#193: Eden Cocktail Room

The Bar

Eden Cocktail Room. 214 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 10/27/2023 @ 10:30pm.

The Drink

Water of Life. Jefferson's bourbon, coffee, demerara, salted caramel, chocolate cream. $18.

All of the cocktails here have a "Biblical/sin" naming theme, and while "water of life" is a Biblical metaphor for the Holy Spirit, it also happens to be the literal translation of the word "whiskey" from the original Irish. Indeed, this cocktail is basically a high-end Irish coffee, the conceptual counterpart to the espresso martini, which has been having a moment recently. The basic distinction between an Irish coffee and an espresso martini is that the former is coffee with liquor in it rather than a cocktail with coffee in it, but even if the humble Irish coffee isn't quite as popular as its buzzier sibling, it also benefits from the upscale cocktail treatment. They used basic drip coffee for the base (although unfortunately not my beloved HEB crème brûlée coffee). I had not had the pleasure of trying Jefferson's bourbon before; they also have some funny experimental bourbons, like the ones they age at sea to increase the interactions with the wood or something like that. Where the cocktail really got elevated was in the sugar/caramel/chocolate ingredients, which did a spectacular job of sweeting the drink without tipping it over the line into espresso martini territory. This was a really great drink, truly the classiest way to "Irish up" a coffee. While the Erin Rose frozen Irish coffee in New Orleans will always be my #1 Irish coffee, this was right behind it. I was sorely tempted to order another immediately before I remembered: oh yeah, $18. Worth it though.

The Crew

Aaron, Ishani, Elijah.

Notes

Eden Cocktail Lounge has been open for longer than I thought, having replaced the previous occupant J Stephens all the way back in 2021. I'm not sure what happened to J. Stephens, but given the haunted history of its namesake, perhaps a silent ethereal exit was only appropriate. In my defense, I couldn't have noticed the change from the street, because despite its Sixth Street address the entrance is still via the alley in the rear. This makes Eden Cocktail Lounge one of the rare speakeasies that even comes close to justifying the name (they prefer that you call for a reservation but we simply walked on up, taking advantage of the limited foot traffic on this dreary Friday night). There are not many major changes to the interior from the J Stephens incarnation, the main one being that the space is a bit brighter, which is nice, as well as less red, which is a curious choice given how well it would have worked with Eden's "Biblical/sin" theme. But there's still the same wall decor (and the low-seeming ceiling), so if you liked the cozy expensive speakeasy vibe of J Stephens, you will still find it at Eden.

#192: Secret Society

The Bar

Secret Society. 101 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 10/27/2023 @ 10pm.

The Drink

Birch old-fashioned. Tin Cup whiskey, demerara, birch tincture, applewood smoke. $15.

This was the 15th old-fashioned I've been served so far. Bars just can't resist putting a spin on this classic cocktail, and Secret Society's twist on the standard was to do a birch infusion, using both smoke as some other places have done with theirs (e.g. Lonesome Dove's Manhattan) as well as a tincture. Floral liquors are not uncommon in Europe (we discussed biska, a liquor with mistletoe), but birch is an interesting choice, as despite being a good old American tree, it was beloved by JRR Tolkien himself (here's more than you probably wanted to know about his feelings on birches vs oaks, etc). The drink used Tin Cup whiskey (no relation to the classic 1998 Kevin Costner/Rene Russo romcom), which was amusingly described as a "butch, not feminine" whiskey; it went well with the smoke, the birch tincture, as well as the extra sweetness of the demerara. I really liked it. Either the old-fashioned is simply an un-ruinable cocktail, or its basic structure is so resilient as to support an unending number of creative variations.

The Crew

Aaron, Elijah, Ishani.

Notes

Secret Society is located in the bottom of the Scarbrough building, which was Austin's very first skyscraper but is lately more famous as the new home of the nascent University of Austin/UATX (as a tribute to their more famous neighbor a few blocks to the north, I think they should brand this campus as the Forty Ounces). The setup is kind of unusual for a Sixth Street bar: by day, this floor space in the building's lobby is an unassuming cafe called The Scarbrough which closes at 2pm; at 7pm it reopens as Secret Society, a nice cocktail bar with an upscale bar food/snack menu. It honestly surprised me that there wasn't already some sort of bar here, given the building's venerable place in the city's history (for example, it was the first building west of the Mississippi to have air conditioning), but such are the vagaries of occupancy over this many years. Regardless, there's a good vibe to this space; it somehow combines the relaxed openness of an atrium with the intimate lounge atmosphere you want from a cocktail bar. 

We were the only ones here on this somewhat dreary Friday night, so we got to chat at the bar with the owner, Marco, about his overall strategy for the space in light of the slumping market for the city's commercial real estate. Since Secret Society is tucked in between Velvet Taco and Ruth's Chris at the SW corner of Sixth and Congress, it is front and center to all of Austin's issues with declining foot traffic as work from home becomes ever more popular. While downtown itself is more populated than it's ever been, its inhabitants are simply not the high-end barflies of yesteryear, which will have long-term consequences for the bar sector. There's a lot more to say about how Austin's ever-shifting demographics interact with the economic realities of bar proprietorship, and how the positives of having more young, single, high-earning patrons balance against the negative cost pressures faced by post-pandemic service industry establishments, but they would be best discussed over a drink, and here would be an excellent choice.

