#66: Jackalope

The Bar

Jackalope. 404 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 3/29/17 @ 10:30pm.

The Drink

Sake bomb. Ace pear cider, sake. $4.

I think this might have been my very first sake bomb ever, meaning a beer or cider with a shot of sake. I've had plenty of boilermakers (beer with whiskey) and Irish car bombs (also known as "peacemakers" at Trinity Hall in Dallas, due to historical baggage, but they're Jameson and Bailey's with Guinness either way) before, but I can't say I've ever had a sake bomb. As with all drink + shot combinations, its true value lies not in the flavor of the drink but in the performance of the drinking, so as a group we engaged in that time-honored ritual of a chug-off. Judging by the appreciative reaction from the rest of the patrons around us, we managed to fulfill our duties as the entertainment du jour - even more so after one of us (I won't use his name, but it starts with "V" and is spelled the same as "Vince") claimed he didn't realize when we were starting and demanded a rematch. Spoiler alert: he didn't win that time either. But it was worth it, because it turns out that the combination of cider and sake is actually pretty good, with the cider's sweetness mellowing the bite of the sake. Our bartender picked it perfectly.

The Crew

Vince, Davis, Aaron.

Notes

As weird as this sounds, in what most be almost a half-dozen trips to Jackalope, this was the first time I ever went there solely to drink. I've mainly known Jackalope for their food, which is excellent - their massive NY style slices of pizza, their gargantuan burgers, and their truly excellent waffle fries. Seriously, just look at these beauties. I've always thought that waffle fries are the best fries, due to the high surface-to-area ratio for maximum flavor. I respect those that prefer steak fries, even though their lower surface-to-area means that the double-frying has to be done right, and the underlying quality of the potato has to be higher since there's less room to hide behind tricks of dip or seasoning. There's just something great about the more complex structure of the waffle fry, which gives you more exciting angles to dip from, as well as a more interesting eating strategy. You'll never be bored with a plate of waffle fries, and one order of them here is easily enough for two people, or even more if you get the waffle fry nachos.

In, uh, other news, Jackalope has a pretty cool interior. Besides the gigantic statue of a jackalope right in front of the entrance, which has the drunken photo op upside without the downside of the mechanical bull mishap like you'd find at Trophy Club. There's also a ton of pinup art on the walls, just like you'd find at their sister bar Chupacabra up the street. Pinup art is cool, it brings a fun atmosphere to the bar without the weird overtones of a breastaurant like Bikini's, and given all the other goofy illuminated or stuffed items over the ancient brick walls, it fits right in. The crowd is also a bit different than your typical Destination: Wasted crew. After you spend enough time on Dirty Sixth, the seemingly subtle differences between what look like identical barfronts become as bright as roadside flares, some guiding you to high-dollar cocktails, others directing you to cheap shots, others pointing you to waffle fries and sake bombs. Don't miss this place.

#65: Peckerheads

The Bar

Peckerheads. 402 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 3/29/17 @ 9:30pm.

The Drink

Adios, motherfucker!. Tequila, whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, triple sec, blue curaçao, sour. $5.50.

I love that Dirty Sixth offers drinks like these. A bunch of liquors together in a glass? Why not: no matter your preferred liquor, this drink has got you covered. This neatly solved my "drink that best represents the bar" question as well, since it's basically the Venn diagram intersection of every cocktail at once, so it was win-win for both me and the bartender. I don't see any mezcal or scotch hiding in there, but in true trash can punch style you wouldn't want to waste your higher-end liquors on this kind of slumgullion anyway. The only actual flavor you can taste in this drink is "blue", thanks to the sour and the curaçao; don't worry, underneath it, the alcohol is definitely working its magic. That they serve this giant glass with an extremely strong pour for $5.50 is either highly concerning, if you're a TABC agent, or a noble act of public service, if you're me. I had thought that Shakespeare's Long Island pitcher was Dirty Sixth in a single drink, but this is certainly a strong contender as well.

The Crew

Aaron, Vince, Davis.

