Sip, Swirl And Drink Up, All Y'all In Texas

Surprisingly, pre-2003 Texas was historically a dry state. However, it’s since made up for this parched period with a liquor law overhaul that’s led to a bona fide boom in distilleries.

Balcones Distilling’s main claim to fame is releasing the first Texas whisky since Prohibition. Established in 2008, it specialises in single malts and even imports Scottish peat for the whisky production.

Tour the grain-to-glass distillery in downtown Waco in central Texas to see the process from the silos to sampling the multi-award-winning drops.

Texas also has whiskey (with an ‘e’) distilleries that produce bourbon. Head to Whiskey Ranch in Fort Worth, 30 minutes’ drive from Dallas, to see how TX Whiskey is made from all-Texan grains before selecting a seasonal bourbon cocktail to savour in the TX Tavern. The largest distillery west of the Mississippi River, Whiskey Ranch sits on a 45ha former country club with spectacular views over Fort Worth.

If vodka’s your tipple, head to Enchanted Rock Texas Vodka in San Antonio for a distillery tour and tasting of the handcrafted small-batch spirit named for the Enchanted Rock, a pink granite dome north of Fredericksburg imbued with spiritual significance.

Fun fact: You can walk around with an open alcoholic bevvy in your hand in most neighbourhoods in Texas.
 

Did you know Texas is the fifth-largest wine-producing state in the US? The aptly named City of Grapevine, Texas hosts the world-famous GrapeFest and with a new sister-city connection to Australia’s Barossa, you know this town has the juice.

It’s also accessible from Dallas and Fort Worth, making it easy to enjoy a wine-themed getaway testing the tasting rooms on the historic Main Street or hit up the annual four-day GrapeFest – the largest wine event in the US southwest.

The heart of Texas Wine Country is situated around Fredericksburg and the Texas Hill Country AVA (American Viticultural Area) is just one hour’s drive west from Austin and San Antonio.

Fredericksburg has more than 50 wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms within a 30-minute drive, including Fall Creek Vineyards in Driftwood across from the famous Salt Lick BBQ. There’s also an urban wine trail where you can try whites and reds from 10-plus wineries and tasting rooms.

If you’re in San Antonio, you can savour a taste of Fredericksburg at Re:Rooted 210 Urban Winery with kegged wines on tap direct from Texas Wine Country.

Tip: Grab a Texas Wine Month Passport to sample vino at more than 50 wineries in the Texas Hill Country throughout October.

Austin’s craft brewing scene has put the Texas capital on the map with 50 beer gardens, taprooms and microbreweries in the city limits. Check out the likes of Circle Brewing Company and Hopsquad Brewing Co. right near the new Q2 stadium (home of Austin FC), and the quirky lineup at Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches for a hoppy good time.

Nearby, Fredericksburg Brewing Company is the oldest brewpub in Texas while Altstadt Brewery nods to the area’s German heritage with an authentic Bavarian biergarten experience.

In Fort Worth, head to Second Rodeo Brewing for its ‘come-as-you-are’ vibe, stay for the legit Texas live tunes and dog-friendly beer garden and order the pickle sour.  A little further down the road, visit Billy Bob’s Texas – the world’s largest honky tonk where the beers are cold and the food is, well, big. There’s also live music, line dancing and hand prints from a who’s who of country, blues, pop and rock on show.

Good to know: The legal drinking age is 21 in Texas.

Non-alcoholic brews are just as big in Texas. Dr Pepper is the oldest major soft drink in America – one whole year older than Coca-Cola – created in 1885 in Waco.
 
Fans can get their sweet soda pop fix at the Dr Pepper Museum where you can tour the historic memorabilia and nostalgic advertising, create your own flavour with Make-a-Soda and hit up the soda fountain for a Dr Pepper float of soft drink and ice-cream.
 
Talking of icy treats, 7-Eleven convenience stores started in Dallas in 1927 and the company is still headquartered there. Home of the iconic Slurpee, is it a coincidence that frozen margaritas were also invented in Dallas?

If you ever needed a reason to visit Dallas, make it Margarita Mile. Dallas is the ‘Official Home of the Frozen Margarita’ and the frozen margarita machine was invented in 1971 by restaurateur Mariano Martinez at Mariano’s Hacienda, which still slings the icy bevvy today.
 
Sip your way through more than 26 one-of-a-kind flavours on the Margarita Mile, a self-guided tour of the best sour sips across the city that you can log via a dedicated app and earn merch when you check in.
 
At Mariano’s Hacienda, the Mariano Margarita is hand-shaken, served on the rocks and garnished with a lime daisy (margarita is Spanish for ‘daisy’), while the signature drink at Terry Black’s BBQ in Deep Ellum is the eye-catching Frozen Black’s Margarita made with a secret black concoction and spicy red salt rim.
 
Also part of the Margarita Mile, try the Te Deseo Coconut Margarita, a creamy, tropical twist on the classic cocktail and don’t miss the showstopper – Beto & Son’s futuristic Liquid Nitrogen Margarita that’s frozen at your table and topped with fruit-encapsulated pearls.