#191: IYKYK

The Bar

IYKYK. 1221 E 6th St., Austin, TX 78702

Visited 7/28/2023 @ 9pm.

The Drink

Pineau colada. Cognac, white Pineau de Charentes, pineapple, coconut + lemon. $14.

My personal gold standard for Sixth Street frozen drinks remains the Iron Whip at Violet Crown for its unbeatable combination of taste, strength, and price, but this was pretty good in its own right. It avoids the twin hazards of sickly sweetness and harsh alcohol bite that many lesser establishments frequently fall victim to when assembling their own frozen drinks while still being decently strong, although it is not as conveniently priced due to its fancier ingredients. An obvious pun on the trusty piña colada, the drink gets its booze from Pineau de Charentes, an aged fortified admixture of young cognac and unfermented grape juice, AKA must, that's a bit strong than ordinary wine. They used the white variant (which typically has notes of "honey, plum and cinnamon"), as well as coconut, which you often see used in frozen drinks since it's very sweet (although as I mentioned this one was not). Interestingly, this appears to be a standard cocktail, but most versions include some form of strawberry syrup, which this one did not. Then again none of those versions were frozen or premade, so perhaps they figured that they could get away without it here. An extremely acceptable summer rooftop frozen cocktail.

The Crew

Ishani, Elijah, Aaron, Cristy (not pictured), Louis (not pictured).

Notes

I would have preferred the name of this bar on the roof of Inn Cahoots to have been a reference to Biggie or Pynchon, but instead it's an awkwardly winking reference to the fact that this bar is nominally a "speakeasy", that most misused of bar descriptors. An unhidden speakeasy is the "planned unplanned encore" of bars, a term that's been functionally meaningless for nearly a full hundred years and yet the glamour of the word is so strong that its appeal endures even though a modern speakeasy has essentially nothing in common with its ancestor. IYKYK is a perfect example of how a term can become its exact opposite; rather than a dingy collection of potentially lethal bathtub gins crammed into someone's basement, it's a rooftop bar with plenty of lounging space, a small DJ area/concert stage, and an excellent view of Sixth Street out towards downtown. And rather than being restricted to "those who know", we weren't even able to visit it last weekend since it was too crowded with tourists (they have a waitlist to manage demand). But, in fairness, IYKYK offers such a good rooftop experience that if it becomes the new type species for speakeasies, I wouldn't mind. I promise I will stop complaining about speakeasies someday.

#190: Bar Mischief

The Bar

Bar Mischief. 1221 E 6th St., Austin, TX 78702

Visited 7/21/2023 @ 10:30pm.

The Drink

Tom Kha. Gray Whale gin, Tito's vodka, Nigori sake, mushroom, lemongrass, lime, coconut cream foam. $16.

This was delicious, one of the tastiest cocktails I've had in a while on this trip. I had to press our server for a bit with the "what drink would you say best represents the bar?" question and the "no, please, I want what you recommend" followup until I finally cornered him into getting me this incredible drink off of the Originals section of their cocktail menu. Just like the name implies, it tastes almost exactly like tom kha except that it's a drink instead of a soup. Gray Whale gin is one those extremely eco-conscious California products, a "gin for good" that reserves a portion of its revenues for whale-focused charities (and see here for an interesting discussion of the contract distillation market). Tito's vodka of course needs no introduction to an Austinite; I did not ask which of the many nigori (AKA cloudy) sakes they use, but of course I hope it's the excellent Texas Sake, also from Austin. What really made this drink was the preparation and the finish; all the minor ingredients adding up to make a spectacular cocktail that almost had me ordering another one immediately after this one was done. Many times on this blog I have occasion to ponder why exactly it is that I'm paying so much for fancy booze in a cup; this is one of those cocktails that fully justifies its price. Here's a video by its creator talking about how good it is, and he's absolutely right!

The Crew

Aaron, Rome, Geoff.

Notes

The second of the three Inn Cahoots bars, this one had a bit of a waiting list due to it being opening day, but it was worth the wait. Every often you find a bar that really LOOKS like a bar, and this was one of them. I had just come back from a trip to NYC so I was reminded of The Campbell in terms of it being a destination bar, although this has its own distinct identity apart from the shared design elements of Art Deco (still the greatest architectural style). It has a great ornate interior, with well-crafted ceilings, cathedral-like liquor cabinets, elaborate chandeliers, and intricate artistic lighting. Jorge, the owner/operator, stopped by to chat with us for a while, and we talked about what he was trying to do with the bar, his drink passions, and where Bar Mischief fit in under the broader umbrella of the venue. He was a really nice guy and knew his stuff; one of those guys who has opinions about the history of cocktails, which is of course what you want out of a bar owner. Out of the three Inn Cahoots bars, I would rank this highest in terms of what a nice space it is; it just has that vibe that makes you want to stay and drink expensive cocktails for longer than you should. 

