After opening with something of a whimper in the old Thin Room space amidst a flurry of other Deep Ellum bar openings back in early 2010, the Black Swan Saloon has since established itself as a go-to spot for patrons of all sorts — an especially impressive feat considering that the watering hole doesn't even so much as boast a sign alerting walkers-by of its existence. Credit much of the bar's success to owner and main barkeep Gabe Sanchez. Aside from maybe being the best bartender in town, he's always cooking up something new behind the bar, likely a new liquor infusion (try the strawberry-infused vodka or the apple- and cinnamon-infused Jim Beam). But where Sanchez really made his mark was in bringing the Brooklyn-born trend of offering pickle juice chasers for whiskey shots to Dallas. It's crazy how it works, immediately balancing out any burn or taste from your whiskey of choice. We think it's in the pH balance, maybe? Not sure. But we do know this: Shortly after the Swan started doing this, every other bar in town started offering the same thing, claiming that they'd always done it. Nope. We're calling bullshit. And ordering another round from Sanchez while we're at it.