Notes

Peckerheads is a kind of semi/quasi/unofficial Longhorns bar, at least judging by how often the staff mentioned all the members of the football team who had allegedly been drinking within these hallowed walls. Their amazing wall decoration, a riff on the iconic Jo's coffee shop mural, is certainly evidence that their hearts are in the right place, and as you can see, we bleed burnt orange as well (crank that song loud). I would feel right home in a bar like this - even though it's only been around for about 10 years, it feels like generations of just-turned-21 kids fresh off a victory in the Red River Shootout have been ordering gigantic drinks that cost almost no money for forever. On the Wednesday night that it was, we were the only patrons, so we had plenty of time to explore the cozy darkness of the venue, which you reach by climbing up some stairs from the street. Once I get done with this bar crawl I'm going to think on if being on the second floor changes the bar's vibe at all. There's no balcony here, and the interior has the sort of unwindowed dankness which makes it feel like it could be at the bottom of a mineshaft and you'd have no idea, but it felt more like a refuge than many other places I've been to. We watched our bartender spill a bunch of liquor all over herself and have to run to the CVS for some new flip flops and shorts, and return to talk about what it's like to have seen Austin change over the years. Good thing fandom never changes.

#64: Old School

The Bar

Old School. 401 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 3/29/17 @ 9pm.

UPDATE: Old School has closed.

The Drink

Ginger special. Deep Eddy lemon vodka and blueberry vodka, ginger beer, soda. $5.50.

Originally this drink had no name. When I was giving my spiel about wanting the drink that best showed off this bar, our bartender suggested a cocktail, and after we assented, he thought about what would be best for us to make and whipped up this simple refreshing drink in no time at all. Deep Eddy makes such great vodkas that even an oddball pairing like lemon and blueberry ends up tasting delicious, even over the ginger beer. I didn't grow up drinking ginger beer, so it has always tasted like a cocktail ingredient to me rather than something to drink on its own, but like with many things, it tastes better when you add vodka to it. After we all finished off our drinks, I went up to the bartender and asked him what he called it. He was stumped until his coworker suggested naming it after his bright red hair: the Ginger Special. My mother is a redhead (I have dark hair, though not due to any kind of climate change factor), so I've always found the whole "wow, a ginger!" thing to be kind of weird, but you don't pass up a marketing opportunity like that.

The Crew

Vince, Davis, Bobby, Aaron.

Notes

I'm pretty sure this place isn't named after the hit film from 2003, but it really seems like the kind of place that Will Ferrell would have gotten into. Right after we wandered in, fresh from having seen Blade Runner: The Final Cut and still having a heated nerd argument over whether Deckard being a replicant makes any sense at all (the correct answer is no, it destroys all narrative tension and logic in the movie), the bar staff started setting up for a beer pong tournament. Dear friends and loyal readers know that I have a real weakness for beer pong, the king of bar sports, and we were sorely tempted. Old School has a weekly tournament with free entry and cash prizes, and if only there had been another team for us to play against we might have stayed. However, the fact that it was a Wednesday night, and that we are old, meant that we decided to leave. Old School just looks like a fun place to spend an evening watching your opponents drain their cups, maybe with some streaking towards the end of the night. It has the same owners as Night Owl, a newish bar on Burnet that I still haven't been to. If they're as fun as Old School, I'll have to check them out soon.

#63: Chupacabra Cantina

The Bar

Chupacabra Cantina. 400 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 3/29/17 @ 6:30pm.

The Drink

House margarita. Milagro silver tequila, Solerno blood orange, agave, lime. $5.

Austin is a big Tex-Mex city, so naturally you find a lot of margaritas around here. The margarita's origins are shrouded in mystery, as is so common, but it's become ubiquitous. With so many bars offering nearly identical takes on the classic, I enjoy finding places with slightly different versions, and in an environment as margarita-saturated as this one, adding Solerno counts as different enough from the norm for me. Solerno comes from Sicily, and it lent a really great citrus flavor to the margarita. I've been loving all these Italian liqueurs that bars have been sneaking into my drinks, and this is one of the best I found so far; next time I'm in a requesting mood I should specifically ask for a drink that features it a bit more. Since we were still in happy hour, this was a great bargain for the margarita. Our bartender was really friendly too, which didn't hurt either.