#189: Austin Garden & Studio

The Bar

Austin Garden & Studio. 1221 E 6th St., Austin, TX 78702

Visited 7/21/2023 @ 10pm.

The Drink

Sunburnt Cowboy. Hornitos blanco tequila, aloe, cucumber, lime, spicy salt. $12.

I will confess that I don't have much to say about this drink; it was a strong and competent tequila cocktail. Hornitos is one of the classic well tequilas you see around; as such it doesn't have a spectacular reputation, although of course in a cocktail like this the tequila isn't meant to be savored as such. There's apparently no relation to the venerable local restaurant Cafe Hornitos. I didn't regret this drink but it just didn't make much of an impression on me, which means that if you're looking for a passable tequila cocktail, this is worth a look. 

The Crew

Aaron, Rome, Geoff, Jacob.

Notes

I've mentioned once or twice before how nice it is that so many of the new hotels on East Sixth have multiple bars. The different concepts allow experimentation with business models, clientele, and all the other aspects of the bar experience, with the added benefit for the owners that if patrons want a change of scene, it's very easy to simply funnel them to one of the other bars in the same building. Inn Cahoots wisely follows that model, and Austin Garden & Studio was the first of two of their three bars that we were able to visit the week of their opening (the "speakeasy" was too crowded), after having to wait about 30 minutes due to the usual opening night crowds. It's divided into two sub-bars: the divey indoor Studio bar that reminds me a great deal of Shangri-La down the street, and the spacious outdoor Garden bar with food trucks and TVs. The Studio bar has an interesting history (the building it's in was the site of Austin's first Spanish-language radio station KMXX, which itself has an interesting history); in its current form on opening night it was loud, with a DJ and a dance floor. We felt that the Garden bar was more conducive to chatting, so we headed outside. We were impressed by the fancy couches on one side of the Studio, where we watched the USA vs Vietnam Women's World Cup game, and the extensive beer garden and live music section on the other side. To get back and forth you pass under these cool LED arches, which I mention because it seems like every aspect of this bar has been carefully thought-out, and the arches were one of those little touches that made this a neat experience. We unfortunately weren't able to stay too long though; on to Bar Mischief!

#188: X Crèm

The Bar

X Crèm. 1614 E 6th St #112, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 5/12/2023 @ 10pm.

UPDATE: X Crèm has closed.

The Drink

Espresso martini. Vanilla vodka, cappuccino crunch ice cream, chocolate swirl. $16.

It seems like only yesterday that I was musing in my review of Howards about how espresso martinis often walk a fine line between "cocktail with something sweet" and "milkshake with booze". Well, as you might expect a cocktail from an ice cream parlor to do, this version just went straight for the jugular and transformed fully into a dessert with an ABV. Using their cappuccino crunch ice cream flavor as a base and some vanilla vodka and a swirl of chocolate on top, this rich and flavorful rendition was easily the best espresso martini I've ever had. If it were just a bit more caffeinated (yes, most coffee ice creams do have a bit of caffeine), it would rank among the greatest post-final course aperitifs of all time, the kind the guests at your fancy dinner party would beg for. As it was, I had to withstand the urge to lick the glass after I was done; it was just that tasty. Ashley got the strawberry cheesecake cocktail and she said it was really good as well, so it seems like the milkshake cocktail folks were on to something after all. Even though I had the nagging thought that it must surely be cheaper to just do a shot of vanilla vodka followed by a waffle cone, this was one of the most enjoyable high-end/premium cocktails I've had so far. 

The Crew

Aaron, Geoff, Rome, Ashley.

Notes

X Crèm (rhymes with "stem" and not "steam", with a French flair) is one of those welcome sights, a new bar opened by a single person (in this case a couple) rather than by a chain or one of the established Sixth Street incumbents. It's a fairly new ice cream parlor that decided to get its alcohol license in order to serve booze along with its desserts, which allowed it to take advantage of the market niche that was recently opened up by the untimely closures of Gelateria Gemelli and Prohibition Creamery nearby. Despite branding itself as an "ice cream speakeasy", it almost could not have been less like the stereotypically exclusive, cramped, dimly-lit archetype of a speakeasy; instead it was almost like walking into one of your college friends' apartment, with a living room-style lounge room immediately to the left, a case of ice cream flavors to the right, and the bar/kitchen directly ahead, accompanied by house party-ish music blasting from discreetly-placed speakers. According to the owner Alexander, this relaxed club vibe was exactly what he wanted, and I have to say, even though some Sixth Street bars do offer beer pong, this was one of the ones where it felt most appropriate. But we had just come from Via 313 and were full of pizza, so rather than cajole him to start up a few rounds of flip cup or quarters, I requested he play my favorite beer pong jam from his iPad (Skee-Lo's magisterial 1995 hit I Wish), and once we had finished our drinks we peaceably departed.

#187: Second Bar + Kitchen

The Bar

Second Bar + Kitchen. 1108 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 4/6/2023 @ 8pm.

The Drink

Passion fruit paloma. Tromba blanco tequila, grapefruit soda, passion fruit, lime. $18.

