The Bar
The Gatsby. 708 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701
Visited 7/14/17 @ 8:30pm.
UPDATE: The Gatsby has closed.
Old-Fashioned. Bulleit rye whiskey, Angostura bitters, bing cherry, orange. $7.50.
The fifth Old-Fashioned I've been served thus far, this was neither the greatest nor the worst, although now that I think about it I couldn't really pick a "worst", since all of them have been fairly enjoyable, even the wackier ones like Clearport's. There's a lot of room within the basic contours of the Old-Fashioned template for a bartender to use their creativity. I'm glad the bartender went with the rye whiskey variant over bourbon; even though I loved the bourbon version that Ruth's Chris made, I happened to be feeling more like rye whiskey that evening. She was really good at her job, jumping eagerly at the chance to make me something she thought I'd like, even offering to just dump more whiskey in my drink if I thought it needed more (I said yes). She talked up the bing cherries they carry, and I have to agree with her that a good cherry adds a lot to a drink - there's a reason that the "cherry on top" colloquialism exists! I found the excessive amount of ice cubes weird and more fitting for a cheap whiskey coke than for a classic cocktail, but hey: it's just ice, and we are still on Dirty Sixth after all.
Kaylee, Michael, Aaron, Rome, Phil (not pictured), Charles (not pictured).
Friendly staff goes a long way towards making me consider going back to a place after this quest is over. The Gatsby is a decent bar in all other respects - solid drinks at reasonable prices, a nice interior with plenty of room for the live music they have occasionally, a spacious outdoor patio overlooking Waller Creek - and the great service provided by the bartenders each time I've been here has been a great X-factor that makes it really stand out. There's a lot to ponder about what makes "good service", since any bozo can slop liquor into a cup and hand it out to the person providing money for it. Why do some places have it while other places don't? According to the bartender, The Gatsby is owned by a former bartender who struck out on his own, and probably it's that same I've-been-in-those-trenches mentality that's been instilled in the current front-line drink-slingers to make them so likable. Running a successful bar is surprisingly difficult, as shown by the remains of countless fallen bars underneath the current crop like so many ancient Roman ruins, and even if The Gatsby didn't have all of its many physical charms, it would still be worth coming back to for its welcoming attitude alone.
The Drink
Old-Fashioned. Bulleit rye whiskey, Angostura bitters, bing cherry, orange. $7.50.
The fifth Old-Fashioned I've been served thus far, this was neither the greatest nor the worst, although now that I think about it I couldn't really pick a "worst", since all of them have been fairly enjoyable, even the wackier ones like Clearport's. There's a lot of room within the basic contours of the Old-Fashioned template for a bartender to use their creativity. I'm glad the bartender went with the rye whiskey variant over bourbon; even though I loved the bourbon version that Ruth's Chris made, I happened to be feeling more like rye whiskey that evening. She was really good at her job, jumping eagerly at the chance to make me something she thought I'd like, even offering to just dump more whiskey in my drink if I thought it needed more (I said yes). She talked up the bing cherries they carry, and I have to agree with her that a good cherry adds a lot to a drink - there's a reason that the "cherry on top" colloquialism exists! I found the excessive amount of ice cubes weird and more fitting for a cheap whiskey coke than for a classic cocktail, but hey: it's just ice, and we are still on Dirty Sixth after all.
The Crew
Kaylee, Michael, Aaron, Rome, Phil (not pictured), Charles (not pictured).
Notes
Friendly staff goes a long way towards making me consider going back to a place after this quest is over. The Gatsby is a decent bar in all other respects - solid drinks at reasonable prices, a nice interior with plenty of room for the live music they have occasionally, a spacious outdoor patio overlooking Waller Creek - and the great service provided by the bartenders each time I've been here has been a great X-factor that makes it really stand out. There's a lot to ponder about what makes "good service", since any bozo can slop liquor into a cup and hand it out to the person providing money for it. Why do some places have it while other places don't? According to the bartender, The Gatsby is owned by a former bartender who struck out on his own, and probably it's that same I've-been-in-those-trenches mentality that's been instilled in the current front-line drink-slingers to make them so likable. Running a successful bar is surprisingly difficult, as shown by the remains of countless fallen bars underneath the current crop like so many ancient Roman ruins, and even if The Gatsby didn't have all of its many physical charms, it would still be worth coming back to for its welcoming attitude alone.
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