The 15 best cocktails in Austin

Watertrade, the shoebox-sized cocktail den next door to nationally-recognized Otoko, is quietly serving top notch spirits and a handful of thoughtful cocktails, each laced with Japanese flavors. The silky Goma Fashioned combines rye whiskey, toasted sesame and vanilla over a large ice cube for a cocktail with smooth yet booze-forward qualities. Previously, Watertrade was open only to those dining at Otoko but is now open to all guests!

Although The Hollow is technically 20-ish miles North in Georgetown, the restaurant’s unique persona is one we’d be fools not to claim. The restaurant’s highly imaginative New American fare is complemented by the equally whimsical new cocktail menu—created by Beverage Director Ricky Cobia. The standout cocktail is an off-menu, available-by-request-only cocktai—Creyente 100% Espadin mezcal, Ancho Reyes and Cynar infused with roasted coffee beans, St-Germain, honey and ginger reduction, walnut bitters and house-made mole bitters, served under a bell jar filled with hickory smoke. 

The Cigar Box at the Roosevelt Room is a treat for the eyes and the nose (not to mention the mouth!). It’s made with mescal, smoked black tea syrup, lavender bitters and tobacco bitters and garnished with a flamed cinnamon stick—boom. One of the bar’s many signature cocktails, the Cigar Box has quickly developed a cult following amongst Austin’s mescal lovers.

Olamaie’s refined, signature style carries over into their cocktail program; the visually beautiful drinks—designed by bar manager Erin Ashford—are teeming with bright, seasonal flavors. We’re big fans of Under the Volcano; smoky mezcal combines with unexpected tropical bursts of bright passion fruit and mellow banana liqueur finished with a few dashes of orange bitters for a sophisticated tropical cocktail. Is it any wonder that it's become one of our favorite late-summer sippers.

Cocktails with fat-washed spirits are popping up on the menus of Austin’s top bars, and June’s house martini is one that utilizes the technique with perfect restraint. Sipsmith London dry gin is infused with extra virgin olive oil—from a Texas olive ranch located in South Texas—and garnished with Sicilian Casavatano olives for a martini with the delicate flavor of high quality olive oil without the brininess (or outdated stigma)of the typical “dirty.”

The former Longbranch Inn has been transformed into Nickel City, a refreshingly unpretentious cocktail bar with two NOLA-inspired frozen drinks on the menu, including a Frozen Irish Coffee. The cocktail is a frosty blend of Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey, coffee liqueur and cream and serves as an homage to the bestselling version served at Erin Rose, the divey French Quarter Irish pub which attracts industry folks and tourists alike.