Underground Cocktail Den Nominated for Best Hotel Bar in U.S.

Bars need trophies and ribbons, too.

Tales of the Cocktail Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works to advance and support communities within the hospitality industry. Since 2007, they've been handing out The Spirited Awards, which recognize every facet of running an exceptional bar program.

Which brings us to our favorite underground cocktail den, which was just nominated for Best Hotel Bar in the U.S.: Midnight Rambler.

The swanky cocktail den is beneath the Joule Hotel and has built a reputation for its meticulously crafted neo-classic cocktails and refined art deco interior. We recently visited them for a behind-the-scenes look at their dirty martini, which is one of the dirtiest in the city. It's called the Filthy 2.0, and barkeep Haley Merritt explained it's made by infusing dry vermouth with kalamata olives; Imbibers pick gin or vodka, then it gets a few drops of celery bitters and champagne vinegar, and voila, you'll never be able to look at another martini again.

They recently introduced a new menu inspired by Dallas icons, including Big Red, 7-Eleven and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge (which we put in a request to call it The Large Marge).

Midnight Rambler is run, in part, by Gabe Sanchez, who also oversees drinks, in part, at Black Swan Saloon (a reincarnation of the popular Deep Ellum bar that closed during the pandemic) and the lovely Saint Valentine, both in East Dallas. All three happen to be on our Top 100 bars list, which might seem like we're playing favorites. So be it.
To be a nominee for The Spirit Awards, first you have to be a regional honoree, which Midnight Rambler was for two categories: Best U.S. Bar Team and Best U.S. Hotel Bar. On Thursday, it was announced that the bar is a top 10 nominee for the latter. Next month, the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation will announce the top four finalists of each category.

Midnight Rambler has been an honoree, nominee and finalist in Best U.S. Hotel Bar and Best U.S. Bar Team several times since 2016.

Only three other bars in Dallas have been recognized by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, including  Catbird as an honoree for Best U.S. Hotel Bar in 2023. Saint Valentine was a regional honoree for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar in 2024, and Apothecary was a regional honoree for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar in 2023 and the same for Best U.S. Restaurant Bar in 2025.