The Crew

Davis, Aaron.

Notes

As you can see by the guac girl pinup behind us, Chupacabra has a playful attitude. It's the sister bar of Jackalope, a few doors down the street, and so they both have novelty drinks like the "Cockfight", a cocktail served in a comically oversized martini glass and other offbeat items like that. Also like Jackalope it serves food in addition to beverages, though Chupacabra has more of a Tex-Mex flair - fish tacos and the like (yes yes, I know those are more of a Cal-Mex thing). We didn't get to hang out for very long, since we were just killing time with a drink before seeing Blade Runner: The Final Cut at the Alamo very shortly (I like that cut although I've become more anti-Deckard-replicant than ever - maybe more on that later), so we watched a bit of OKC @ ORL before leaving for our movie. I would definitely return.

Sixth Street Sector Roundup: Dirty Sixth Part 1

It took exactly a month to finish the first half of Dirty Sixth. I had originally planned to take a breather during SXSW to avoid the madness, and as luck would have it we scored the very last missing bar right as SXSW was starting. My pace was aided by some marathon nights - at my ancient, decrepit, crippled age of 33, six bars in three hours with two drinks each on average counts as a marathon, and I felt every step.

I have to admit that I was not looking forward to Dirty Sixth, on the whole. Most of the people I know don't really go there, and I think the same is true of a lot of Austinites. Sure, we'll catch a show on Red River, and maybe grab a quick pre-show drink or a bite to eat on Sixth, but for the most part, Dirty Sixth is the province of newcomers, college students, and out-of-towners. It's funny that such a well-advertised part of the city's identity would be so infrequently patronized by the people who actually live here, but I think that's the case for most things you see promoted to tourists. Some markers of Austin identity like Town Lake and Zilker Park get used by locals frequently, but others like the State Capitol or the Congress Avenue bats get visited during elementary school, maybe, and then rarely if ever again. When I was just starting out as a young drinker, it was a truism that you could go to Sixth and be guaranteed to run into at least one person you knew. Now, most of my friends drink at their neighborhood bars, and only go down to East Sixth (or, God forbid, Rainey) as infrequently as possible.

And maybe we're missing out, at least a little. Dirty Sixth contains the whole spectrum of nightlife: dive bars, music venues, speakeasies, dance clubs, and even a movie theater. And, to an even greater degree than on West Sixth, I visited on weeknights, weekends, and afternoons to capture a fuller picture of the drinking life. I still recommend going on a weeknight, but I realize that most of the time this isn't possible. And in terms of the experience, even though I had a terrible experience at 311 Club, for the most part I found fun bars, decent drinks, friendly people, and good times. Despite being biased towards my hometown, one of the things that makes Austin stand out among all the other midsize cities I've been to is its friendliness - no matter who you are or where you're from, you'll find people ready to welcome you. I found that to be true no matter if I was in a swanky cocktail lounge or in a college bar. Ultimately a city is its people, and the thing that make Austin's bars so much fun is the Austinites. Not that I'll be pounding Lone Stars at many of these bars on the regular, but it's nice to know that I could, if I wanted.

And now for some statistics!

Top 5 Bars

Using a completely subjective formula that takes into account the quality of the drink, the ambiance of the bar, the friendliness of the bartender, and my own level of intoxication, here are my top five bars:

1. Driskill Bar
2. Parkside
3. The Four Horsemen
4. Midnight Cowboy
5. Shakespeare's

Booze Brothers participating

Total: 28

• Aaron: 28
• Travis: 23
• Rome: 18
• Vince: 11
• James: 6
• Geoff: 6
• Elijah: 6
• Cat: 6
• Sonali: 5
• Kathryn: 5
• Nick: 5
• Davis: 5
• Ben: 3
• Brent: 1
• Anthony: 1

Establishments visited

Total: 28

• Bars: 23
• Restaurants: 3
• Clubs: 1
• Theaters: 1

Drinks consumed

Total: 28*

• Cocktails: 18
• Shots: 6
• Beers: 3
• Other: 1
• Wines: 0

* Obviously I drank WAY more than that.

