Welcome to the 2017 Dallas Summer Drinking Guide, your blueprint to the best summer ever. Hang with us and we'll lead you to the city's best summer drinks, parties and hotspots.
Some of this summer's most-photographed drinks are showing us that it may be OK to have a stick up your (gl)ass. While many stores, bars and restaurants are selling alcoholic ice pops from Dallas-based Social Ice, we're seeing cocktails crop up with protruding icebergs of booze at bars from hipster pool scenes to international restaurant concepts.
"This is undoubtedly the summer of the alcoholic Popsicle," says Hannah Steiner, director of operations at Social Ice. "Whether people are making their own at home or buying our Social Ice line at Spec's or in a bar, they turn up the fun factor and make any drink instantly more Instagrammable. We recognize that these aren't for the Negroni-sipping set, and that's OK; these are for that hot afternoon at the pool or on the patio."
Pick up a box of boozy, frozen goodness at Spec's for the full range, or pop into a Dallas bar or restaurant making crazy concoctions with a twist — or, in this case, a pop.
The Eberhard
2107 N Henderson Ave. (Knox-Henderson)
The Eberhard's Frozen Stoli Crush (Stoli Orange, white wine, peach purée and Tropical Red Bull topped with a wine-infused ice pop) has it all — plenty of booze, a kick of energy and even some fruit to get your vitamin C levels up. You won't have trouble drinking this one quickly.
Mutts Canine Cantina
2889 Cityplace W. Blvd. (West Village)
Your dog's going to love this one — not because he gets to eat it, but because it's another reason to take him to Mutts. Choose a boozy pop and add it to the margarita for some extra refreshment. And let's face it, people drinking at outdoor bars in the summer need all the refreshment they can get.
Del Frisco's Grille
3232 McKinney Ave. (Uptown)
The white sangria sounds tame enough until you find out that it's pinot grigio, white peach purée and peach schnapps topped with a (nonboozy) strawberry peach popsicle. Now that's the kind of sangria we can work with.
The Rustic
3656 Howell St. (West Village)
Aside from The Tipsy Alchemist's Edison, The Rustic's Rimy Rita may be the most Instagrammed cocktail in Dallas. Texans love margaritas to begin with; then The Rustic adds some extra color and orange liqueur. Oh, and then it adds a sangria ice pop. That'll do, marg, that'll do.
The Lot
7530 E. Grand Ave. (White Rock Lake), thelotdallas.com
The Lot, conveniently located by one of White Rock Lake's parking lots, is known for being the spot to end a walk, jog or bike around the lake. Celebrate that 20-minute workout with a frozen marg served with a Social Ice wine-infused pop.
Soda Bar at the NYLO Dallas South Side
1325 S. Lamar St. (The Cedars)
With views like this, who needs boozy drinks with ice pops in them? We do. We need boozy drinks with ice pops in them. Soda Bar takes its Champagne or sangria up a notch with wine pops.