#71: The 512

The Bar

The 512. 408 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 4/20/17 @ 12am.

The Drink

The 512. ​Frozen rum and coke, Sailor Jerry's rum, amaretto, simple syrup. $7.

Naming a drink after the bar itself is a bold move. Is it safe for any individual drink to bear the reputational weight of the whole bar upon its shoulders like some Atlas of alcohol? If customers don't like the drink, is it the eponym's fault, or could they be holding a grudge against the ambiance, the clientele, some subtle confluence of ill mood during the evening? The drink, and the bar, can breathe a bit easier, since Austin's original area code 512 is absolutely ubiquitous around town as a symbol of True Austin (sorry 737-havers!), and therefore the drink can get only positive vibes from the association. The 512 itself is... well, to be honest, it tasted like I imagine the legendary "Super Squishee made entirely out of syrup" did: extremely sweet, to the point where my teeth started to hurt a few sips in. I appreciated that they took frozen rum and coke and added even more rum to it, since it was plenty strong, but man, not even the most dedicated aspiring Junior Camper could stomach more than one of these per session, at least not without their own dental plan.

The Crew

Aaron, Gary, Stephanie.

Notes

In keeping with the goodwill bestowed upon the bar by its name, The 512 endeared itself to me right away, since no sooner did we walk in than the DJ started playing I Wish, one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time. Good background music makes a big difference in a bar's atmosphere, if you're one of those people who walk around with an imaginary soundtrack in your head, or if you like to jam out on the dance floor. There's two levels: the dance floor below, the lounge area above. There wasn't anyone upstairs (or downstairs, for that matter), so we had plenty of time to hang out on the upstairs balcony, awash in the light from colored raver LEDs, and gaze out at the street below. I was intrigued that the upstairs balcony had some peculiar glasswork (which you can see behind the benches in front) that I've only seen at the 1940s-vintage Barton Springs bathhouse. The buildings on this stretch of Sixth are old enough that it wouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibility for some past owner to have installed fancy glasswork, though the neon lights playing upon it here seemed as modern as you could want. The current owner is independent operator Benjamin Scott, which surprises me in this dense bar cluster since you would expect the property to be fiercely fought over by guys with big pockets. I hope there's always room on the street for newcomers to try to make their own mark.