Once the domain of a small handful of bars, craft cocktails have become ubiquitous in Dallas. It’s important to note that not every bar serving fanciful drinks employs the same level of technique or harnesses the same skill, but it’s becoming increasingly rare to find a bar without at least a few classics on its menu.
Even as cocktails collectively improve and become easier to find at bars and restaurants, shots have largely been left to languish as afterthoughts or college-era throwbacks not deserving of the same attention. Recently, that’s begun to change, and certain Dallas bars like Clifton Club, Hide, Double D’s, Tiny Victories and Apothecary are now giving shots equally thoughtful treatment, so guests can drink well whether they’re nursing from a Nick and Nora glass or knocking back a quick one.
“When putting the menu together, we decided it makes sense to elevate the shots menu to that of the actual cocktails,” says Hide owner Nick Backlund. “Some of the clubbier shots may not have the taste profile we enjoy because they’re too sugary or artificial tasting.” And many of the old-school shots require ingredients that Hide doesn’t even carry. “We don’t have sweet and sour or whipped cream vodka, so we wanted to make a fun shots menu, but do it the Hide way.”
And though the Hide way includes centrifuges and clarified citrus, drinks don’t take themselves too seriously. That extends to the five-strong shots menu. Case in point: the Harry Styles-inspired Watermelon Sugar Hide features vodka, gin, sloe gin, watermelon and Peychaud’s bitters, while the Noodle Dance is a playful, well-balanced combination of whiskey, fig jam, peanut butter and citric acid.
“We’ll happily pour Jameson or a chilled tequila shot, but the point was to give people some innovative and interesting flavor profiles you don’t get from straight spirits or old-school shots,” Backlund says.
Apothecary is another unique cocktail den, and it’s just a few doors down from Hide on Greenville Avenue. There the bartenders make some of the most innovative drinks in town and employ ingredients like duck confit and tom kha soup. One favorite that’s had staying power on the menu is the Oyster Rockefeller Shot, which channels the classic dish and is made with hollandaise-washed vodka, lemon and parsley oil, and garnished with a smoked oyster. The oyster should be eaten first and then chased with the shot.
“The inspiration for the shot was like everything at Apothecary: Take flavors we love that aren’t regularly found in cocktails and find a way to turn them into one,” says Apothecary co-owner Tanner Agar.
The surprise-and-delight factor is still fresh, as Agar says guests don’t yet expect craft shots. But the tide may be changing. He references the amuse-bouche courses that have become so popular across the city, including at Apothecary’s sister restaurant Rye, where guests can begin their meal with a mini Icelandic hot dog or a single rabbit ravioli. “We expect the crafted shot to be the next step in that trend and a wonderful way for cocktail bars to be a part of it,” Agar says.
Clifton Club, which inhabits the old Zipper’s bar on Fitzhugh Avenue, nods to its predecessor with the Zipper Shot, a combination of Townes vodka, fresh lime juice and blue curaçao. It’s like a Kamikaze, but fresher — and blue.
“We don’t take ourselves too seriously, so we just wanted to make this ‘80s-style shot as a fun throwback to the old days of Zipper’s, which was an institution,” says Clifton Club owner Greg Katz.
Tequila is still the most popular choice when guests want shots, but Katz says the Zipper Shot is a common call for birthdays and group celebrations. And one order often leads to more. “When a tray of bright-blue shots comes out from behind the bar, people notice,” he says.
There would likely be no Zipper Shot without the Zapper, a mini espresso martini served next door at Beverley’s, another Katz-owned restaurant. He explains that, before espresso martinis became super popular, the Beverley’s bar would send a round of Zappers to friends and regulars after dinner, or as an accompaniment to dessert.
Another Beverley’s shot is the Green Light, which is served during brunch and features tequila, fresh cucumber, ginger, aloe liqueur and fresh lime juice. “It’s low-ABV and great for day-drinking,” Katz says.
Double D’s in the Design District serves a house shot called Razzle Dazzle, which combines raspberry-and-dill-infused vodka with lemon and ginger. The bar describes it as “a fruity, citrusy party in your mouth,” and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. Tiny Victories in Oak Cliff, which falls under the same hospitality group as Double D’s, serves a vodka-and-strawberry house shot called Spring Break ‘99. The bar also serves a shot-and-beer combo called My Neck, My Daq that pairs a snack-size daiquiri, a.k.a. a Snaquiri, with a 7-ounce Miller High Life.
The above shots aren’t the only options around town, though they are some of the best. Bars like Inwood Tavern in Dallas and Shot Cellar in Fort Worth have full shots menus, but they tend to follow the old-school approach — think peach schnapps and bottled sweet and sour. These drinks have their place, and they may never go out of style. But now drinkers don’t have to choose between enjoying a craft cocktail or knocking back a quick shot with their friends. They can do both at the same time.
