BACKBEAT TOASTS TO DEBUT ON SOUTH LAMAR
Michael & Jessica Sanders Introduce Second Neighborhood Cocktail Bar in Austin
Backbeat, Austin’s highly anticipated cocktail bar by husband and wife team Michael and Jessica Sanders, is now open to the public. Centrally located in the bustling South Lamar neighborhood, the rhythm of Backbeat comes to life in a stylish, two-story venue including a cocktail lounge and a rooftop patio with stunning views. The Backbeat menu incorporates a curated spirits selection for innovative twists on classic cocktails, highlighting world whisky, rhum, brandy, amari, champagnes and fortified wines, along with craft beers.
“It is very exciting to open south of the river in this neighborhood. South Lamar has always been an important cultural destination in Austin and, over time, has become a culinary one as well,” said Michael Sanders. “We are looking forward to Backbeat being a spirited part of this community and the vibrant social scene here.”
Envisioned in collaboration with Jamie Chioco of Chioco Design, the venue creates a cozy and inviting space featuring natural lighting and warm palettes in an energetic setting. In addition to the first level bar, guests can enjoy a rooftop deck pavilion opening to a beautiful view of the downtown Austin skyline from the bar’s prime location. The two contemporary spaces are integrated with creative design elements ensuring guests will always feel connected.
“The ethos behind Backbeat’s core menu reflects the comfortable, lively energy of the space itself. Everything is well-balanced, delicious and, most of all, fun,” said Jessica Sanders. “People come to bars to relax, socialize, be cared for…perhaps even be inspired. The menu itself is just one piece of the puzzle to make the experience come alive for our guests. Every cocktail, every dish, every bottle or can was chosen with one question in mind: ‘Will this help put someone in a great mood?’”
Driven by bold flavors, the Backbeat menu remixes classic cocktails with playfully imaginative and unexpected ingredients. While each cocktail is unique, the menu is segmented into three distinctive categories: Upbeat, Downbeat and Offbeat.
The Upbeat cocktails are vibrant spirits, often shaken with citrus, fresh herbs or seasonal fruit. Exemplifying the Upbeat spirits is Backbeat’s namesake cocktail, a bright and herbaceous variation of the classic Southside cocktail with gin and fresh-pressed celery juice.
For more spirit-forward flavors with heavier spices, the Downbeat cocktails incorporate brooding spirits, fortified wines and heavier cordials and bitters. Capturing the essence of the Downbeat, the Leisure Suit is created in the style of the 1960s jazz era with gin, Galliano liqueur, aperitif quina, orange bitters and an aromatic absinthe rinse.
Oddball spirits, notes and textures characterize the Offbeat beverages, with dessert cocktails and tiki selections perfect for the adventurous connoisseur. Served milkshake-style with vanilla ice cream, the quirky Pink Squirrel blends Crème de Noyaux, dark cacao and apricot brandy for a decadent dessert reminiscent of a chocolate covered cherry. Other unique offerings include large format beverages created for groups to share and two cocktails on tap, featuring the bar’s sessionable take on a Sherry Cobbler and an amari-based Trinidad Sour served via NITRO draft.
Along with cocktails, the bar offers wine, cider and beer, including six craft brews on tap and 10 wines by the glass, including a rotating program that will showcase a single grower-producer Champagne house.
Complementing the beverage selection, Backbeat offers a menu of small bites. Savory and sharable options include raw east coast oysters, artisan salumi and cheese boards with selections from Antonelli’s Cheese Shop, a paté melt with house pork and chicken pâté and melted gruyere, a chicken liver mousse with house-based brioche and blackberry jam and more. Sweet confections include a pot de crème with rotating seasonal flavors and a three-piece chocolate flight that guests can enjoy with a whisky flight curated by the Backbeat bar team.
As an homage to Isamu Taniguchi, creator of one of Austin’s most cherished outdoor spaces, Backbeat presents Moon Bridge Highball, featuring spicy Japanese whisky and a dry varietal of Madeira fortified wine for a refreshing cocktail ideal for a sunny day. In the 1960s, 70-year-old Taniguchi single-
Backbeat is open Tuesday – Friday from 4 p.m. until 2 a.m., Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. until 2 a.m., and is closed on Monday. The bar is also available for private parties and events with a reservation and accommodates seating for up to 120 guests. Backbeat offers a small lot on the South Lamar Blvd. entrance, with additional street parking behind the building on Lamar Square. For more information, visit backbeat-atx.com.
ABOUT BACKBEAT
Backbeat is Austin’s new cocktail bar by husband and wife team Michael and Jessica Sanders, featuring an expansive spirits collection with global influence. Centrally located in the bustling South Lamar neighborhood, the rhythm of Backbeat comes to life with two distinctive spaces including a cocktail lounge and a rooftop patio with stunning views. The name Backbeat originates from the second and fourth beats that give rock ‘n roll and rhythm and blues their signature styles. Driven by bold flavors, Backbeat remixes classic cocktails with playfully imaginative and unexpected ingredients. Additionally, the bar serves wine, cider and beer, including six craft brews on tap and a rotating Champagne program. Backbeat is located at 1300 S. Lamar Blvd. Suite A, Austin, TX 78704. The bar is open Tuesday – Friday from 4 p.m. until 2 a.m., Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. until 2 a.m., and is closed on Monday. For updates, visit backbeat-atx.com. Follow along with Backbeat on Twitter and Instagram @BackbeatATX, or like the Backbeat Facebook page.