I love a good paloma, as I have been fortunate enough to have never had one of the infamous "tequila nights" that so many people seem to have had back in college, and no bar has forced me to consume an absurd quantity of it the way that Unbarlievable pushed 96 oz of Moscow Mule on me. Tromba is a brand I had not heard of before, but they are evidently the top-selling independent brand in Canada, which is an interesting factoid. This paloma was quite nice (though I have never had a bad one and can't honestly picture what that would be like), but $18 is too expensive for what it is. Inflation I get; the cost of doing business I understand (although this bar is owned by the hotel - see below); but I just can't be happy about the value proposition here. At $10 this would have been a great deal, and even $13, which is what The Upside charged for their pisco sour, would have been fine, but this is the way of the world now I suppose, and to be fair rooftop patio views of downtown like this bar has aren't cheap.

The Crew

Cristy, Aaron, James, Kathryn, Neil, April.

Notes

I had actually never visited any of the various incarnations of Second Bar until we noticed while leaving Uptown Sports Club that the East Austin Hotel had a new sign on its second floor where The Upside used to be. As it turns out, the bar and hotel are owned by the same group, which decided to economize by replacing the 3 different bars with a single Second Bar after some strategic location consolidation earlier in the year as they recovered from the pandemic. One the one hand, I was disappointed: I enjoyed the very different vibes of Sixth & Waller, Pool Bar, and The Upside. On the other hand, I completely understand the business pressures of the post-covid era, and if I had to pick one bar vibe to keep out of the 3, the upscale Upside would be the one - Sixth & Waller had more of a diner atmosphere, while Pool Bar was only visible if you were already inside the hotel, and Second Bar fits right into the same "nice cocktails to relax to" market niche. And speaking of relaxing, they've kept The Upside's rooftop patio, and I have to say that that amenity alone is worth at least some of the premium on their cocktails. There's something about the upper vantage point on Sixth Street that puts you in a pondering mood, and as we continued to discuss Kathryn and Neil's upcoming move to NYC, the view of the downtown skyline against the setting sun put the future and the past into clear view; you can't ask for much more out of a bar than perspective.

#186: Uptown Sports Club

The Bar

Uptown Sports Club. 1200 E 6th St., Austin, TX 78702

Visited 4/6/2023 @ 7:30pm.

The Drink

El Jardinero. Blanco tequila, Aperol, blood orange, lime, jalapeño, Tajín. $14.

My friends and I were laughing in anticipation of what I would be recommended when I gave my "what drink best represents the bar?" routine, since when I was perusing the drinks menu before this visit I noticed that Uptown Sports Club offers the second-worst deal on Pinthouse's excellent Electric Jellyfish IPA in the city - $15 for a pour from a tallboy, coming in just below the $18 (!!!) they charge at Q2 Stadium for the same privilege. Thankfully our bartender did not try to inflict that kind of pain on us, instead offering us this twist on a cantarito, with Aperol in place of grapefruit soda. Aperol is often regarded as a sort of cheat code for tequila-based cocktails, as something about its herbal bitterness pairs really well with the otherwise powerful tequila flavor, with the fruit flavors continuing to be supplied by the blood orange and lime, and some spice from the jalapeño and Tajín. I first encountered the cantarito at Bull & Bowl, and the version here was just as good. Overall this was pretty much what you expect from a $14 cocktail these days, which is unquestionably not nearly as bad of a deal as a $15 Electric Jellyfish.

The Crew

Kathryn, Cristy, Aaron, April, James, Neil.

Notes

We came here to celebrate/mourn Kathryn and Neil's upcoming move to New York City. Speaking of, if you thought it was easy to have conflicted emotions about all of the MML properties I've been posting about lately, you haven't seen anything yet! Uptown Sports Club is the much-heralded latest venture from much-lauded barbecue impresario Aaron Franklin, of Franklin BBQ and Loro fame. In theory, the combination of one of the nation's best barbecue chefs with a historic yet derelict property - whose main claims to fame ever since closing 20 years ago were briefly hosting the similarly-lauded La Barbecue trailer and then pretending to be a Chili's - should be a slam dunk, especially given its focus on New Orleans cuisine, which I personally believe has the highest average meal quality of any city in America if not the world (I am eating a sandwich with some of Central Grocery's olive salad that they put on their incredible muffulettas as I type this). 

Everyone has their own personal line to draw between what you're paying for a place and whether it's sufficiently fancy, and for me, the line was drawn here. It's great that Franklin has such enthusiasm for New Orleans cuisine, the history of Austin's east side, and so on, but I have been to New Orleans many times, and while the architecture is totally on point - the exterior would fit right in next to Verti Marte and the garden patio could have been tucked in beside Commander's Palace - this place makes me feel more like a tourist in my own city than just about any other place I've visited. If there's one thing I've tried to make clear as I've visited all these bars, I have no problem at all with high-dollar joints, especially home-grown ones - there is absolutely a place for a premium experience at a premium price. But while there's plenty of New Orleans here, it doesn't feel like there's any of Austin. I wish Aaron Franklin nothing but the best, and I hope his culinary empire continues to expand, it's just that  even for the "nice date night"-type occasions that I can see a lot of these more upscale places being perfect for, I can't imagine ending up here, especially with the other solid New Orleans-style places nearby.

