August in Austin is unofficially regaled as the "season of the Spritz" as locals hunt for the hottest refreshing cocktail to keep their minds off the summer heat. The city is constantly buzzing with news about its many fun cocktail bars, breweries, and distilleries, which can make it hard keep up with the lively nightlife scene.

Here are nine events, happy hours, and new releases to help Austinites find their next favorite hangout spot or hidden gem cocktail in August.

ICYMI: A lot has happened since our July column, so let's recap. Driftwood-based Desert Door Texas Sotol is growing its national distribution and will soon be on shelves across 46 states and Washington, D.C. Perry's Steakhouse is celebrating its 46th anniversary with the release of an exclusive new Champagne. Among Austin's new watering holes, guests can check out downtown cocktail spot Revenge Bar, a second Austin location for popular wine bar chain Postino, and a sushi and cocktail pop-up bar called Konbini, from the team behind Michelin-recognized omakase restaurant Tare.

New happy hours, beer releases, and openings

Zilker Brewing Co. is partnering with local businesses, breweries, and artists to create limited-edition cans for four new collaborative beverages, all inspired by the spirit of Austin. The new beer releases include Primos, a Mexican-style lager; a Crispy Corp pilsner in collaboration with Hold Out Brewing; and Lizard Juice, a fruited Imperial kettle sour developed with local artist Cara Jackson. The fourth new release is the tropical Sunny Spokes Hop Water, created alongside Fairdale Bikes. The new cans are available at the Zilker Brewing taproom and in select stores.

East Austin hangout spot Uptown Sports Club recently revamped its happy hour, taking place from 2-6 pm, and added two new martinis on the happy hour menu: The Mar-TEA-ni featuring rosemary black tea-infused gin; and the Kind-a Big Dill-tini, made with a dill-infused Tito’s vodka, pickle juice, and everything bagel seasoning. Each martinis is $10. The restaurant has also launched its new "Beertuni" menu pairing classic beers with briny bites for just $5.50 each. The three new beverages are The OG (Coors Banquet with olives and olive juice), The Eastside (Modelo with a Tajín rim, lime, and sweet drop peppers); and the Popped Blue Collar (Pabst Blue Ribbon with lemon and cocktail onions).

There's a new wine bar and restaurant debuting in downtown Fredericksburg: Calivence Wine Tasting Bar & Bistro is teasing an August opening on social media, and will soon delight Hill Country visitors with handcrafted sake cocktails and flights that pair pours with Texas-sourced “petite entrées.” Following its official debut, the bistro will be open daily from 11 am to 9 pm.

Events

Austin Pride is starting off strong with New Waterloo hospitality group's month-long bar crawl called the Spritz Sprint. Locals can pick up a challenge card and collect stickers for ordering a signature spritz cocktail at eight participating hangouts now through September 3. Cards must be completed by 10 pm on September 3 in order to claim a Spritz Sprint Swag Bag and a raffle entry for the grand prizes. A portion of proceeds from the bar crawl will be donated to local LGBTQIA+ nonprofit Equality Texas. A list of participating bars can be found on New Waterloo's website.

Horseshoe Bay Resort's 12th annual Beer by the Bay Festival is returning August 8-9 for two nights of country music, beer tastings, and gourmet meals. Friday's music lineup will include performances by Kody West, Jason Boland and The Stragglers, and Tracy Byrd. Saturday's lineup will feature Bart Crow, Aaron Tippin, and Randy Rogers Band. Single-night festival packages begin at $624, and two-night packages start at $524.

There's no better way to cool off than with a tiki drink in hand, and Desert Door is celebrating Tiki Week from August 14-17 with a new lineup of tropical-inspired cocktails – including a special tiki drink in a souvenir cup. On Saturday, August 17, the distillery will have fresh oysters from Little Moon ($15 for a half dozen or $30 for a dozen) until sold out. Attendees who are planning to visit on Saturday can RSVP for free via Eventbrite.

The Austin Food and Wine Foundation will host a rosé tasting class on Wednesday, August 20, as part of the organization's Imbibe wine education series. The Rosé All Day! experience will be led by Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group wine director Ali Schmidt, and will include specialty bites from Mediterranean restaurant Ezov. The events will be held from 4:30-6 pm, and from 6:30-8 pm. Tickets are $60 per person for members, and $80 for non-members.

Other news and notes

Driftwood-based beermakers Vista Brewing recently took home two national awards at the U.S. Open Beer Competition. The brewery's farmhouse-style ale Le Saison won gold in the competition's French and Belgian Saison category, and the strawberry barrel aged sour ale Daydreamer won gold in the Barrel-Aged Fruited Sour category. Both brews can be found at the Driftwood taproom and at various Central Texas grocery and liquor stores.

Tito's Handmade Vodka recently debuted its new limited edition Summer Variety Pack featuring four different cocktail glasses and two shot glasses for any mixology enthusiasts who want to upgrade their gear. The shatterproof cups are made with copolyester plastic and are top-rack dishwasher safe for convenience. The pack retails for $50, and 100 percent of net proceeds from each pack sold will be donated to a customer's choice of nonprofit that Tito's supports.