it in a hurry so I didn't really get to savor it.

The Crew

Aaron.

Notes

Okay, so picture me, your humble drinking correspondent, innocently searching for a refreshing drink to soothe my parched throat, after a long, exhausting night of reviewing bars for you, my loyal audience. I see RIO Night Club, to all intents and purposes open during prime bro hours on a Saturday night. I walk up the stairs and head straight to the bar, both to order my drink and to meditate on its no-doubt-wondrous history, only to discover that RIO Night Club is closed for a private event, with nary a warning sign in sight. In fact, mere seconds after I order and am informed of this closure, an event coordinator, wisely observing that no one with a sweater like mine belongs in an establishment like RIO Night Club, immediately tries to put the kibosh on my presence within. The future looked grim indeed for this drinking attempt. Happily, the bartender stood up for a patron in need, and made me a drink using some of the closest bottles at hand, with the stipulation that I drink it as quickly as possible and then depart. Fair enough. 

Had I been able to stay longer, I might have had to be on my guard, as this establishment is evidently so much fun that it got no less a luminary than Johnny Football himself benched after he showed up here a few years ago - imagine what they'd do to me! RIO is a lounge/venue/event space that's known for its rooftop space (with pool, although I doubt it sees much use) with no doubt highly enjoyable views of the downtown skyline. As it was, I retired to a table closer to the gigantic fishtank, and from there watched a bunch of really hot models drift about in a manner not unlike a school of fish themselves. Being about halfway down the evolutionary ladder to a jellyfish myself at that point, once I was done with my drink I gently oozed my way out the door and allowed the currents of the night to ease me onwards to the next bar.