When I think of cocktails and bartenders that know what the hell they are doing, I immediately think of The Roosevelt Room. Since they entered the racetrack of the Austin hospitality industry in 2015, they have received ample local, regional, national, and international attention for quality and creativity, including most recently as one of the 50 best bars in the world. Besides parading their mixology skills, they are also known for conjuring the classics, hence our visit. We hit the joint on a late Sunday afternoon, rocking whiskey songs such as “Whiskey and Wine” by Chasing Blue, “Whiskey Girl” by Gillian Welch, and “Drunk Girls” by LCD Soundsystem on the drive downtown.
In two historic warehouses nestled between two modern high rises, The Roosevelt Room and its spouse, The Eleanor, are a step into the past. Beyond the black curtains and the host at the entrance is a chill, dark cave glistened with backlit libations and art evoking the roaring twenties and the sobbing thirties. Given that we were there during happy hour and an Old Fashioned (named, fittingly enough, “Old Fashioned”) graced said happy hour menu, we three ordered three. This Old Fashioned consisted of Evan Williams Bonded Bourbon, Demerara sugar, Angostura bitters, and orange peel in a fluted glass with a large, hazy ice cube ($12).
This was the first Old Fashioned that we could distinctly taste each of the main ingredients in equal measure: the bourbon, the bitters, and the sugar, all perfectly balanced. This is the hallmark of a well-made oldskool Old Fashioned. We probably would have placed this concoction in third place given that we are weak-kneed happy-go-lucky mouth-breathing droolers that prefer a deepish lean to the sweeter side of the OF spectrum. We didn’t discuss where these drinks fit in our list because we decided to share The Roosevelt Room Old Fashioned with Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Demerara syrup, Angostura bitters, Wormwood bitters, and orange peel ($21). We knew we had something special because for this baby, the RR broke out the clear ice balls.
Wow.
This Roosevelt version was as perfectly balanced as the no-named version, but this version popped in every sense as if someone double-tapped the sparkly “enhance photo” button on their phone before bringing these beauties to our table. That first sip was the shock of heaven, more than justifying the higher cost. Everything was more flavorful and deeper, like a side conversation with Plato.
The house was impressively kind enough to split the mix of one drink between two glasses (and was even amenable to splitting the one bev between three glasses!). This prompted a marital dispute when The Bride’s sip turned into a greedy gulp (we returned a week later to each order our own). This version of the OF comes in several uber expensive versions, including the $60 with RR’s Maker’s Mark Private Select Single Barrel Bourbon and the $75 RR’s Rare Character Single Barrel Cask Strength Rye Whiskey.
The Roosevelt has a limited menu of elevated bar food. The grilled cheese sandwiches were crunchy soft savory while the salad dressing had enough garlic to kill a vampire, something all but one of us thoroughly enjoyed (the one wearing mostly black [hmmm…]). The tater pancakes were good but not worth the investment.
The bar menu includes a list of 53 classics arranged by cocktail era (including the Dark Ages of the 1950s to 1990s, tempting us with a weekly visit to drink through the list. And of course, the RR serves up their own concoctions. We secured reservations for our first late Sunday visit but not for our second. There was enough of a chance of missing a seating on our second visit to recommend getting a reservation. Even the bar can be reserved.
Ranking wise, we had our first split vote with two of us ranking the RROF second and one sliding it into third place. After a long, slurring discussion (and counting chads), we agreed to (1) place it second and (2) revisit the top three once we finished our Old Fashioned tour of Austin.
So, after Club Convening V, our rankings are:
- Fierce Old Fashioned from Fierce Whiskers (Fierce Whiskers Texas Straight Rye Whiskey [2nd gen], Angostura bitters, raw sugar, orange peel, and Luxardo cherry; $12)
- The Roosevelt Room Old Fashioned (Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Demerara syrup, Angostura bitters, Wormwood bitters, and orange peel; $21).
- Pecan Old Fashioned from Gabriel’s (Makers Mark Bourbon, orange oil, brown sugar simple syrup, black walnut bitters, and Luxardo cherry; $14)
- Off-menu Old Fashioned from Justine’s Brassierre (Armorik whiskey, Angostura bitters, sugar, orange peel, and Luxardo cherry; $15)
- Bartlett’s Rye Old Fashioned from Bartlett’s (Knob Creek rye whiskey or Angel’s Envy Rye, Angostura butters, orange, and Luxardo cherry; $14 and $19, respectively)
The Roosevelt Room, 307 west fifth street, (512) 494-4094
austin wanderlist 
I’ve never had an Old Fashioned. Think I’m going to have to give them a try. Thanks for the Shout Out to Chasing Blue! ❤ Steve O
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