One final note: it was quite busy for a Thursday night and we weren't really feeling the experience, so we didn't actually eat here (I know, I know), with the single exception of the potato salad, which a reviewer calling themselves the "Michelangelo of Google reviews" gave what is unquestionably the most rapturous potato salad review I've ever read. We tried it:

The verdict: it was fine, easily worth the $4.

#185: Pecan Square Cafe

The Bar

Pecan Square Cafe. 1200 B W 6th St, Austin, TX 78703

Visited 10/21/2022 @ 7:30pm.

The Drink

Blazin' Fury. Venezuelan rum, Jamaican rum, spiced pineapple cordial, pecan orgeat, habanero shrub, lime. $18.

I was complaining earlier in the Howards post that $18 for an espresso martini was on the high side for even high-end cocktails, so naturally the fates gifted me with another one mere hours later. This is essentially a hurricane, and like all hurricanes it's designed to have its rum foundation overlaid with a strong structure of sweetness. I thought this was a good hurricane, although I wish the bartender would have picked something else, as my last 2 drinks had also been on the sweet side and I was hoping for a changeup. It's not the drink's fault though; never blame a drink for the bar's mistake. I will say that one thing I didn't like about the drink was the glass it was served in; the large quantity of ice in it condensed and made it slippery enough to slide right out of my hand after I drank about half of it. Luckily they made me a new one, but not before half a hurricane was tragically lost. You might not experience the same issue, but as they say about hurricanes, sailor take warning!

The Crew

Aaron, Karen, Sienna, Mark, Elijah.

Notes

Pecan Square Cafe is not to be confused with the Old Pecan Street Cafe, a wedding venue adjacent to but not quite on Sixth Street. Pecan Street is of course the old name for Sixth Street itself before all the east-west tree streets were given numbers in 1886, but you can still see traces of the old name in things like the famous festival and restaurants like this. The 3rd MML establishment of the evening after Howards and Rosie's, I had previously visited this building when it was Cafe Josie. The new ownership has maintained the somewhat churchlike interior but given the layout an overhaul, most noticeably replacing the bar nook with an open kitchen layout, and adding an oddly large amount of paintings of arches on the walls, as in dozens of extremely similar paintings of arches. We were here to both drink and eat, as the restaurant is a pan-European fusion joint, and we were getting pretty hungry after several rounds of drinks. I had their marinated olives, which were fantastic, and their Neapolitan pizza, which was also really good; everyone else enjoyed their meals. 

MML has gotten a reputation as the cutting edge of restaurant gentrification, which is both somewhat undeserved (it's not like pricey restaurants have never existed in Austin before) and completely valid (while the old Ski Shores Cafe business model might not have been working too well, the new MML edition is unequivocally too rich for my blood). Since Pecan Street Cafe is replacing a restaurant that was broadly similar in its target audience and price point it's hard to complain too much about its current status, but if you have a bone to pick with one of the major players in the current Austin restaurant scene, keep that in mind. Besides, exactly what would you say is reasonable for a "pan-European fusion" restaurant in this city? Austin has transformed itself from a sleepy little college town to a major culinary center, and now we have the scene to match, no more and no less. For myself, I'm just here to drink.

#184: Rosie's Wine Bar

The Bar

Rosie's Wine Bar. 1130 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78703

Visited 10/21/2022 @ 6:30pm.

The Drink

Ovum Hell For Leather. $162.

The bartender was thoughtful enough to ask if I had any price restrictions first when I asked him what wine best represented the bar. I try not to limit the bartender, which can be dangerous (see the 96 oz of Moscow Mule I got at Unbarlievable), but occasionally it works out quite well, as it did when I was recommended this bottle. Previous wine bars offered drinks by the glass, and Rosie's does as well, but when you're buying a round at a wine bar, you might as well buy the whole bottle! This wine is a riesling mix: 50% Beerenauslese riesling, and 50% of Ovum's Old Love riesling, which itself is a mixture of rieslings from several different vineyards scattered around Oregon. Ovum itself is located in the Columbia gorge wine country along the Willamette river just south of Portland. By coincidence, around the time of this visit I was reading a paper highlighted by the American Association of Wine Economists (don't laugh, they are one of the most interesting specialty economics publications I've come across) titled The effects of knowledge spillovers and vineyard proximity on winery clustering; it was unfortunately focused on vineyards across the Columbia river in Washington state, but it stood out to me that Ovum is in a vineyard cluster, and I imagine the same clustering dynamics apply there too. 

