Searsucker- Austin, TX

This was ok. Yet another bar that tries to be gimmicky. Try have their one private bottles of Angel's Envy from "barrels they personally chose". Fig bitters. Crap ice. No cherry.
6.5/10

Home - Austin, TX

50th Old Fashioned.
Home 1 week barrel-aged Old Overholdt, with the classics, Demerara sugar, angostura bitters, orange peel and a maraschino cherry.
Ice ball gives it an automatic +0.5
8:5/10

1/2 step - Austin, TX

This looks watered down but it isn't. In fact, it's delicious. Florian used Evans Williams bonded and great ice, and this was so good, it didn't even need the maraschino cherry.
So good.
9/10

Geraldine's - Austin, TX

This was at the outdoor, pool bar, so I guess I ant complain about the plastic cup.
But I can complain about the crappy choice in Ice, and the red plastic cherry. They use Old Overholdt.
Maybe it's better if you order it at the inside bar. Who knows.
6/10

Emmer & Rye - Austin, TX

This was very well done.
Great Ice, well balanced, great flavor.
They use Buffalo Trace.
8.5/10

Nomad bar - Austin, TX

Bartender number one didn't notice he served me in a glass with a crack in it. Bar tender number two did notice the crack, but didn't dump my drink and pour me a new one; instead she just poured it into a new glass. Not sure which is worse.
They use Dickel's which I like.
The overall drink is well made, but they have regular bar ice which waters it down in a hurry and he muddled a red plastic cherry.
Just hard to finish a drink that might, just might have glass within all the ice. Why they didn't serve me a new one is a mystery. I'll stick to beer at this dive bar moving forward.
5/10

Salty Sow - Austin, TX

This was well made. Maple Old
Fashioned made with Makers Mark. Great ice for the glass, lightly muddled maraschino, well muddled orange peel. Nicely balanced flavor with the maple.
8/10

Schoolhouse Pub, Austin, TX

I first had one here last December and it wasn't that good.
Now I'm back a year later and it was even worse. It's like they try too hard on classic drinks. IMO, spend your creative energy on original drinks and don't mess with the classics.
In this case, they took a bourbon called Red Handed. Apparently it's a TX bourbon made by combining a Kentucky and a Tennessee whiskey and Bourbon and then it is barrel aged. This bar then ages that. So it's a blend that is aged, that is then ages again. Why?
The pic shows the result, a dark fruit bourbon thing with no orange peel and no cherry. I'm guessing the cherry was within the aging.
Decent ice tho, but sheesh, don't get an OF here. Just don't.
5/10

Jeffrey's - Austin, TX

I think I'm on to something. Four roses is not a good bourbon for Old Fashioneds u less you want them to taste like a bourbon on the rocks.
Then again, maybe if this place and weather up put a Maraschino Cherry in the drink the way the classic drink should have one, it would taste differently.
I moved to the bar later and saw them make this. They used brown sugar and a little soda and some type of ver watered down bitters. I didn't ask what it was, but it was watered-down-looking. In any case, it was average. Don't go seek this one out, and if there, order something else. For example, their gin drinks were on point.
Multiple ice cubes = minus 1.
No cherry = minus 1
6/10

DIVE, Austin Tx

This was a very good Old Fashioned.
Used Old Overholdt and did a really good job.
Seek out bartender names Bjorn, and if he's there, you'll be in good hands.
Big ice block too. Only thing from keeping it from getting a 9 (which it technically deserved), is the glass, as the ice won't fit until it melts.
8.5/10

The Wheel, Austin TX

This was awful. So awful I forgot about it. Drank this back in May. A very rainy Sunday, which made me sad. But not as sad as this disaster.  Seriosuly, what the hell is this?  3/10

Weather Up - Austin, TX

This was a little disappointing as I've been there in prior years and it was great.  this time, it tasted like a straight up bourbon on the rocks.  6/10