Bar Review: The Dead Rabbit, Austin
One of the most famous cocktail bars in New York is, of all things, an Irish bar. The Dead Rabbit has been slinging Guinness and craft cocktails alike since 2013 — and it’s won all kinds of hosannahs, including a spot on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. We’ve seen two cocktail books from the team here, too.
Just barely a month ago the operation opened its first outpost outside of NYC. Again, the location offers a surprise: Austin, Texas, in the heart of Sixth Street.
Seeing as I live in Austin, I was excited to check out the experience. Could a high-end cocktail experience with $20 drinks compete on the notorious “Dirty Sixth?” Based on the lively crowd on a Wednesday evening, all signs seem to point to yes. During our visit there we tasted about nine cocktails from the bar’s current list and enjoyed some classic Irish pub fare to wash it all down. Wait, reverse that.
The space is just a few steps away from the renowned Driskill Hotel, pairing an upscale bar with upscale lodging. The proximity works, and the space selected for the location has a classy, Old World feel that is marred only by the bizarre decision to cover the floor with sawdust, surely a nod to Texas, though not a choice I would have made due to the mess it makes alone. (More than once during our visit I found a speck of sawdust had made it into my mouth.)
We began our evening here with what is surely the highlight of the place: frozen Irish coffee, served from a slushy machine. Close your eyes and you’ll think you’re sipping on a Starbucks confection. It’s not til you get to the bottom of the glass that any booziness becomes evident — where a splash of Teeling Small Batch Irish whiskey lingers. (Four spins on Irish coffee, including the classic presentation, are available.)
The cocktail list is busy but not overblown — with eight recipes exclusive to the Texas location, according to manager Mark Yawn. My favorites included the Spell Spoke (Foxes Bow Irish whisky, hibiscus, lime leaf, ginger, soda water), a tall refresher that was fruity and floral and oh-so-pretty with a dusting of spice on top. Boozehounds won’t sniff at Taking Liberties (Irish whiskey, Ardbeg 10, rum, cacao husk, vanilla), a spin on an Old Fashioned which didn’t taste of peat at all, nor was it overly sweet. The chocolate element, however, was rich and immersive, making for a delicious counterpoint to the whiskey.
A final huge hit: Lost in Translation, featuring Lost Irish whiskey, Toki, Midori, matcha, egg white, and lemon. Don’t be scared by the Midori: The melon works perfectly alongside the matcha, with the foamy egg white giving texture to honey, ginger-like elements.
Of course, if you want to Keep Austin Weird, there are certainly some oddball concoctions on here that I enjoyed but not as much as others. The Twilight Zone is probably the furthest out-there of the bunch, a blend of Teeling, Guinness, amaro, black currant, maple, and lemon. I could have sworn the ultra-rich drink had Port in it.
What about the food you ask? Well, I couldn’t skip the All-Day Irish Breakfast, which is as authentic as the one I had in Dublin, and about twice as much food as I could eat. I don’t know who else is serving both white and black pudding alongside house-made pork sausages in Austin, Texas, but if they’re half as enjoyable as The Dead Rabbit’s version, they’re next on my to-eat list. Fish and chips were crispy and, again, authentic with the inclusion of mushy peas and imported tartar sauce. A sausage roll appetizer, crispy on the outside with a phyllo-like dough and not at all greasy, even included sweet-tart Branston Pickle as an accompaniment. I didn’t have a bite of anything I didn’t enjoy fully.
Other entrees here are more Texified — though I didn’t try them. Fried chicken is made with a batter of Lone Star Beer, and Texas caviar — build on black-eyed peas — is available as an entree, presumably for the vegetarians who wander into this altar of meat.
When am I going back? Certainly on a Sunday, when a traditional prime rib roast dinner is served (exclusively). And, just maybe, this time I’ll pair it with a Guinness.
204 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701
thedeadrabbit.com