Money spent

Total: $211.25*

* That doesn't include taxes, tip, or the food or extra drinks I bought.

#62: Waller Ballroom

The Bar

Waller Ballroom. 700 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 3/17/17 @ 5:30pm.

UPDATE: Waller Ballroom has closed.

The Drink

Gin and tonic. Waterloo gin, tonic. $8.

One gin and tonic, two tonics with gin
Once each was done, I got one again
The more I drank, the better they tasted
Before I knew it, I'd gotten wasted
Eight dollars was steep, but I'd pay it once more
Drinks cost during South By, it's what you're in for
Waterloo's smooth, a great go-to liquor
And compared to a beer, you get drunk way quicker
At festival time, you drink what you find
Don't expect top-shelf, mid-range is just fine
I have no regrets, it's my favorite mixed drink
Just watch out for cops, upstream's the precinct!

The Crew

Aaron, Ryan, Travis (not pictured), Rome (not pictured), Geoff (not pictured), Cat (not pictured), Eliah (not pictured), Tim (not pictured), Jacob (not pictured).

Notes

Waller Ballroom is a special event venue that's not normally open to the public, so visiting it kind of violates the spirit of the "every bar" pledge. However, I wanted to watch some bands cover-free and drink with friends, since it was both SXSW and St. Patrick's Day, so I swallowed my scruples and chased them down with the first of several G&Ts. I was originally planning to put my journey on hold during SXSW - much as I love the festival, the deluge of tens of thousands of people from out of town changes the balance of the street, in the same way that a rush of saltwater makes a riparian environment too brackish for freshwater species. Since repeated reciprocity is the foundation of trust, a sudden influx of outlanders can make bartenders hunker down into "festival mode", where you're lucky to get more than a grunt and a beer shoved at you before the next person barges in for their own round. Happily, that was not the case here, as I got my drinks at just the right rhythm to accompany the pace of the shoegaze bands chugging their way to the appreciative crowd.

Waller Ballroom is right alongside Waller Creek, with all the good and bad that that entails. In the excellent anthology Literary Austin, there's a moving piece from Joseph Jones about Waller Creek during the 70s that makes it sound like an oasis of calm in the downtown area, full of interesting flora and fauna, and an underappreciated link to the rare natural heritage of Austin that made it so attractive to those settlers in 1839 when the city was founded (Edwin Waller, the man who surveyed Austin and served as its first mayor, was sent by President Mirabeau Lamar to locate a new capital away from the coast, which was dominated by Sam Houston and his loyalists). In contrast, these days Waller Creek is mainly known as a convenient latrine for drunk college students on UT campus, and as a flume of garbage and waste picked apart by scavenging hobos in order to be finally jettisoned into Town Lake near the boathouse. The Ballroom offers a nice patio to stand outside and watch whatever's going on in the stream named after our city father, but be warned that not all the sights and sounds of the creek are equally pastoral.

#61: Roppolo's Pizza

The Bar

Roppolo's Pizza. 316 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 3/11/17 @ 7pm.

The Drink

Austin Beerworks Pearl Snap. $6.

Pearl Snap is still a nice crisp pilsner, just like the last time I had it, and the time before that. Roppolo's has no liquor, just beer and wine, but even though SXSW was just beginning to rev into high gear, our bartender thoughtfully asked what kinds of beer we liked before suggesting it. It's a great choice - light and drinkable, with a decent 5.3% ABV heft to it, perfect for accompanying the slices we ordered, with just enough flavor to balance out each bite of pizza crust. Or, as the exchange went:

"What goes with pizza?"
"I think beer goes with pizza".

True enough. They also had $7 mimosa specials, but mimosas are a daylight drink, and we were patrons of the night. Wine and cheese, vodka and caviar, beer and pizza: that's how it works.

The Crew

Aaron, Brent, Anthony.

