#189: Austin Garden & Studio

The Bar

Austin Garden & Studio. 1221 E 6th St., Austin, TX 78702

Visited 7/21/2023 @ 10pm.

The Drink

Sunburnt Cowboy. Hornitos blanco tequila, aloe, cucumber, lime, spicy salt. $12.

I will confess that I don't have much to say about this drink; it was a strong and competent tequila cocktail. Hornitos is one of the classic well tequilas you see around; as such it doesn't have a spectacular reputation, although of course in a cocktail like this the tequila isn't meant to be savored as such. There's apparently no relation to the venerable local restaurant Cafe Hornitos. I didn't regret this drink but it just didn't make much of an impression on me, which means that if you're looking for a passable tequila cocktail, this is worth a look. 

The Crew

Aaron, Rome, Geoff, Jacob.

Notes

I've mentioned once or twice before how nice it is that so many of the new hotels on East Sixth have multiple bars. The different concepts allow experimentation with business models, clientele, and all the other aspects of the bar experience, with the added benefit for the owners that if patrons want a change of scene, it's very easy to simply funnel them to one of the other bars in the same building. Inn Cahoots wisely follows that model, and Austin Garden & Studio was the first of two of their three bars that we were able to visit the week of their opening (the "speakeasy" was too crowded), after having to wait about 30 minutes due to the usual opening night crowds. It's divided into two sub-bars: the divey indoor Studio bar that reminds me a great deal of Shangri-La down the street, and the spacious outdoor Garden bar with food trucks and TVs. The Studio bar has an interesting history (the building it's in was the site of Austin's first Spanish-language radio station KMXX, which itself has an interesting history); in its current form on opening night it was loud, with a DJ and a dance floor. We felt that the Garden bar was more conducive to chatting, so we headed outside. We were impressed by the fancy couches on one side of the Studio, where we watched the USA vs Vietnam Women's World Cup game, and the extensive beer garden and live music section on the other side. To get back and forth you pass under these cool LED arches, which I mention because it seems like every aspect of this bar has been carefully thought-out, and the arches were one of those little touches that made this a neat experience. We unfortunately weren't able to stay too long though; on to Bar Mischief!