where to drink

Where to drink in Austin right now: a clarified cocktail menu and new Texas bourbon

Devil May Care has new clarified concoctions for Austinites to imbibe.

Photo courtesy of Devil May Care

From new cocktail menus to limited edition spirit releases, Austin is buzzing with fun bars, breweries, and distilleries. It can be hard to keep up with what's going on in Austin's bar scene, so we've rounded up the most refreshing releases, events, and news to help Austinites find their next favorite hangout spot or hidden gem cocktail.

ICYMI: The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards are coming up in April, and we've got a first look at the 10 best local breweries that were nominated this year, including Hill Country favorites Family Business Beer Co. and Jester King Brewery. Plan a few visits to sample their brews firsthand before heading to Distribution Hall on April 11 to find out who takes home the coveted trophy at our signature tasting event and ceremony.

New menu

Downtown Austin underground loungeDevil May Care has launched its new clarified cocktail menu with 11 crystal clear beverages for guests to enjoy. The new menu is divided into a classics section ("The Devil You Know") and a new offerings section ("The Devil You Don't"). It also features one mocktail, the zero-proof clarified pineapple Garibalidi. Stick to the classics with the Hellfire (LALO Tequila, dry curacao, fresno chili, blood orange, lime, agave), or branch out for something new like the Naked Infamous (Rosaluna Mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, lime).

Freshly bottled

Another 2024 Tastemaker nominee, St. Elmo Brewing, will debut a double barrel-aged imperial stout and a frozen mole espresso martini during a Winter Walkout event on Saturday, February 24 from 12-5 pm. The brewery has also brought back fan-favorite brew Vaya - Coffee Cream Ale in collaboration with Spokesman Coffee. The 6.1 percent ABV beer is bright-tasting, caffeinated, and has a smooth mouthfeel that will have enthusiasts feeling like they're enjoying a delicious coffee.

For the bourbon lovers, a new Texas-made bourbon on the market is paying homage to the Father of the Texas Panhandle. California-based winery Foley Family Wines, whose founder is a Texas native and relative of the famed cattle driver Charles Goodnight, has reintroduced the truly Texas-distilled and six-year-aged Charles Goodnight Bourbon at a higher proof (115 proof versus its original 100 proof) and bolder flavor. With tasting notes of apricots, peaches, caramel, brown sugar, and honey, this bourbon can be enjoyed neat or alongside a delicious steak dinner, like Charles Goodnight himself would have. Charles Goodnight Bourbon retails for $79.99.

Hill Country sotol makerDesert Door has launched its first 2024 Explorer Series sotol, Shaconage, a fresh take on the distillery's oak-aged variety. The newer spirit was aged for 12 months in barrels that were previously used to age Spanish sherry and Virginia single malt whisky. The results are a "toasty" sotol with notes of peppercorn, honey, caramel, almond, and cherry. Desert Door's Shaconage sotol will be available for purchase in bottles and in new cocktails for a limited time.

Events

Oaxacan-Japanese-inspired speakeasyTrona is teaming up with the highly acclaimed Los Magos Sotol to host a master class experience on Monday, February 26. Attendees will learn about Los Magos' sustainability efforts, while taking a deep dive into the brand's triple-distilled sotol. Guests will be treated to a cocktail and tastings, and get to meet Los Magos cofounder Juan Pablo Carvajal. Limited reservations are available for standing room tickets ($25), four-person booths ($140), and six-person booths ($210). Reserve via Eventbrite.

It's nearly time to say happy birthday to a special East Austin dive bar. Mama Dearest is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a big Bayou Voodoo Party on Thursday, February 29. From 5 pm to midnight, patrons can get their palms read, get a tarot reading, or nab a Mama Dearest flash tattoo while enjoying live zydeco music and indulging in a classic seafood boil.

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Peak Plates

7 Austin restaurants make OpenTable's top 100 for 2024

Jeffrey's Restaurant/Instagram

Jeffrey's Restaurant is a great example of the type of fancy, well-established restaurant that made the list.

Restaurant reservation website OpenTable has issued its new list of the top 100 restaurants in America for 2024, and seven Austin restaurants have made the list. That's already impressive at a glance — 7 percent of the entire national list in just one city — but compared to other Texas cities, it's huge. Austin is the only Texas city to have more than one restaurant on the list.

The "2024's Top 100 Restaurants" list is a compilation of the most sought-after and top-ranked restaurants in the U.S. based on 14 million verified reviews on OpenTable from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. Restaurants are not ranked, but arranged in alphabetical order by state.

Austin's seven restaurants (including several repeats from OpenTable's 2023 list) are:

Aba: Known for its laid-back, yet fancy patio and being a popular spot for visiting celebrities
J Carver's: Known for a commitment to the classic steakhouse experience and legitimately fancy dining
Jeffrey's Restaurant: Known for fine dining, a connection to Austin before its boom, and a fantastic wine program
Red Ash Italia: Known for approachable, yet high-quality Italian food with rustic touches
Sammie's Italian: Known for its romantic take on the archetype of an East Coast Italian joint
Uchi: Known for bringing Austin into the national sushi conversation and defining the scene
Uchiko: Known for a cool atmosphere and getting creative with sushi and other small plates

Austinites will probably not be surprised by this list, which names some very well-established restaurants that are all upscale. These qualities tend to appeal to similar lists, regardless of who's curating them.

It is interesting, given that the list was democratically based on user ratings, that there were not more beloved food trailers or casual spots. However, other factors that led to high rankings included alerts set and reservations made ahead — things that don't really apply to even the most awesome taco truck.

Mediterranean food was a trend among the Austin picks. Red Ash Italia and Sammie's Italian are, as the names would imply, completely dedicated to Italian food, while Aba covers a wider swath of the Mediterranean. There were also two steakhouses: J Carver's and Jeffrey's Restaurant.

As list-perusers may have guessed, Uchi and Uchiko are in the same family of restaurants, with Uchi being the more formal and Uchiko being a bit more accessible for drop-in meals and cocktails. But are two more incognito duos of sibling restaurants on the list: J Carver's and Red Ash, and Jeffrey's Restaurant and Sammie's Italian.

That could be a coincidence. It could also be a reflection of the utility of money and experience in opening a good restaurant, or a lesson about the effects of good (and expensive) marketing. Whatever it is, it doesn't sound like hospitality groups had any direct sway on how OpenTable made its choices.

This list was different from the inaugural list of OpenTable Icons, which launched in 2024. The "Icons" list chose restaurants that are getting a lot of buzz, which ended up being more subjective. It also seemed to let in — as a side effect of the process, rather than a hard eligibility rule — more new and Mexican restaurants. Two restaurants are on both lists: Red Ash and Jeffrey's.

Restaurants outside of Austin that made the Top 100 list, organized alphabetically, are:

Hudson House — Dallas
Steak 48 — Houston
Signature — San Antonio

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