Notes

Roppolo's pizza has been a staple of late-night dining on Sixth since forever, continuing even into this era of food trucks and upscale restaurants. I can't count the number of times I've walked up to their counter and tried to gauge which of the slices in the display window spoke most strongly to my heart, but I had never been inside until this visit. I'm glad I made the journey across the threshold, and certainly the rotating cast of other drunk people who needed something to wash down their slices agreed, as the crowd gradually grew and grew until suddenly the bar area looked like a Chuck E. Cheese with all grownups and no children. Late-night pizza and beer joints are true democracies of the stomach and liver, knowing no distinctions of age, race, religion, sexuality, or origin. Pizza in particular is one of the world's great international foods, with a strong claim to being Italy's greatest gift to the world, although that's an extremely tough battle. I wouldn't claim that Roppolo's makes the greatest pizza in the city, or even on the block, but for a cheap price it's damn good, especially with a beer.

Nina's Opinion-yas Part 3: The Blind Pig, Alamo Ritz, Maggie Mae's, Thirsty Nickel, Iron Cactus

Challenge: Where to get a taste of Christmas in February

Going to 6^th street during Mardi Gras is not the best of ideas and going there when you’re old enough to know better is even an even worse one. That said, FOMO took over and I decided to join the merry band of misfits down “Dirty 6^th.” We went to the Blind Pig where I made the mistake of saying I had never had a Rumplesmintz shot (a giant portion of Rumple Minze German-style peppermint schnapps). Having one of those made me quickly realize I was in for the long haul and I’d better put my seat belt on. We traipsed across the street to the Alamo Ritz where we (thought) we engaged with witty banter with the waitstaff. They said they made certain drinks based on movie themes but did not seem to appreciate it when I suggested they make a whiskey shot served in a bullet casing mold for the John Wick 2 movie. (if this ever comes to fruition, I request/demand a portion of the proceeds!). We settled on a pretty decent White Russian drink. The next few stops became a bit more forgetful with us ultimately ending up in a beer pong game at Thirsty Nickel and the epic journey to find the best  Chicken Tortilla soup.

Nina Verdict: Just ask for a RumpleMintz shot at any bar. It’s basically doing a shot of mouthwash for ~$6 but at 50% alcohol, you get your money's worth.

Nina's Opinion-yas Part 2: Steampunk Saloon, Pop, Key Bar, The Rustic Tap

Challenge: Where to get a bargain tasty drink.

Despite being called Steampunk Saloon there were honestly no stereotypical Steampunk motifs throughout the bar. For example there were very few metal works, the staff were dressed like every day people, and even the drink menu was very bland. That said, it is quite a large venue that is perfect for huge parties because there is a large wrap-around patio that is mostly covered, an outdoor band area, and several pool tables. Per my usual quest to eat I found that I was limited to one of two food carts that serve the establishment on alternating days. To my delight it was the “Rock N Roll” Lobster truck. Though pricey, if you can afford the ~$12 lobster sliders there are 3 hearty portions that you can share with a friend as long as you savor each bite for a few seconds. The next bar we went to was Pop bar, a champagne themed one. I was impressed that the menu was on an electronic tablet but the champagne prices were definitely not for the bargain drinker. Perhaps that’s where they pass along the cost? That said, a few of the mixed cocktails were affordable (especially on a weekday) and were quite tasty. Following a quick pit stop there, we journeyed onto Key bar where we indulged in some very large drinks. If you are looking for an affordable drink that packs a punch then I recommend the popsicle drink. Though it was a chilly night when we went there I can see how it’d be quite refreshing during a scorching hot day. 

Nina Verdict: If you’re looking for a unique drink with a cool twist, go to Key Bar and check out their selection.

Nina's Opinion-yas Part 1: Z'Tejas, 24 Diner, Hut's Hamburgers, The Grove

Z'Tejas 24 Diner Hut's Hamburgers The Grove

Challenge: Where to get the best hangover food.