How did it taste? Well, their website somewhat mystifying claims that "Drinking an OVUM wine should be like listening to AM Radio, in Stereo" (a thing that does actually exist, to my surprise). I cannot overemphasize enough that I am not a wine guy, but I did think that it was really good. Rieslings tend to be very sweet but this was not at all, so if you're put off by the "dessert wine" reputation that rieslings have, fret not. Tasting notes I found for it contain the following description: 

White gold in the glass, its aromas of ripe Bartlett pears and golden delicious apple are deceiving. Under the fresh fruit layer sits a brooding sea of herbs. A lightning bolt of acidity strikes your palate upon first taste, and then begins the cascading flavors of salted lemon and white pineapple soaked in chamomile tea. The finish is dry, and layered with dried herbs as the wine warms in the glass.

That same site has it for much cheaper, so if that description sounds appetizing to you, I can vouch that it was a really tasty wine. 

The Crew

Sienna, Elijah, Karen, Mark, Aaron.

Notes

While we were waiting for our reservation at Pecan Street Cafe to become available, I had noticed that Howards was open. Then when we were leaving Howards I noticed that this wine bar was open, and that even though it faced onto Blanco St opposite Pecan Street Cafe, it had the same Sixth Street address that Howards did, so we were able to cram it in between visits. What luck! Rosie's is the 6th MML joint covered on the crawl, and the third wine bar, after The Grove and Lolo's. I think Rosie's had the nicest vibe out of all of those wine bars - the interior might be cramped, as a legacy of the somewhat odd way that MML redivided the property after they bought out the old Wiggy's liquor store, but we were able to grab a space at the end of the bar and feel quite cozy. Furthermore, there were a ton of people sitting out front along the side of the street in a very casual, relaxing, inviting setup. Much was made about the introduction of parking lot conversions due to COVID; I think they're an excellent idea and I hope the trend continues, because they make a charming little spot like Rosie's even more attractive if you're just walking by, like we were. There's no appeal like curb appeal, and has the kind of vibes that are tailor-made for the social media of your choice.

#183: Howards Bar & Club

The Bar

Howards Bar & Club. 1130 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78703

Visited 10/21/2022 @ 6pm.

The Drink

Draft espresso martini. Vodka, St George NOLA coffee liqueur, Amaro Montenegro, Proud Mary Humbler blend cold brew coffee. $18.

At one point draft cocktails were fairly polarizing in the high-end cocktail scene, but I think they're now common enough to have reached that "they're fine if you do them right" stage of general resigned acceptance, meaning the use of high-quality ingredients, keeping draft lines clean, knowing what's okay to keep in the tank vs what really needs to be mixed in at the point of serving, etc. Of course, no one ever said that consistency was the spice of life, but consistency doesn't have to be monotony. Howards' draft espresso martini, one of their signature drinks, is not monotonous, and also isn't sickeningly sweet. Espresso martinis always lean way more to the espresso side than the martini side, but often tend to add a sweetener so that the coffee bitterness doesn't overwhelm the gin (or in this case vodka; yes yes I know), theoretically while being careful not to turn the drink into an alcoholic Starbucks milkshake. Despite its name, the coffee liqueur they use is from the Bay Area, and adds just enough sweetness and other chocolate/vanilla flavors to mix nicely with the coffee base, which is a Brazilian/El Salvadorian cold brew from Proud Mary, a new Australian coffee joint and roastery on South Lamar. There's also some additional orange citrus bitterness from the Amaro Montenegro, one of the many excellent Italian liqueurs I've discovered while doing this extended bar crawl. Poured from a nitro tap and served with some dark chocolate on top, overall it's a great-tasting cocktail.

Of course, $18 is on the high side of cocktail prices, at least at the bars I go to, which affects the recommendation even if this is perfectly normal in the aforementioned high-end cocktail scene. Devil May Care's espresso martini was $16, so maybe that's just the going rate for this drink, but you'd better be really certain that you want one. I'm too old these days to look at cocktails solely from the perspective of "how much would it cost to get drunk on these?", but I hope one day to make enough money to live the kind of life where drinks of this tier are in the regular rotation.

The Crew

Elijah, Aaron.

Notes

Tonight was an all-MML extravaganza, but please hold all comments about the hospitality juggernaut's effects on affordability issues in the Austin restaurant scene or if it's a leading indicator of unhappy trends in gentrification, etc for the moment. The first of 3 MML joints we visited tonight (and the 5th overall), Howard's is "part neighborhood tavern, part dance party", replacing the former Wiggy's liquor store original location. Now, my neighborhood doesn't have a tavern anywhere near this nice, but if you are fortunate enough that your neighborhood is Clarksville, then you're in luck. I say "nice", but you can see in the background of my picture that it has a distressed/peeling/rundown aesthetic that's intended to convey the impression of age, which is the kind of atmosphere that an aspiring local haunt needs to conjure, even if the rest of the joint is obviously brand new and all of your fellow patrons look like they just got off the clock at their high-roller jobs. Most of them were fairly dressed up to some extent, but the doorman took one look at my Shiner t-shirt and waved me on in, after reminiscing about how he went to high school with their frontman. It's nice that even in a city that's getting as expensive as quickly as Austin is, there's still room for a cool music connection with someone. 

#182: Lonesome Dove

The Bar

Lonesome Dove. 123 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 8/13/2022 @ 4:30pm.

