Liquor stores are the grown-up equivalent of toy stores. These are the places that lushes are more excited to go to than anywhere else, and will happily plunk down a huge chunk of money on barrel-aged, triple-distilled ways to make our heads hurt really, really bad the next morning.
We've rounded up the city's ten best, and ranked them according to just how easily they can facilitate your drunkenness.
Spec's, Walnut Hill Location This Spec's is really the liquor store that dreams are made of. It's functionally a Wal-Mart, only instead of cheaply made bullshit from China, there is booze, and lots of it. If you're seeking out some weird, hipstery liqueur for your attempts at craft cocktails, the Spec's on Walnut Hill probably has it. The cash payment discount is also a pretty sweet bonus, especially if you're the type that buys your booze in bulk. Best of all, there's also a huge assortment of deli-made snacks and all manner of fancy imported edibles to soak up your booze in a classy way.
Sam's Club, Skillman Location Yes, WalMart is a horrible, multinational conglomerate that is likely responsible for much of the poverty in small-town America along with a pocketful of other social ills, but it's almost unavoidable. Most Dallasites, who love their excess, hold a Sam's Club card so that they can buy pallet-sized packs of toilet paper and frozen chicken breasts. Even if you don't have a card, you can still score damn good deals on booze at the liquor store around the corner. You won't find specialized spirits or much in the way of artisan booze, but they carry all the basics you need to stock your home bar, like Knob Creek, Ketel One, and Bombay at blowout prices. 'Merica!
Sigel's, Riverfront Location Sigel's is a Dallas institution, having been around since 1905, but the Riverfront location is looking a little worse for the wear. The neighborhood around the liquor store isn't great -- most people don't want to buy their booze in the shadow of the city's largest jail -- but it holds many treasures within. The selection of Champagnes was surprisingly impressive, along with plenty of niche-y liqueurs and small-batch spirits. Around this time of year, they sell baggies full of mini-bottles that they're clearancing out, which is a great way to try fun flavored spirits like Absolut Hibiscus or Stoli Karamel.
Goody Goody, Oak Lawn Location Goody Goody has liquor stores all over the city, but the Oak Lawn location is perfect for someone with an upscale taste in wine that doesn't want to wander all over a massive warehouse of liquor. The wine selection is really impressive for such a small store, and there are plenty of top-shelf bottles of all kinds. The staff here is also insanely knowledgable, and can help you understand the difference between the botanicals in Tanqueray and Hendrick's without making you feel stupid.
Total Wine, Park Lane In our rankings, Total Wine's Park Lane location comes in just above Spec's. The competition was tough, but it really comes down to the price points. On multiple trips, Total Wine was consistently less pricey on commonly purchased spirits, and offered an excellent array of interesting mixers and cocktail enhancements, like artisan bitters and various pickled things. The staff here is also generally extremely knowledgable, and you can't beat paying less than $9 for most six-packs of local and craft beers.
Dallas Fine Wine, Oak Lawn Getting really fancy with booze is something that we all need to do from time to time, and Dallas Fine Wine is the place to do that kind of shopping. The staff here are practically sommeliers, and can help you choose a bottle that suits your budget that you'll almost assuredy like. The spirit selection is small but solid, and you won't have to wade through the cheap bottles of Crystal Palace to get to that organic vodka you like. Sure, the prices are higher, but you'll be happy that you left all that cheap booze to the 21-year-olds that can still handle it.
PK's Fine Wines And Liquors, Hillcrest Location Most of the city's liquor stores are rapidly turning into monopolized conglomerates as they buy each other up, but PK's Fine Wines and Liquors has been happily family owned since 1968. There is plenty of wine, beer, and brown liquor to suit any tastes, along with an extremely friendly staff that will enthusiastically help you choose the right bottle. If you already know what you want, the store's impeccably clean and organized layout will help you get in and out quickly.
Beverage Depot, Samuell Location Beverage Depot is the cheapest of cheap liquor stores, even if you may see the occasional drug deal go down in the parking lot while you're shopping. Beverage Depot is admittedly sketchy, but sometimes you just need to save that extra $10 when you're shopping for booze. Top-shelf liquors are regularly on clearance, which makes it a great place for re-stocking your home bar at the beginning of a new year, and you won't have to worry about any idiotic hipsters holding up the line grilling the cashier about whether or not the absinthe is "real absinthe." (No, asshole. It's not.)
