The folks at Phaidon have come out with a new book. Where Bartenders Drink, their latest addition, is in the same series as Where Chefs Eat: A Guide to Chefs’ Favorite Restaurants.
The new 400-plus page compendium that will hit shelves next week takes an encyclopedic approach to the question of where to tipple, from Sydney to Sao Paolo or Singapore. Having tapped bartenders about the places they most like to frequent—in categories including Late-Night, Local Must-Visit, and Wish I’d Opened—they enumerate spots by geographical location, interspersed with essays about drinking on each continent, from Australia, where imports are the biggest hurdle to Japan, where tips on Tokyo’s Ginza-district cocktail bars warrant a half-page (note: standing is not allowed). They offer, as they put it, “700 of the best places to drink in more than 60 countries around the world, personally selected by more than 200 of the world’s top bartenders.”
And therein feature four Dallas spots (Austin, I might add, boasts only two):
Proof + Pantry
Victor Tangos
Midnight Rambler
These are three of our four destinations. Read Where Bartenders Drinkfor the dive into drinking culture around the world. And for Midnight Rambler owner Chad Solomon’s words about why you shouldn’t pass up the Dallas spot he describes as “a booze-soaked oasis that’s the summer camp from Meatballs crossed with a VFW hall.” Hint: If you know it at all, you most likely know this spot best for its pool. Yes, it’s the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Haven’t been? Solomon says give it a go.
