#28: Sophia's

The Bar

Sophia's. 500 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 2/8/17 @ 7:30pm.

UPDATE: Sophia's has closed.

The Drink

Old-Fashioned. Whiskey, sugar, Angostura bitters, orange. $12.

If you include the Slow & Low bottled version, this is the third Old-Fashioned I've had in the past three trips, and by far the best on the journey so far. I stupidly didn't ask what whiskey the bartender used, but it was excellent - very smooth, and the bartender even did the trick of running the orange peel along the rim of the glass, which most people don't even notice or appreciate but really shows an attention to detail. I also like that he used Angostura bitters, which have a fascinating history behind them (founded in 1824!), instead of something cheaper like I've seen other places do.

The Crew

Travis, Rome, Chris, Aaron.

Notes

No drinking plan survives contact with the streets. Just like with Lux, Google Maps didn't tell me that there was anything here, so I didn't include it in my master spreadsheet. We were all set to pass it by until Travis noticed the magic word Cocktails in fancy script on an awning overhead and we descended the steps to the slightly subterranean bar below. You can't just google your way around Sixth Street, you have to use your gumshoe (rumshoe?) skills on the pavement.

Sophia's is what took over Bess, Sandra Bullock's old restaurant. It bills itself as a supper club, but the bar area's got a speakeasy vibe to it. Even though it was only a Wednesday, the bar itself was packed enough for a Friday night - in the picture we're all laughing as a bartender tried to squeeze under the patron who was taking it. We sat along the low tables to the side and gradually savored our serendipitous drinks until it was time for another drink and some food.