The Best Steakhouse Cocktails in Austin and San Antonio
With the holidays upon us, it’s time for one thing: drinking with reckless abandon. And spending time with family, perhaps. But mostly drinking. Fortunately, steakhouses in Austin and San Antonio have your needs covered with an array of unique, alluring cocktails so you can sip in style all season long. Here are some of the best cocktails in Austin and San Antonio right now, and where to drink them.
Vince Young Steakhouse: This Austin steakhouse keeps things relatively light and fresh for its cocktails, which is great so that you can save your indulgence for heartier dishes on the menu. Drink-wise, options include the namesake inVINCEable, a variation on a margarita with Patron Citronge and agave nectar. There’s also the Rose Bowl, a Texa homage with gin, Texas grapefruit and rosé Cava and a whiskey sipper freshened up with St-Germaine liqueur, Caton and fresh squeezed lemon juice.
III Forks Prime Steakhouse: This Texas-based steakhouse chain has a serious penchant for cocktails and mixology, with a steady supply of house favorites supplemented with seasonal highlights. Right now, that means the Austin outpost is slinging South Sides made with gin, lime juice, mint leaves and simple syrup; Hemingway Daiquiris with rum, Maraschino liqueur, fresh lime and grapefruit juices and Luxardo cherries; and Sidecars with Remy Martin VSOP, Cointreau orange liqueur and fresh lemon. These are in addition to other staples like the Jasmine, with Grey Goose, Solerno blood orange liqueur, rose water syrup and fresh lemon juice; and the Intense Martini, which kicks things up a notch by adding bacon and blue cheese-stuffed olives to Belvedere vodka and hand-pressed olive juice.
Kirby’s Prime Steaks & Seafood: For happy hour in San Antonio, Kirby’s is the place to be. The steakhouse features an impressive lineup of colorful cocktails on the bar menu from 4:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, including the Bloody ‘Tini made with vodka, tomato juice, fresh lime and lemon juices, Tabasco, Worcestershire, olive juice and fresh black pepper. Try the sweet and sour Tex-Mex Martini with a tequila base, or the crisp Blueberry Mule, with Stoli Blueberry Vodka, Stoli ginger beer and a squeeze of lemon.
Bohanan’s Prime Steaks and Seafood: Some of the best craft cocktails in the region, bar none, can be found at the classic-inspired Bohanan’s Prime Steaks and Seafood. The polished restaurant peddles elegant, timeworn fixtures like Aviations (gin, violette, maraschino, lemon juice) and Gershwins (bourbon, lemon juice, honey, ginger, rose water), along with hearty stirred drinks like Sazeracs, Vieux Carres, Vespers and Little Italys, which contain rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Cynar and orange peel. These aren’t even counting the crushed ice cocktails — your mojitos, your brambles — and the Champagne cocktails, which run the gamut from French 75s to Cognac-based Ambrosias.
TRIO Restaurant: Cucumbers, thyme, peaches and even Serrano ham all play roles in the drinks at TRIO, an Austin steakhouse with a knack for innovative and seasonal mixology. Right now, that includes the Chef’s Garden cocktail, which has vodka, St-Germain, orgeat, cucumber, Serrano ham and cilantro. And the humbly named Just a Really Good Cocktail, with gin, spiced vermouth, grapefruit and thyme. And the Old Fashioned in Fredericksburg, which updates the classic by adding grilled local peaches to Buffalo Trace bourbon and Turbinado sugar.