The Drink

The Willie. Lonesome Dove's Stranahan's single barrel single malt cask strength whiskey, Dolin Rouge vermouth, Angostura bitters, cherrywood smoke. $19.

The Willie is essentially a fancy smoke-infused Manhattan, named thusly because "if you smoke anything in Austin, you have to name it after Willie Nelson". The ingredients are premium: Stranahan's is a well-regarded Denver-based distillery that the restaurant partnered with for the cocktail (though I got confused: the bartender said that Lonesome Dove partnered with Stranahan's for the specific whiskey used in this cocktail, but the bottle he used looked like their standard single malt; the cocktail menu says they use the Blue Peak whiskey, but that was clearly not what he used to make our drinks), Dolin Rogue is a venerable French spirit-maker, and Angostura is of course the OG bitters. However, what you are here for is the final ingredient, which puts the "craft" in "craft cocktail" - the drink is carefully assembled, some kindling from Texas black cherry wood is placed on a platter and set alight, then a glass bell jar is inverted above to let the wood burn itself out to infuse the drink with its flavor, whereupon it is literally handed to you on a silver platter. It's a great show.

I liked it, but... $19 is just too much for a cocktail. There are half price cocktails at happy hour, but I got conflicting info on exactly which days happy hour was on and exactly what drinks it covered, so if you're coming to Lonesome Dove specifically to try this drink, just assume you're forking over at least $20 no matter what. 

You can't argue with the presentation though: you can't possibly be upset at a drink that arrives on a silver platter wreathed in a nimbus of fragrant cherrywood vapor (no "smoke and mirrors" jokes please):

The Crew

Ashley, Cristy, Elijah, Ishani, Aaron.

Notes

Lonesome Dove takes the place of Italic, the Italian restaurant that was yet another unfortunate Covid casualty (incidentally, after Easy Tiger's split and then closure, this leaves 24 Diner as ELM Restaurant Group/WIP Hospitality's sole Sixth Street outpost). Quite obviously named as a homage to one of the all-time great Texas novels, Lonesome Dove is a "Western bistro" originally from Ft Worth which has been in Austin for several years a few blocks away on Colorado Street. I enjoyed what they did to the interior - in keeping with the Western/rustic/cowboy theme, stacks of the wood they use in their ovens and cocktails form an integral part of the décor (insert your own "spruced up" puns), along with antlers and other taxidermic accents. One of the cooler touches was a pair of the owner's guitars by the reception lounge that had been signed by a number of famous musicians. We decided to have dinner here, and it was fantastic, though pricey:

• Wild game fettine (cuts of rattlesnake sausage, wild boar, rabbit)
• Blue corn-lobster hushpuppies with smoked tomato butter
• Texas red chili
• Rack of elk, with crispy maitake, parsnip puree, broccolini, and candied blueberries
• Burnt carrots, with Texas honey, meyer lemon, goat cheese
• Roasted Texas mushrooms, with house vinegar and olive oil
• Mac & cheese, with orzo for macaroni and topped with fried artichoke hearts

You get the picture on the type of cuisine they specialize in, although my favorites were the hush puppies, the chili, and the mac and cheese. Overall this is absolutely not a place I would return to if it was on my own dime, but it would be a superb on a company credit card.

#181: Soho Lounge

The Bar

Soho Lounge. 217 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 2/11/22 @ 8:30pm.

The Drink

Green tea. Jameson whiskey, peach schnapps, simple syrup, lime. $9.

I've had a couple of green tea drinks so far on Sixth, but they've all been shots. Since I had just spent an hour drinking 32 oz of Blue motherfucker at Wild Greg's, I was not exactly looking forward to a shot, so I was glad for this more manageable sipping drink served in a reasonable 16 oz volume. This rendition dropped the sweet & sour, but lime + simple syrup was a reasonable facsimile. Of course, now that I had the chance to drink a full green tea cocktail, it became funnier to me that this drink was just invented by Jameson to sell more whiskey, given that green tea is famous for its alleged health benefits. What if we gave you a drink with all of the taste, but none of the antioxidants? What if all you were really interested in was the scent of health, without doing the real work to partake in its full flavor? No one is upset that a Flaming Dr Pepper has no Dr Pepper in it, but shouldn't a trace of the true self exist in an actual cocktail? Heavy questions for a light, refreshing drink. 

The Crew

Aaron.

Notes

I'm not sure exactly why, but this place took me like 5 tries to be able to visit successfully. Every time I would walk past this storefront in between the venerable Lit Lounge and the newer Gnar Bar, it wasn't open for patronage. Evidently it had had an ownership change in 2017 when I was doing the original crawl, and then a city-induced covid shutdown after that, which explained why I hadn't been able to swing by before, but it seemed harder than it should be to grab a drink here in the year 2022. Well, that finally changed tonight, and when I finally entered, it was... fine, the typical backlit bar with a dimly lit dancefloor, the ideal generic blurry barhopping memory you'll end up backdating from bar tabs and group texts after a long night of Fireball rounds and singalong interludes. I was actually the only patron here for essentially my entire stay, although the owner/bartender told me that that was due to complex business factors that I didn't really understand. Other things that I also didn't understand included why their website stated that they were owned by "Texas State Aluminum" (alumni?), or what the word "Soho" was doing in their name, as this wasn't even a SoDoSoPa situation. In any case, this seemed like the kind of bar that should be packed at all time, but I was just glad to finally check off an elusive bar target before I went to the Agent Orange show, which turned out to be excellent. If you haven't listened to Agent Orange, you have to fix that posthaste. Everything Turns Grey!

