History

Deep Ellum's cocktail scene developed in the early 2010s alongside the BBQ and restaurant renaissance in the neighbourhood. Midnight Rambler opened in The Joule Hotel in 2013 and established the standard for craft cocktails in Dallas, eventually earning a World's 50 Best Bars ranking. The neighbourhood bars that followed borrowed the focus on house-made ingredients and Southwestern flavour profiles while making the format accessible at a walk-in price point.

Make it at home

Yield 1Hands-on 7 minTotal 7 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 60ml Texas bourbon or rye whiskey
  • 20ml fresh lemon juice
  • 20ml honey syrup (1:1 honey to water)
  • 2 dashes mole bitters
  • 1 ancho chile, toasted and steeped in bourbon for 24 hours (optional)
  • Smoked salt for the rim
  • 1 large ice cube

Method

  1. Smoke the rim: run a lime wedge around a rocks glass, dip in smoked salt, and fill with a large ice cube.
  2. Combine bourbon (or ancho-infused bourbon), lemon juice, honey syrup, and mole bitters in a shaker with ice.
  3. Shake hard for 12 seconds until the outside of the shaker is frosty.
  4. Double-strain over the large ice cube into the prepared glass.
  5. No garnish needed if using infused bourbon; if not, a dehydrated lemon wheel or ancho strip works.

Tip from the editors. The ancho infusion takes 24 hours but transforms a standard sour. Taste at 12 hours; the full 24 hours can be too bitter depending on the chile.

Where to eat deep ellum craft cocktail

Deep Ellum craft cocktail in Dallas

Midnight Rambler ★ 4.8

New American$$downtownTue-Wed 17:00-24:00; Thu-Sat 17:00-02:00Until 2am daily

Midnight Rambler in the subterranean level of The Joule Hotel is one of the World's 50 Best Bars and stays open until 2am daily. Located in Downtown.

Try: Craft cocktails; small bar plates; charcuterie

Tip: Walk-in only; no reservations. Rotating seasonal cocktail list. Charcuterie and cheese plates run until close. Dress up slightly.

1530 Main St, Dallas, TX 75201

Armoury D.E. ★ 4.6

New American$$deep-ellumTue-Fri 16:00-02:00, Sat-Sun 14:00-02:00, Mon closedUntil 2am Tue-Sun; closed Mon

Armoury D.E. in the former meatpacking plant on Elm Street serves food until 2am: Hungarian comfort plates, charcuterie, and the Bonnie and Clyde bourbon.

Try: Bonnie and Clyde cocktail; Hungarian comfort bites; boilermakers

Tip: Walk-in only. The back room has live music most weekend nights at no cover. The slivovitz boilermaker is the institutional late drink.

2714 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75226

Parliament ★ 4.1

Cocktail bar$$$$$uptownDaily 17:00-02:00

Elegant Uptown cocktail lounge serving classics and champagne cocktails since 2014, with an all-day Monday happy hour and a 5-8pm Tuesday through Saturday.

Order: Mai Tai; champagne cocktail of the night

Tip: Happy hour runs all day Mondays and anytime it rains. Corner booth seats fill first on weekend nights.

2418 Allen St, Dallas, TX 75204 Book →

Ruins ★ 4.2

Cocktail bar$$$$$deep-ellumThu-Fri 16:00-02:00, Sat-Sun 14:00-02:00

Bohemian agave-spirit bar from the Armoury D.E. team, inspired by Budapest ruin pubs but stocked with mezcal, brandy, and cane spirits from Latin America.

Order: Mezcal-based house cocktails; Oaxacan-influenced small plates

Tip: 21+ after 9pm. Street parking or paid lots. Walk-ins only, no reservations.

2653 Commerce St, Dallas, TX 75226

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