Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 bars with ultra-hot happy hours

Fall has (almost) arrived and if there's one thing that a change in seasons always brings to mind, it's Happy Hours. This August edition of Where to Drink rounds up five new candidates with exciting Happy Hour programs, some with great drink specials, some with food and drink, and one that's really just all about a cheap martini at lunch.

Here's our list of spots for Where to Drink in August:

Apothecary
Greenville Avenue cocktail bar has many things in the works including two recently introduced new menus: a new regular cocktail menu PLUS a new Happy Hour menu. The new regular cocktail menu has some out-there items such as the Holy Pozole cocktail made with corn that's inspired by the Mexican soup. You'll have to do that on your own time, because we're here for the Happy Hour. The new lineup includes a lemon drop with Absolute citron; rum with passion fruit & ginger beer; dark rum with soda & bitters; and mezcal with Génépi, an herbal liqueur. Prices run from $8 to $11, and the Happy Hour runs almost every day, Sunday through Friday 5-7 pm.

Barcelona Wine Bar
For the first time ever, the Mediterranean-inspired tapas spot in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood has launched an all-new Happy Hour with drinks, bites, and specials that can only be found during this new Happy Hour timeframe. Available Monday-Thursday 4-6 pm, it’s designed to support the existing tapas and Mediterranean-style cuisine already on the menu and draw in the community to try new, interesting items not found on the regular menu. That means half price on all bottles of sparkling wine, plus 7-ounce beers starting at $3.75, along with drinks such as the mini espresso martini, mini dirty martini with gin and green olive infused dry vermouth, and the cool Sacaback, a sherry shot blended with brandy and served with a side of Guindilla pepper brine. Happy Hour foodstuffs include potato chips with Lomo Ibérico, crispy chickpeas with pimentón, beef tartare with mustard vinaigrette, and mini churros with dulce de leche. Fantástico!

Dahlia on Ross
Southern-European inspired spot at Ross & Hall in East Dallas is bringing back the 3-martini lunch, one quarter at a time. On Fridays, they're doing a lunch special from 11 am-3 pm featuring a 25-cent martini, either their Ketel One Classic martini or their Ketel Oranje Espresso Martini. You only get one at this price, and it must be ordered with a food menu item. Come on, no coming in and just ordering a 25-cent martini. But if you wish to continue your Friday day-drinking, their Dahlia cocktail (Ketel One, watermelon juice, basil) is $6 instead of the usual $13, beer is $5, and house wine and Prosecco are $7.

Harper's
Deep Ellum steakhouse with a global menu is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a variety of fanfares and that includes the thing we care about most in the Where to Drink space: a new Happy Hour menu. It's generous in price and selection, with deals on the drinks and a menu of good bites as well. Drinks-wise, it's half off all of their signature cocktails, beer, and wine (with the exception of sparkling, dang). Snacks include Thai potstickers, deviled eggs, hummus with crudite, Korean fried cauliflower, tempura, and Szechuan chili chicken, all $8 each.

Sky Blu Rooftop Bar
Design District rooftop bar on the ninth floor of the Tru by Hilton Dallas Market Center off Interstate 35 hosts Happy Hour every day from 4-7 pm, featuring $7 well cocktails, $6 draft beer, $5 house wines, $6 frose, and $10 signature cocktails. Did you say frose? The setting is pretty divine, featuring a sprawling outdoor and indoor space with abundant seating, comfy couches, fire pits, and views from here to downtown Dallas and back.