#180: Wild Greg's Saloon

The Bar

Wild Greg's Saloon. 302 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 2/11/22 @ 7:30pm.

The Drink

Blue motherfucker. Vodka, gin, rum, blue curaçao, sweet & sour, triple sec, Sprite. $15.

Almost but not quite the same as an Adios, motherfucker!, the Blue motherfucker distinguishes itself by dropping the tequila and subbing in Sprite, though it maintains the all-important blue tinge that tells onlookers that you're not afraid to be drinking something that looks like antifreeze. The change in recipe means that all of you tequilaphobes can drink this up, secure in the knowledge that without that one deadly ingredient, your drink is now salubrious, invigorating, and hangover-free! Until, that is, you notice that you're still holding 32 oz of liquor drink that you've got to drain. While not quite the bargain that the $5.50 Adios, motherfucker! at Peckerheads was (still the gold standard for booze per buck), this drink does everything that you would want a quarter gallon of assorted alcohols to do. The keen-eyed among you might notice that the cup I'm holding (which I got to keep) says Minneapolis on it; the bartender said that this location is still new enough that they hadn't gotten their own merch yet, so just be patient if you refuse to drink out of a vessel with the name of another city on it for some reason.

The Crew

Aaron.

Notes

Wild Greg's is an outpost of Florida culture on Sixth Street, as ominous as that might sound, the chain having been formed in Pensacola back in 2015. It showed up in Austin about a year ago, replacing Terminal 6, which closed just before the pandemic started. Apparently the owner likes to set up shop in college towns, which I suppose Austin technically still qualifies as. Not that the actual bar is particularly college-oriented - it's a similar permanent concert venue as Terminal 6 was, with a little more emphasis on the bar instead of the venue side of things, though there was the obligatory solo guitarist playing away on the ground floor stage. I don't know exactly what tips the scale for a concert venue to become a bar or vice versa; presumably if the revenue from hosting occasional large shows outweighs the revenue from continuously being open for drinks, then you make the change, but who knows how the pandemic has scrambled the equation for the typical Sixth Street bar. I didn't notice a dramatic change from the Terminal 6 setup (much like the US has flyover country, Sixth Street definitely has flyover bars), but here's to a longer life than the old joint.

#179: Canje

The Bar

Canje. 1914 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 2/4/2022 @ 9:30pm.

The Drink

Ti' Punch. 3 rums (El Dorado 8 year, Smith + Cross, Hamilton Jamaican pot still), vanilla, bitters, lime oil. $15.

We ordered some waiting cocktails so we would have something to sip while our table was prepared, but this was the drink recommended to me, so it's what I'll review. It's hard to improve on Canje's capsule summary of it on their Facebook page, so please allow me to briefly plagiarize: 

The Ti' Punch is the Old Fashioned of the Caribbean, and is the national drink of Martinique. We replace the rhum agricole made from sugarcane juice with three types of dark, aged rums made from molasses, creating a complex and balanced profile.

The first word in the name is the shortened form of "petite" in the French Creole language spoken in Martinique. The mixture of three different rums makes it impossible to taste any individual rum, like the philosophy of blended whiskey taken to the extreme, so while I am not sure I would use either "complex" or "balanced" as adjectives to describe the resulting "rum drink" product, I can tell you that it was sweet, strong, and tasty, though $15 is testing the limits of my willingness to pay, even for cocktails as good as this one. The other cocktails are similarly good, and similarly priced to match.

The Crew

Brent, Karen, Aaron, Neil, Kathryn.

Notes

Canje replaced unfortunate Covid casualty The Last Straw a few months ago, which itself replaced Chicon several years prior. I really liked the previous two establishments, but based purely on its own qualities, Canje is plenty good enough to soothe the pain of their absence. Austin is not exactly overflowing with Caribbean food, but the places we do have are generally quite good, and Canje is almost certainly the best of all of them. The Caribbean is an extremely culturally diverse region, reflecting the interaction of different native populations, the various colonial powers, and the immigrants (both voluntary and not) who later arrived, so you can find a little bit of just about anything at a good Caribbean place. Head Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph is Guyanese, but much of the menu also reflects influences from other areas of the Caribbean, as well as the US and other countries. We tried just about everything on the menu, sharing family-style, and it was all wonderful (reflecting the Indian presence in the Caribbean, the Guyanese roti in particular was spectacular). I found myself comparing somewhat to Vixen's Wedding just a few blocks to the west, not merely because of the shared Indian connection, but in the dedication to a fusion cuisine, in the full sense of the term, as well as the great food and drinks at both places. If you're looking for a special occasion restaurant and want to check out some of the best Caribbean food in the city, look no further.