LDD

Recently we wanted to learn about the best places in Dallas to drink tequila. Not in the sense of slamming shots, but in terms of a robust or select collection. Honestly, at first the idea was to create a quick list of the best five or 10 spots. Then after some research, we realized that simply wouldn't suffice. Just a few interviews in, it was apparent that tequila occupies a special place in many a heart. So, we'll take this journey a little slower as we begin a series of profiles on the best spots in Dallas for not only sipping tequila, but also embracing the culture around it.

Tequila has a bad rap. No, it shouldn't taste like gasoline. And, no, the only way to ingest it isn't by slamming a shot while the crowd cheers. Tequila is to be savored, if not for layers of earthen flavors tinged with the century-old process of making it, then for the heritage and culture that is poured into every bottle.

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With other, more aesthetically pleasing options (sunny patios, shady backyards, quiet bars) a dusty industrial park is probably not the first idea that pops into your head when dreaming up Saturday afternoon drinking plans. But as craft breweries have continued to crop up all over Dallas, they've provided viable options. Nearly every craft brewery in the area offers tours, and admission always includes a taste or two (or four) of their wares. Some of the breweries are more generous than others, but most of these tours turn into all-out parties.

Because laws prohibit brewers from selling beer directly to customers, a small admission fee is charged at the door and beer tasting is offered for free. Lakewood charges $10 at the door and hands out four tokens and a glass to each participant. Each token gets you a generous pour, and you get to keep the hardware.

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Update, 4/19: We accidentally jumped the gun a bit when we said below that the raw milk bill was on its way to the House floor for debate. Actually, first it has to make a stop in the Calendars Committee to get placed on the calendar to be debated on the House floor. Currently the Calendars Committee has a backlog of bills, plus it's at the chair's discretion to place bills on the calendar. So, until the bill is placed on the calendar, it's in limbo. And if it doesn't get a date by May 7, the last day to get a dance on the House floor, it's dead.

Original post: Late yesterday afternoon House Bill 46, which allows for expanded raw milk sales, was voted out of the Texas House Public Health Committee by a vote of 9-2. While it's not time to pop open a box of cereal just yet because the bill still has to pass through the full House and Senate, then get the signature of the governor, things look good. Recall that the Texas Legislature primarily works on a committee system, where bills are closely scrutinized in those smaller groups; so if a bill gets churned out, hopefully it can sail through the rest of the way.

As Scott Reitz pointed out recently, the Texas Medical Association tried to put the kibosh on the raw milk party, citing a possibly inflated report on illnesses caused from consumption of unpasteurized milk. Like Scott mentioned, we can buy ciggies, eat raw oysters and drink beer if we want, so why not a little milk from a cute cow?

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Fort Worth-based Firestone and Robertson Distilling Co. won double gold medals and Best in Class in the category of American Craft Whiskey for their TX blended whiskey at the 13th Annual World Spirits Competition in San Francisco recently, where more than 1,407 spirits were poured from 63 countries in 85 different classifications.

For the American Whiskey segment, a category that didn't even exist until two years ago, there were 45 total. Seven whiskeys earned double gold medals, including the aforementioned TX, and Yellow Rose in Pinehurst, just north of Houston. North Texas-based Texas Silver Star received a silver star, as did Balcones out of Waco.

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Earlier this year, I wrote about a makeshift drink served at Ascension that makes use of Guinness and espresso. The combination results in a caffeinated beer drink that puts Red Bull and vodka to shame. Still it's not on the menu, and it never got a name. Russell Hayward, who owns the shop, says a few people have come in to try it, but it doesn't sound like the idea caught on.

See also:
- At Long Last I've Found the Ultimate Coffee Drink

Now Mudsmith, the East Dallas coffee shop and wine bar, has stepped up to the plate with their own version. They're calling the drink the Fracker Bomb. I've had two of the drinks since I've discovered the item, and I'm resisting the urge to run over there this second with my laptop to order a third. It's a thick, rich and bitter beverage that drinks like a morning meal.

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According to Eater a suspended coffee trend is going viral on social media. The practice allows any customer at a Starbucks to buy a "suspended" coffee drink to leave at the counter. Those less fortunate can then come in and if there's a drink available it's theirs.

Whether or not this is a viable way to help those in need, the practice made me think about the "buy a friend a drink" board that's been doling out compassion at the Libertine Bar for some time now. This is a suspended practice City of Ate can really get behind.

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Earlier this week, the Texas Senate approved a family of bills dear to the heart of Texas craft brewers. The legislation lets brewpubs sell a limited amount of beer through distributors, while craft breweries will get to sell their products to consumers on-site.

See also:
- Public Hearing Set for Craft Beer Legislation
- A Texas Lawmaker Filed Four Bills Yesterday to Make Life Easier on the State's Craft Brewers

The bills still must get past the House and governor, of course, but if you've been following LDD's coverage of the craft brewing industry, you know what a long, hard slog it's been to get this far. (Big brewers, wholesalers and retailers are not what you'd call keen for competition, and they have many loyal friends in the Legislature.) So we imagined some fierce celebrating among the craft brewers' kegs when the vote came down -- sort of like those old-timey pictures of guys in hats raising mugs of foam when Prohibition finally went away.

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It's already started. Joel Malone is well on his way to open up a cidery right in the heart of the Bishop Arts District. His brewing operations and storefront, which he expects to open in May, will be right next to Cretia's on Bishop Street behind Lockhart Smokehouse.

Malone tells me he's working through his permit process, which has been "tough but manageable" and will soon soon have the permits he needs to open up his "winery."

Wait, what?

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Those barrels are filled with awards.

Balcones Distillery, the folks responsible for the Texas single malt whiskey we tasted back in January, just made news with the Ultimate Beverage Challenge. The Waco-based distillery's product just won the American whiskey category in a recent spirit evaluation held by the organization, which tastes and scores spirits.

See also:
- Tasting Balcones Texas Single Malt Whiskey
- Texans Make Whiskey Better Than the Scots Do

The first place honor rounds out 15 major awards bestowed on the distillery's pedigreed whiskey.

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This wasn't the only guy who had fun at last year's event.

Chad Montgomery, the organizer of the Big Texas Beer Fest, says tickets to this year's event are now on sale. Brewers from Austin, Houston and other parts of the state will be on hand this go around, in addition to the Dallas-based brewers who participated last year.

Ten local food trucks, Scardello, Noble Coyote and Armadillo Ale Works will be at the event providing food and samples of their products while The O's, The Hanna Barbarians and Fish Fry Bingo will keep the space filled with music.

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