Had a lovely Corpse Reviver II at Annie's downtown this past week. ;-)

Love the ginger infused vodka at the Clay Pit. Add a bit of Prosecco for bubbly ginger fun.

Blackberrry mojito at Maudie's is light, refreshing and delicious. Only downside is you can't tell you're drinking alcohol, so things can spiral out of control faster than you expect.

Had a really good Mexican Martini (and I've been on the prowl for the best) at Corazon recently. A bit pricey though... given that, I'd probably order again!

Good to know, Lee! I'm always looking for good drinks too. Another that sounds amazing is this blood orange margarita reviewed by the Statesman's Mike Sutter!

the blue hound at Lamberts... deee-vine.

At the moment? David's Southside at Annie's Cafe, Bill's Ginger Apricot Daquiri at FINO. Well, basically anything those two make rocks.

I still need to hang out at the FINO bar and have Bill make me something. I might just have to try that Daquiri. Is it frozen?

S. Congress Cafe bloody mary's are yummy and are a good HH deal. Good margaritas too.

xo
Ilyse

Apple Annies on 3rd and congress. David makes one mean whiskey cocktails.

Cucumber Martini [Hendricks, Cointreau, cucum juice, rosemary and cayenne pepper] @Peche_Austin is yum! Like a spa in a glass!

This sounds so delicious and refreshing!

bacon infused Maker's Mark from Frank

Frank also makes among the best bloody mary's in town. My fave used to be South Congress Cafe (still love 'em there) but now Frank and Shangri-La are my faves. Shangri-La has awesome spicy pepper infused vodka. yum!

The watermelon martini at The Good Knight!

I'm in a bit of a rut now with The Martinez. It is considered by many to be "the great grandfather of the Martini cocktail"

It's Sweet Vermouth, Gin, maraschino liqueur, bitters and a lemon twist. David at Annie's makes a great one!

Of course I had to google "Martinez cocktail" to find out the backstory of the great grandfather of the Martini. Here's what I found on Wikipedia:

There is an American creation myth that may or may not be based in fact. The story goes that during the days of the California Gold Rush, in 1849, a miner struck it rich and was returning to San Francisco. The miner, arriving in Martinez, the first large town he hit, wanted to celebrate. He walked into our leading bar and asked for Champagne, a beverage which was not available. However, the bartender told him (the miner) that he had something much better than Champagne and served a drink which the bartender said was a "Martinez Special". The miner liked the drink and ordered for the house. After he woke up, some time later, he proceeded on to San Francisco where he immediately went to a prominent bar and ordered a "Martinez Special". The bartender of course had never heard of the drink and asked the miner how it was made and where he had heard of the drink. The miner said that the drink was made with one part of very dry Sauterne wine and three parts of Gin, stir with ice and finish with an olive and was made in Martinez. The bartender tried the drink himself and liked it and of course had his friends drink it. Over a period of years the name Martinez became martini.[6]

The Martinez (the original)

The Martinez is considered by many to be "the great grandfather of the Martini cocktail"[11]

Dash of bitters; 2 dashes maraschino liqueur; 1 pony Old Tom gin; 1 wine glass vermouth; 1/4 slice lemon;

Mix all ingredients, except lemon, in a shaker with cracked ice, stir (not shake), then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Note: Original recipe advised adding two dashes of "gum (sugar) syrup, if the guest prefers it very sweet."

Although I usually stick with wine or vodka&soda, I do love a good martini. Surprisingly, the dirty martini at Black Sheep Lodge is among the best I've discovered in Austin. I tried it with some kind of Polish potato vodka, and it's extremely smooth with just the right balance of olive flavor. If you go to Black Sheep, definitely get one of their award-winning burgers to complement your beverage. Their sliders will melt in your mouth.

By the way, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the redesign! All of Jodi and Adam's hard work, creativity,patience and web expertise definitely paid off. Congrats!

Add the Black Sheep to the list of restaurants YOU need to take ME to! I just love ordering a dirty martini -- don't you? Makes me feel naughty.

I am so glad that you love the redesign. Adam is amazingly talented and thoughtful and this was surely a labor of love. Lots of work on the back-end -- recoding, tagging, and categorizing (and don't even get me started on the process of moving the photos from blogspot to Adam's server), but the end result is worth it!

Bees Knees at The Good Knight! It's made with lavender, honey, gin and lemon juice. MMmmm. Billy the bartender makes it that much sweeter!

I think I ordered that last winter when I had a bad cold and it was a very comforting beverage!