Lush Life

Whisper in our ear. Falernum. Lillehammer. Crème de Noyaux. Pour it all over ice and we're yours.

Garage

503 Colorado, 512/369-3490
www.garagetx.com

Last month, a group of experts crowned Garage's rosemary and citrus cocktail, Indian Paintbrush, the Official Drink of Austin. That's because barmaster Chauncy James and his team have serious chops. We guess this hidden outpost in a Downtown parking garage won't be kept a secret for much longer.

Whisler's

1816 E. Sixth, 512/480-0781
www.whislersatx.com

If only there were a James Beard Foundation award for cocktail bars, we expect Whisler's would have another thing to brag about. But we don't need to see trophies to know that this East Sixth outpost is doing some seriously innovative things: red bell pepper gin, sweet potato shrubs, beef jerky – nothing is off-limits here.

East Side Showroom

1100 E. Sixth, 512/467-4280
www.eastsideshowroom.com

Sally Bowles would definitely feel willkommen at the Showroom's striped bar. There's plenty of bawdiness in the cocktails, the small plates are elegant, and there are a few armless chairs to straddle in case you want to show a little fishnet. Oh, and it's just the right state of dim for scandal.

Isla

208 W. Fourth, 512/322-9921

www.islaaustin.com

Tropical the island breeze, this is where we long to be. Austin's own Isla bonita knows its way around rum – whether that's in revamped versions of the classics (Rum Old Fashioned) or seriously boozy versions of tiki drinks (the ultra-zombified Draft Zombie with absinthe). We can't stop ordering the Corn & Oil, using murky black rum. It's enough to make all of nature wild and free.

Péché

208 W, Fourth, 512/494-4011
www.pecheaustin.com

Isla's sister bar couldn't be more different, but anyone that studies abroad tends to come back with a certain allure. Absinthe is the thing here, but that's paired with pre-Prohibition cocktails and lush adult milkshakes. We've never seen can-can dancers here, but it still feels like the Moulin Rouge.