Participating in this challenge was partly motivated by my ever present “FOMO” syndrome and as well as the slight disdain I feel for my liver. Our first stop was Z’Tejas where I indulged in some flowery drink I can’t remember anymore.  More noteworthy were the nachos appetizer as the guacamole had the most unusual texture. The avocados had been either frozen or given an additive because I have truly never seen such a solid (in nature) avocado. We even held the container upside down and it didn’t fall out! It tasted normal however. Next we went to 24 Diner where I grabbed the breakfast hash, a solid drunk food staple. Though I wasn’t intoxicated, I knew that I had to lay a solid food foundation if I wanted to be awake for the rest of the journey. I believe I had an elderflower drink here that was pretty divine. We made a pit stop at Hut’s Hamburgers for burgers and I unabashedly split a greasy yet delicious pastrami sandwich with another person. Though 6^th street complete may be an epic drinking adventure, I apparently took it upon myself to eat my way through it. I can truly say that all of the food choices were tasty and filling. By the time we reached the Grove I had tapped out of the race but I did like the bar ambience.
Nina Verdict: If you’re hungry go to 24 Diner either prior to or after embarking on a 6^th street soiree. Their breakfast hash is hearty, filling, and can last as a return-from-the-bar meal if you remember to take it with you.

#60: Iron Cactus

The Bar

Iron Cactus. 606 Trinity St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 2/28/17 @ 10pm.

The Drink

Specialty margarita. Herradura tequila, agave, cointreau, lime juice. $12.25.

Fantastic margarita. For several years, my mental model of a margarita was the somewhat mysteriously-named Mexican martini from Trudy's, which is essentially an iceless margarita with olives served in an annoying glass. As I gradually matured out of the larval drinking stage, I grew to appreciate different types of tequila, the subtleties of cointreau, and the wisdom of having ice in your drink, and so now I dig "real" margaritas as well. This is a classic example of the genre. I'm still on the fence about salt on the rim, less for taste reasons than the fact that it gets everywhere; for all the people who are confused about how to handle salt, just drink from the rim! This margarita certainly didn't need its encrustation of salt to taste great, but sometimes you just want that extra seasoning.

The Crew

Vince, Travis, Rome, Aaron, Sonali, Davis.

Notes

I've already remarked on how Z'Tejas and the Iron Cactus chain are owned by the same holding company, and their different approaches for "customer segment penetration", as a marketing strategist might put it, are visible in the interior. Z'Tejas, on a quiet residential stretch of Sixth, is friendly and kitschy like a Chuy's, while Iron Cactus, technically on Trinity though directly accessible from Sixth, is upscale like Fonda San Miguel, though with fewer flowers and less art. If I were ordering food, I would definitely sit out on the upstairs patio. Maybe that should be a law of dining: always sit on the rooftop patio (unless it's raining, obviously). As it was, we just hung out near the bar and watched Vanderbilt @ Kentucky. This was the fifth and final stop of the night, and I was happy to end it on such a great drink.

#59: Thirsty Nickel

The Bar

Thirsty Nickel. 325 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 2/28/17 @ 9pm.

UPDATE: Thirsty Nickel has closed.

The Drink

Golden Delicious. Crown Royal Sour Apple whiskey, pineapple and lemon juice, ginger ale. $7.

I've already talked about how much I like the apple-flavored edition of Crown Royal, and I find myself liking it even more in fruitier drinks since it has a slight tartness that goes well against the spice of the ginger beer and the sweetness of the citrus juices. They make it strong here, but you'll hardly even notice because of the flavor balance. Complimenting Dirty Sixth bars on their mixology still feels a bit weird to me, but you have to give credit where credit is due. This was one of their specialty cocktails, and as always, it's nice to see a bartender standing by the menu. Why even call something a special if you won't recommend it? Of course, this wasn't the only drink I got. I needed a side beer, and there's only one reason you need a side beer....

The Crew

Vince, Travis, Aaron, Rome, Davis, Sonali.

Notes

... for beer pong! Any bar with beer pong is automatically a winner in my book, and we took full advantage of our status as some of the only people in the bar to strike up a quick 3 on 3 game using the table they had thoughtfully set up with water cups. TABC doesn't have a single rule explicitly forbidding bars from using beer, but they really don't like it, and they have a few weapons lying around to cite bars that host beer-inclusive tournaments: sanitation concerns, promotion of binge drinking, and violation of the rule that allows each person to have no more than two drinks. So the few bars that do have beer pong stick to water cups, and allow you to drink the equivalent in beer on your own time. We faced off, the Chi Phis beat the non-Chi Phis, and we adjourned to listen to a pretty rad funk band.

