#223: Roe Bucks

The Bar

Roe Bucks. 718 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 1/16/2026 @ 9:30pm.

The Drink

Sixth Street Old-Fashioned. Sixth Street rye whiskey, Sixth Street Bourbon Barrel aged maple syrup, orange, cherry. $16 ($5 during happy hour).

One of the great pleasures of this project is, after asking a bartender what drink they think best represents the bar, being served a custom cocktail that is exactly what you wanted. This is the 18th variant on an Old-Fashioned I've been served, and one of the best, especially at the ludicrously, stupendously, outrageously good happy hour price, which is available M-F from 3pm to 9pm. Somehow I had never heard of Sixth Street Spirits, and I was very impressed with their rye whiskey, especially when paired with their maple syrup. I mentioned to the bartender that BOA Steakhouse had put maple syrup in their version of an Old-Fashioned, and he was really impressed with the idea. It wasn't quite the interaction between James Bond and his bartender in Casino Royale's famous "shaken, not stirred" Vesper martini scene, but I got an excellent cocktail out of it. And, given how research has shown how Bond's salary has not kept up with inflation, mine is perhaps the greater bargain, even at full price.

Peanut butter espresso martini. Chica Chida peanut butter tequila, Cantera Negra coffee liqueur, espresso. $11.50 ($5 during happy hour).

Okay, Bond would definitely not have ordered any kind of espresso martini, especially one with tequila, and double especially a peanut butter-flavored one, but his loss, honestly. Every time I get served an espresso martini I feel compelled to talk about the fine line between a cocktail and a dessert drink, and this is perhaps the most boundary-straddling one yet. I had never heard of the Chica Chida tequila which serves as its base, but this guy is totally right - it is such a stupid gimmick liquor that it wraps back around to being pretty great (we later took shots of it straight up and it was maybe even better), especially since it retails for $25 bucks, which is a total steal. I also liked the Cantera Negra coffee liqueur that accompanied it. This was actually the first drink that I was recommended when I asked for the most representative drink, since it is evidently one of the most popular orders, but it was not quite as good as my Old-Fashioned, although it is a fine drink in and of itself. 

The Crew

Aaron, Ishani, Carter, Elijah.

Notes

Roe Bucks is, as you may have guessed from the name, a member of the Bucks bar family, which also includes Buckshot, Buck Wild, and until recently, Two Bucks, which this is the reincarnation of. It's been open since Halloween, and is intended to differ from its predecessor by being more of a cocktail lounge, although it is still very approachable. I actually went here twice, the first time solo, and had such a great time chatting with the owner and random patrons that I came back with the rest of the crew for the "official" visit and we had a great time again. One of the things that still impresses me about Sixth Street, especially as I age, is how easy it is to walk into a bar and start having good conversations with total strangers. Part of that is strong ownership - the owner is a longstanding member of the bar community - and part of that is that Austin is still a friendly city, despite the tiresome "things were perfect right before you moved here" sentiments you occasionally hear from folks who should know better. 

It's a cliché, but whenever I read old articles about the problems of Sixth Street, they often feel like they could have been written yesterday, and it is actually somewhat reassuring to think that its problems can't really be so bad, or we wouldn't all still be here having so much fun. "One man's modus ponens is another man's modus tollens" is not a syllogism you usually see applied to barhopping, but it is immensely comforting to drop into a well-run bar like Roe Bucks and feel like your great night could be repeated a thousand times into the future no matter how daunting the challenges facing nightlife in Austin might seem. I always try to be positive about the bars I visit, but I genuinely have nothing but good things to say about this one. 

#222: Kalimotxo

The Bar

Kalimotxo. 1813 C E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 1/3/2026 @ 4:30pm.

The Drink

Kalimotxo. Red wine, Coca Cola. $8.

Described by my bartender as "a poor man's sangria", a kalimotxo (pronounced "Kah-lee-moh-choh" and meaning "short and ugly" in Basque, as the menu helpfully directs) is a sweet and refreshing red wine and cola drink that reminds me of a slightly stronger shandy. It is a little curious to me that mildly-alcoholic European drinks like this aren't more popular here outside of a brunch context, alongside mimosas and sangrias and the like. No doubt there are deep-seated sociological explanations for why Mediterranean cultures invest so heavily in day-drinking solutions like this, which in the US get relegated to punchlines on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, but still, perhaps due to the somewhat goofy presentation with the colorful plastic straw, you could easily see yourself on a patio terrace gazing out over the Bay of Biscay, absorbing the sounds of the surf and seagulls while sipping a few of these. 

Rebujito. Manzanilla sherry, lemon-lime soda, lemon. $10.

Kalimotxo has an extremely generous happy hour (more on that below), so I practically couldn't afford not to get a second cocktail. A rebujito is a cocktail from Andalusia in southern Spain (so not near Basque country, but not without its connections to the kalimotxo) which involves Manzanilla, a type of wine which may or may not actually be a sherry. I joked about seaside day-drinking technology above, and the NYT has exactly the same thoughts about the best way to use this wine, although I unfortunately did not pair it with any seafood. I briefly considered promoting this to the Official Drink of the Stop since it was quite good, but I decided not to upstage the titular cocktail of the restaurant. 

The Crew

Aaron.

Notes

Kalimotxo replaced Vixen's Wedding in October 2024 after moving from its original location on Third Street, but I am only now just getting around to it. I always try to pour one out for the previous inhabitants of an address to honor the noble efforts of previous bar attempts, but while I will miss Vixen's Wedding's completely unique cuisine - just try and find another Goan restaurant in town - its successor is no less worthy. The interior did not seem too drastically different from its former occupant, although I admit that I only visited VW at night, so perhaps the vibes are quite different after the sun goes down. While I was here I chatted with some fellow patrons who were on a quest of their own to try out local happy hours, and Kalimotxo's was one of their favorites. Upon their recommendation I got the following:

• Kali burger, $10. Burger with caramelized onions and Mahón cheese.
• Patatas bravas. $5. Fried potatoes with garlic aioli and spicy paprika sauce.

They were absolutely spot-on: both dishes were excellent, and an absolute steal at the price. I can't speak to the rest of the menu, but a happy hour like this is a rare gem in this city these days, and it would be worth going here for the food alone.