North Burnet brewery Hopsquad expanded with this new cocktail bar in late August. Kramer’s focus is on agave spirits — tequilas, mezcals, sotols, raicillas, etc. — in cocktails and straight-up forms served in an intimate setting with snacks. There are indoor dine-in areas.

The new North Austin bar, open since mid-June, is all about Chicago food and — most importantly — drinks. This means Jaeger and Chicago sours, Mind Erasers, and yes, tons of Malört. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

The Windsor Park neighborhood bar is new and yet it feels like a true-and-true easy bar with fun cocktails and beers since April. This makes sense given the pedigree of the team involved. Drinks includes the bright neon green Melon Baller with gin, Midori, and green tea; the smooth-drinking Little Red Corvette with Aperol, blood orange vodka, and sparkling wine; and the sippable Smoking Jacket with American and Scottish whiskeys and chile liqueur. The actually-good food menu doesn’t hurt too. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas. 

Those looking for a high-end drinking experience should head to this new downtown cocktail lounge from chef Mathew Peters, which opened in May. Prélude is an upscale, reservations-only lounge that underwent a recent menu refresh by new lead bartender Terrance Robson in September. This means cocktails like the Apple & Pea made with bourbon, snap peas, a clarified apple liquid, and citrus; or the Carrot & Hazel with vodka, cognac, allspice, ginger-cinnamon caramel, a clarified carrot concoction, Ancho Reyes, and a hazelnut liqueur. The food menu focuses on canapes such as a take on chicken nuggets done fancy (add that optional caviar). Reservations have to be booked online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

The New York Irish pub made its Texas debut in downtown in July, which includes bringing along its smart array of Irish cocktails and whiskeys. Of the former, expect Irish coffees (regular, frozen, martini, and Alexander), as well as other drinks making use of a variety of spirits. There are indoor dine-in services.

Another New York City bar made its way into Austin this year. This time, it’s this casual bar and restaurant with retro/Midwestern/Australian approaches as of October in East Austin. Drinks-wise there’s a short cocktail list with house creations, as well as beers, wines, and shots. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

The straight-from-Mexico City Mexican restaurant opened its first American location in Austin this September. This means coastal foods in the forms of ceviches, tacos, and burritos, along with loads of drinks. There are cocktails, including requisite margaritas, Negronis, and Micheladas with Clamato, as well as Mexican sakes, gins, mezcals, and other spirits. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

The former Ah Sing Den bar in East Austin turned into this new Filipino restaurant in September. To round out the Southeast Asian fare, there’s a cocktail menu full of rum and gin-based drinks, along with other libations. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Another hotel bar, this time, it’s the new lobby bar at the Hotel Van Zandt in the Rainey area as of September. The cocktail menu features drinks that lead bartender Curtis Janto considered as updated takes on disregarded beverages. There’s a fantastic Grasshopper (made with a house-created peppermint methe), a classy Rusty Nail (including an almond butter fat-washed Drambuie), and the Fuzzy Navel. There are indoor dine-in services.

The solid menu of classic cocktails at this Italian-ish restaurant in East Austin, which opened in April, is worth a visit all on its own. Try on-tap cocktails including the Aperol spritzes, palomas, and Old Fashioneds. There are whole sections dedicated to Negronis, martinis, margaritas, and tiki drinks with flavor profiles that are all over the map. And there’s a promising section of “new Italian” drinks — updated takes on classic ideas. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Bouldin Creek hotel the Austin Motel turned its alfresco courtyard into a new bar honoring its late outdoor cat Rocky in October. The lighter cocktail menu includes drinks like the Jungle Cat with rum, Campari cherry heering, almond, and pink grapefruit; the frozen guava colada; and nonalcoholic shave ices with optional boozy floaters.