#171: Mala Vida

The Bar

Mala Vida. 708 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 1/30/21 @ 10pm.

The Drink

Balleta shot. Tequila, watermelon, pineapple, cranberry, Tajín. $5.

"Balleta" means "ballet", which fits in with the other dance-themed drinks that Mala Vida has on special. I did not catch the exact brand of tequila that was used, but it was a decent pour, especially for only $5. Reasonable prices for shots are rare on Sixth these days, especially for ones that taste as good as these - just the right blend of fruit flavors to cover up the unmistakable taste of well tequila, and some Tajín at the end for flavor. You can't ask for a more solid shot than this.

The Crew

Karen, Mark, Aaron.

Notes

Tonight was my birthday and this was the first stop. One of the unhappy aspects of Sixth Street that usually doesn't come up on this blog is the violence. I don't intentionally minimize it, but for me it really doesn't usually ever come up. Whether due to luck or drinking patterns, I can go many visits without ever having to having to think about anything more pressing than the next drink. However, Mala Vida vividly reminded me of the darker side of Austin's main entertainment street via the incredibly thorough patdowns that the security guy gave us on entry. Mala Vida replaced The Gatsby sometime back in 2018 (RIP); I don't know if there was some sort of incident here that prompted them to do mandatory weapons searches, but any kind of screening at the door is enough to give off bad vibes for someone who just wants a stiff drink and good times. 

Unlike The Gatsby, which was your generic general purpose bar that had typical Sixth bands play, Mala Vida is much more focused on the music venue portion, specifically contemporary Mexican dance music, which is a whole other world from your average country/blues-focused bar band. I have talked a bunch before about how great it is that Austin has room for all genres of live music, but unfortunately they had the music in the bar area blasting WAY too loud to be comfortable. Even worse, there was a $25 charge to go out back on the patio where the DJ was actually spinning. Faced with incipient deafness and wanting a better birthday scene, we downed our drinks and beat a hasty retreat for quieter and more relaxed bars.