And yet even though it took longer, this stretch of Dirty Sixth went down far easier than the first half. Despite containing bars that are just as dirty, if you will, I didn't encounter any of the lows here that I did there. No bugs in my whiskey! No awful Rumple Minze shots either, or more than the expected number of gimmick drinks, which actually turned out to be quite good, more often than not. No matter if it was a college bar, a dive bar, a club; most of them really rolled out the red carpet for our crew, giving us a good selection of cocktails, and even when they were reduced to offering shots, they were always good and only very rarely tourist-priced. I lost count of the number of bars that bragged that they were "regulars-driven", but their boasts were based on some solid truths: somehow, despite it all, thousands of Austinites brave the parking and the heat, the drunks and the homeless, the festivals and the holidays, the tourists and the cops, the short pours and the hefty tabs, to make themselves feel at home on what is still at heart one large third place, a stretch of road nearly unique in the United States.
I think part of that sense of uniqueness comes from the historic preservation of the storefronts, which is similar to the spirit of Bourbon Street save for the fact that Bourbon Street was primarily residential before its transformation, unlike the commercial heritage of Sixth Street. Drinking is literally serious business here. You can't drink architecture, of course, but after enough visits, the aesthetic really grows on you. Robust brickwork, sturdy timber high ceilings, broad live oaks, just enough neon, and music everywhere - eventually you can't imagine a stretch of bars looking any other way. It's an interesting historical twist of fate that the preservation of the majority of Austin's vintage buildings was primarily accomplished by transforming them into bars, but perhaps it shouldn't be so surprising; even the oldest residential building on Sixth was itself once a bar. If you're looking for physical proof of Austin's dedication to the good life in spite of the heavy alcohol regulations imposed on it by a conservative state, just look around you!
And now for some statistics!
Top 5 Bars
Using a completely subjective formula that takes into account the quality of the drink, the ambiance of the bar, the friendliness of the bartender, and my own level of intoxication, here are my top five bars:
Booze Brothers participating
Total: 26
- Aaron: 28
- Travis: 17
- Hannah: 12
- Davis: 11
- Karen: 8
- Rome: 6
- Kyle: 5
- Cristy: 4
- Louis: 4
- Chris: 4
- Cecilia: 4
- Vince: 3
- Gary: 3
- Stephanie: 3
- Michael: 2
- Kaylee: 2
- Kyle H: 2
- Phil: 2
- Charles: 2
- Geoff: 1
- Elijah: 1
- Cat: 1
- Ryan: 1
- Tim: 1
- Jacob: 1
- Bobby: 1
Establishments visited
Total: 28
- Bars: 27
- Venues: 1
Drinks consumed
Total: 28*
- Cocktails: 18
- Shots: 9
- Beers: 1
- Other: 0
- Wines: 0
* Obviously I drank WAY more than that.
Money spent
Total: $220.50*
* That doesn't include taxes, tip, or the food or extra drinks I bought.
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