Where to Drink
Where to drink in Dallas right now: Bars with fresh seasonal cocktails
Quiet Gardner with rum, strawberries at Tommy Bahama.
The May edition of Where to Drink, CultureMap's monthly roundup of suggestions of the alcoholic variety, departs slightly from the usual theme, the usual theme being Happy Hours, IE where to drink on the cheap.
This list does include a new Happy Hour or two. But the prevailing theme is more about "new" rather than "cheap." Also seasonal: Just as restaurant kitchens have seasonal menus of food, these restaurant-based bars are introducing seasonal menus of drinks. One restaurant's patio bar is giving itself over to a summer theme entirely.
Here's where to drink for May:
Al Biernat’s
Steakhouse with two locations has new cocktails for spring through the end of summer. The Oak Lawn location has Paloma, Honey ($17) with Lalo Blanco, honey syrup, grapefruit, & lime; Elite Vesper ($18) with Stoli Elit. Farmers Botanical Gin and Lillet Blanc; and Tequil-A Mockingbird ($18) with Casa Noble Reposado, Licor 43, watermelon puree, lime, and mint. Al Biernat’s North has the Killer Bee ($15) with Siete Misterios Mezcal, honey water, lemon, & grapefruit; Planter’s Punch ($15.50) with Don Papa Rum, OJ, Monin Pomegranate, and Angostura Bitters; The Last Dance ($25), a tequila twist on the espresso martini with Cincoro Anejo Tequila, Espresso, Monin Organic Agave, and a gold rim; and Danae’s Delight ($15.25) with Villa Massa Limoncello, Pama Pomegranate, and Cava Brut.
Bulla Gastrobar
Spanish-style restaurant in Legacy West has launched two new Spring cocktails: The Punch it Up ($13.50) features Flor de Caña rum, Amarena cherry syrup, and other tropical notes; and the Passion Jalapeño Margarita ($13.50) with jalapeño passion syrup, Lunazul Blanco tequila, triple sec, and lime juice.
Elm & Good
American restaurant at the historic Kimpton Pittman Hotel in Deep Ellum now offers happy hour Tuesday-Friday from 4-6 pm with $5 local beers, $6 house red and white wines, and $7 select appetizers.
The Henry
Fox Restaurants Concepts restaurant at the Union building near downtown Dallas has transformed its rooftop bar into a "seaside" getaway through July 2, called Hamptons at The Henry, with cocktails, bites, and an elite party milieu. Drinks include Southampton Sangria ($14), with guava, pineapple, lemon, brandy, and white wine; Hamptons Pool Party ($150, serves 6-8), a large-format drink that's a mashup of margarita-meets-sparkling wine punch; and Sag Harbor Old Fashioned ($17). Beachy snacks include Mini Lobster Rolls ($23) with salt & vinegar chips, Crab Cake ($25) with tarragon remoulade & corn salad, and Seafood Platter ($51) with shrimp, oysters on the shell, spicy tuna, and avocado tartare cocktail sauce.
Monarch
Destination restaurant in Downtown Dallas has a new happy hour menu featuring $10 wines by the glass and cocktails, including favorites such as the refreshing Lemon Drop Martini with a sugar rim, the Vesper Martini with a twist of lemon and the always-in-style Cosmopolitan. Snacks include Island Creek Oysters with cucumber mignonette, the Seafood Tower with oysters, prawns, and crab claws ($35), and Black Truffle Arancini with crispy fried black truffle risotto topped with kaluga caviar ($12).
III Forks
Recently honored for its wine program with a Tastemaker Awards nomination, this Frisco steakhouse has a new "summer of sidecars" cocktail collection for summer, with sparkling mixers complemented by citrusy flavors, available through September 11: The Classic Sidecar with Remy Martin VSOP, Cointreau Orange Liqueur, and lemon juice, $15; Strawberry Rose Sidecar with Remy Martin VSOP, Cointreau Orange Liqueur, Monin Strawberry Rose Syrup, lemon juice, and Lunetta Prosecco, $16; and the Grand Sidecar with Grand Marnier Louis Alexandre, Longbranch Bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup, $17.
Tommy Bahama
Restaurant at Legacy West in Plano is always good for summer sipping and for 2023, has introduced seven new cocktails: Espresso Martini ($16) with Vanilla Vodka and Creme De Cocoa; Quiet Gardner ($13.50) with rum, strawberries, grapefruit juice, club soda, and lime; Pine For More ($15.50) with Don Q 7 Year, Giffard Caribbean Pineapple, lime, orgeat, and a pineapple cube; Mango Nada ($15) a spicy fruit-infused drink with Milagro Reposaadoo, Cointreau, mango, and a Tajin rim; and the Zero-Proof Sicilian Peach ($8), an upgraded peach lemonade with real fruit, Fever Tree lemonade, lemon wedges, and a jalapeno.
Frita, a Cuban-style burger. Photo by Noah Fecks