The Bar
J. Stephens Bar. 214 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701
Visited 2/22/2020 @ 11:30pm.
The Drink
Roses are red, have three of these and you'll be dead. Everclear, St. Germain, yellow chartreuse, simple syrup, lime juice. $14.
Apologies for the extremely red photo - it's a red drink under red light, and so even a skilled, sober photographer would end up with this scarlet smear. But it was appropriate for the Valentine's Day season, because the extremely long name is just a poetic way to describe an extremely alcoholic version of the cocktail known as the love potion. Instead of vodka, sub in Everclear; for grenadine, replace with St. Germain; rather than cranberry juice, try yellow chartreuse; bit by bit you have transformed a reasonable update on the humble cosmopolitan which would be suitable for date night into a powerhouse booze delivery vehicle that, even if it didn't deliver on its name and kill you after you had 3 of them, would at least leave your date worried about your risk of alcohol poisoning, and what could be more romantic than that? However, before they abandon you face-down at the table they should make sure to try a sip of the drink, because it's not nearly as harsh as I've made it sound - St. Germain is the premier elderflower liqueur, which gives the drink floral notes; yellow chartreuse is the sweeter, mellower sibling of green in the chartreuse family; and there's enough lime juice and simple syrup to smooth over any remaining rough edges. I only had 1 of these, but I'd still go home with me after 3.
The Crew
Travis, Brent, Aaron.
Notes
At first I wasn't sure if this place was eligible for my quest - it has a Sixth Street address (in fact the very same one as its sister bars Happy Chicks and BBG's), but it's not on the street at all, you have to get to it via the alley in the back. Well we shouldn't neglect the alleys of Austin, as Michael Martin Murphey would remind us, and I'm not about to start an argument with the Post Office, so if you head up San Jacinto, duck into the alley, and head about halfway to Firehouse Lounge, J. Stephens is the unassuming entryway on your left. Inside is the dim, dank, snug atmosphere that's the signature ambience of a speakeasy, although this place doesn't make you jump through as many hoops to get in as Midnight Cowboy or Floppy Disk Repair Co., which I appreciated since life is too short to futz around with passcodes and other nonsense. You get the cozy convivial vibe of an exclusive establishment without the hassle, so if you're looking for a craft cocktail lounge off the beaten path that won't make you solve these riddles three in order to get into a goddamn bar, J. Stephens is a solid choice.
If you're curious who the bar is named after, I would be remiss if I didn't relate the backstory, which your valentine might appreciate:Owner Doug Guller based the name of the bar on the story of a man, John Waller Stephens, Jr., who had been the bookkeeper of a furniture store at the Sixth Street space in the 1920s. After being accused of embezzling money from the business, he committed suicide. Over the past ten or so years that Guller had operated restaurants in the building, employees reported strange things happening, like water being randomly turned on. He named the bar after Stephens, Jr., as a way “to make peace with him and get him on our side,” he said.
We didn't run into any ghosts when we were there, so I think it worked.
At first I wasn't sure if this place was eligible for my quest - it has a Sixth Street address (in fact the very same one as its sister bars Happy Chicks and BBG's), but it's not on the street at all, you have to get to it via the alley in the back. Well we shouldn't neglect the alleys of Austin, as Michael Martin Murphey would remind us, and I'm not about to start an argument with the Post Office, so if you head up San Jacinto, duck into the alley, and head about halfway to Firehouse Lounge, J. Stephens is the unassuming entryway on your left. Inside is the dim, dank, snug atmosphere that's the signature ambience of a speakeasy, although this place doesn't make you jump through as many hoops to get in as Midnight Cowboy or Floppy Disk Repair Co., which I appreciated since life is too short to futz around with passcodes and other nonsense. You get the cozy convivial vibe of an exclusive establishment without the hassle, so if you're looking for a craft cocktail lounge off the beaten path that won't make you solve these riddles three in order to get into a goddamn bar, J. Stephens is a solid choice.
Owner Doug Guller based the name of the bar on the story of a man, John Waller Stephens, Jr., who had been the bookkeeper of a furniture store at the Sixth Street space in the 1920s. After being accused of embezzling money from the business, he committed suicide. Over the past ten or so years that Guller had operated restaurants in the building, employees reported strange things happening, like water being randomly turned on. He named the bar after Stephens, Jr., as a way “to make peace with him and get him on our side,” he said.
We didn't run into any ghosts when we were there, so I think it worked.