When it's not giving its patrons a forum to practice the greatest drinking game known to man, Thirsty Nickel is a Chicago bar, as you can see by all the Chicago-related paraphernalia adorning the walls. I'm always interested in how bars pick "outsider teams" to celebrate; in this case it's because a co-owner wanted to represent his hometown, but since Austin is not only home to a high percentage of transplants but is also the largest major city in the country without a pro sports team, you might expect a market opportunity for an unusual number of outsider team bars around town. I doubt statistics comparing Austin's number of outsider team bars to that of other cities exist, though you might have guessed the fact that the Longhorns are #1 in national revenue for college sports by the sheer amount of burnt orange across the city. It seems like there are fewer than you'd expect given the number of transplants, but perhaps most immigrants to Austin are not the kind of working-class sports fans who demand team bars. As long as they also show the Longhorns, it's all good to me!

#58: Maggie Mae's

The Bar

Maggie Mae's. 323 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 2/28/17 @ 8:30pm.

The Drink

Cucumber Mule. Effen cucumber vodka, ginger beer, lime. $5.

I like that you can get a different twist on a cocktail even in a bar that sees thousands of typically indifferent drinkers per night who just want cheap beer and jäger shots. Yes, it's in a plastic cup, and no, it's not the greatest drink you'll ever have. But as a symbol of how much standards have risen in just a few years, it's worth noticing; just imagine being recommended a cucumber anything here a decade ago. It's true that economic growth has been stagnant lately, at least as measured by GDP, and yet the improvement in general lifestyle comforts has been underrated, at least if you're in a city like Austin that, if anything, has been getting nicer too quickly for the liking of many of its inhabitants. A traditional econometric exercise of measuring inflation would start by trying to define our drink inputs as substitutes or rival goods, and what an appropriate Gross Drinking Product deflator would be, and so on, but as far as I'm concerned, the ability to get a decent, drinkable cucumber Moscow Mule for only five bucks on a Tuesday night in a semi-tourist trap bar like this is as inspiring an ode to the progress of civilization as you're likely to find. You could also see it as a sign of incipient terminal decadence as well, but we're all optimists here, right?

The Crew

Rome, Travis, Aaron, Davis, Sonali, Vince.

Notes

I can't count the number of times I've been to Maggie Mae's. Curiously, the majority of those times has been on the urging of someone not from Austin who somehow decided that Maggie Mae's was their favorite bar. Not that Maggie Mae's isn't a perfectly fine bar - in fact, with its cheap drinks, multiple stages for music, and fine rooftop patio, you could certainly do far worse on Dirty Sixth - I just wonder how someone decides that it's their favorite. To me, a favorite bar has to involve some kind of intimate personal connection, either by being a regular, knowing the owner, meeting someone special there, or having some kind of truly transcendent night there. By that measure, no bar on Sixth is or likely will ever be my favorite, since I don't live near here and am not a regular. 

However, if you think of it as a kind of Schelling point, it makes a lot more sense. It has just about all the attributes of a Dirty Sixth bar anyone would ever want, and so in that light, it's certainly as good as any other and in fact better than most: a solid corner solution for the "where should we go?" question. And of course, me thinking about favorite bars as a local is not at all how a non-Austinite would think: maybe cheap drinks, live music, and endless people-watching from the rooftop patio down at the street below is more than enough for a visitor. Or even a native - I've certainly had my share of good nights here, listening to one band or another, watching the stream of drinkers above match the torrent below. We were a bit too early for that flume of inebriates on this particular night, but there's always another night on Sixth.

#57: Alamo Drafthouse Ritz

The Bar

Alamo Drafthouse Ritz. 320 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 2/28/17 @ 8pm.

UPDATE: Alamo Drafthouse Ritz has closed.

The Drink

The Dude. Vodka, Kahlua, cream, cherry. $9.

