Fancy Person Cocktails

So, Rio Rita is a coffeeshop-cum-dive bar, with ripped-up vintage furniture and cool art strewn about, as well as a killer jukebox. But the reason you should stop by here for a drink is Rio Rita's preoccupation with liquor infusions, such as the jalapeno garlic vodka: It's the secret ingredient in their famous Bloody Mary's.

I was a big fan of East Side Show Room's cocktail menu when Adam Bryan manned the bar, but since Adam crossed I-35 for Second Bar + Kitchen (and now back to the east side for his own project, Motel), he left a solid drink list in his wake. Kelly O'Hare is ESSR's current barkeep, and the menu is a mix of classics (Moscow Mule, Pimm's Cup, Bee's Knees) and refreshing surprises, like the Pear Blossom: A mixture of Pear Eau De Vie, St. Germain, lime, and prosseco. Effervescent and feminine.

Word to the wise on Peche: Owner Rob Pate is there almost every night, so when you arrive, ask for him. In lieu of a cocktail menu consultation, simply wave Rob to your table, and ask him to predict a drink that you will like. Rob is a libations soothsayer, and though this is an absinthe bar (Austin's first), the real treat is taking that first sip of a drink specifically predicted to suit your taste buds. This is how I discovered the (off menu) Fig Manhattan -- earthy, rich, and perfect.

Bar-wise, Haddingtons opened with such a flourish in 2010: Famed Austin mixologist Bill Norris (who hates being called a "mixologist") designed their cocktail menu and worked the bar. But just because Norris is at the Alamo Drafthouse now doesn't mean Haddingtons bar isn't still a force to be reckoned with. I know, because I tried a Duck Fat Sazerac there recently: Rich, fruity, and utterly bizarre, I think you should try one, too.

I met Pam Pritchard three years ago during one of Tipsy Texan's cocktail classes, when she handed me her card with a picture of a black and white tiger on the front. "I'm starting a pub, but one where you order cocktails, not just beer," she explained. Just a few months later, I found it on North Loop: The Tigress, a tiny, best-kept-secret of a bar, where each drink costs $7 and packs a mighty punch (just like, I imagine, how a real tigress might). Try Brown Sugar Snow: Rye whiskey, Averna Amaro, lemon juice, and brown sugar syrup.

When it opened a few years back, Second Bar + Kitchen almost instantly became my equal opportunity hangout spot for in-law visits, workish happy hours, girls nights, and birthdays. And bar manager Billy Hankey -- who used to operate the much-missed Good Knight on east 6th -- is a big reason. You see, Billy is a throwback, the kind of bartender who doesn't forget a face (or a drink), the kind who will get your drink started for you as hobble up to the bar, the kind who has prompted my family members to say, "and I didn't even know I liked ginger beer!" Under his watch, cocktails are simply and classy, like the Gin + Jam: Literally a shaker of gin with a spoonful of housemade preserves. Just stir and sip.

Run by husband-and-wife team Michael and Jessica Sanders, Drink.Well is a newish bar on North Loop that not only boasts two award-winning lady bartenders (one of them being Jessica herself), but a clever cocktail menu that ranges from light and ladylike to heavy and Hemingway-esque. On the manly end of that spectrum, I'm a particular fan of "Pass the Dutchie," a husky whiskey drink made with Bols Genever, Cocchi Americano, cardamom bitters, and lime oils.

Vietnamese food is having a moment in Austin right now. It's always pretty good (in my book), but Elizabeth Street Cafe pushes the French end of things a bit more, resulting in their sparkling punch list. Play it safe with a Mandarin Mimosa, or get my favorite, the Shady Blonde: It's made with sparkling wine, Lillet, grapefruit and thyme.