The classic White Russian is so indelibly associated with The Big Lebowski that the Alamo just went ahead and named it after the main character (well, his nickname). It would do its eponym proud, since in typical Alamo fashion, their version is excellent, using real cream instead of the more typical half-and-half, and not forgetting to make it strong. Sometimes you'll get White Russians that are basically vodka lattes; not that I would complain about getting one of those, but this is a nice, well-crafted take on the iconic cocktail of chill that rewards with a buzz but doesn't overwhelm with sweetness. In the background you can see its siblings waiting to be served; the only thing better than one White Russian is a round.

The Crew

Vince, Travis, Rome, Sonali, Davis, Aaron

Notes

While movie theater bars don't have the reputation of hotel bars, a great drink can be found in the most unlikely places. I've seen plenty of films here and never thought that they had a separate bar, and although seeing a movie for the first round to get a drink and then doing the rest of Sixth sounded tempting, I'm trying not to cover places where you have to jump through hoops to get your drink. But you don't have to watch a movie to drink here, it turns out that you can just walk up to the main counter and order a round, which is what we did. If you haven't been to the Alamo before, they are the greatest movie chain in the world. Even if you have, the Ritz location is a unique place: it was the first theater in Austin to show movies with sound, and before the Alamo bought it in the mid-2000s it went through various incarnations as a comedy venue, club, music venue, porn theater, and bar. I personally still associate it with being a bar, since I played a lot of Area 51 here in the early 2000s while drinking some incredibly strong Long Island ice teas that I can still taste. But I'm glad it was renovated, because they show a lot of excellent smaller films here, as well as host specialty events like Master Pancake (one of the greatest regrets of my life is missing the Master Pancake Cage-a-Thon that Nic Cage himself showed up for). I'm not sure I would recommend just stopping in for a drink since there's not a great seating area in the lobby, but getting a drink with your movie is absolutely recommended.

#56: The Blind Pig Pub

The Bar

The Blind Pig Pub. 317 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 2/28/17 @ 7:30pm.

The Drink

Gin and tonic. Taaka gin, tonic. $4.

When my bartender kicked my standard question back to me, I barely hesitated before requesting my standby. A gin and tonic has been my go-to order from the dawn of time, since the memory of man runneth not to the contrary. Not that my memory after a few G&Ts can be fully trusted, but even if I might have mistrusted gin at the start, once I let it into my heart it never left me. It's a drink that's almost impossible to ruin, even with a bargain gin like Taaka. I have fond college memories of Taaka, which faithfully fueled many an evening with the few friends of mine who had developed a tolerance for gin. It won't ever win any awards for flavor, but it still tastes like fun to me and a few other brave souls out there who can look past its price tag. It's apparently owned by the Sazerac Company, of sazerac fame, and so hails from Louisiana by way of Kentucky, where the gin is physically distilled. It's not top shelf, and I won't be as florid in my praise for the humble gin and tonic as Douglas Adams was in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but it's a drink that's plenty good enough for the common man.

The Crew

Vince, Davis, Aaron, Sonali, Travis, Rome.

Notes

The Blind Pub is eerily similar to Maggie Mae's right next door - both are large two-story music venues with rooftop bars and several different semi-enclosed spaces, offering cheap drinks and live music. The layouts are slightly different, yet share enough of a resemblance enough to be slightly disorienting if you've been to Maggie Mae's a bunch but have never visited here, like me. I'm actually not sure why it's so much less well-known than its neighbor. We showed up early on the night of Mardi Gras. Maybe too early, as the vibe was oddly subdued, to the point where we were the only people with beads, and very nearly the only people period. I was expecting to see more of the younger crowd that flocks to bars like this, enticed by cheap weekday drinks and the promise of public nudity, yet it was nearly a ghost town. The sole excitement we had was watching some poor woman try to save her car from being towed - it was in the process of being hoisted up onto the tow truck when she ran out to see what the deal was. Luckily she managed to save her car and didn't have to engage in a speedrun of the denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance stages of the Kübler-Ross model. I won't claim that our helpfully yelled advice from the rooftop directly led to her victory, but you can't prove that it didn't! If God is a shout in the street, then surely we performed a miracle.