Bar Congress

Quick Information:

• Address: 200 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701
• Phone: (512) 827 2760
• Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 5PM-12AM
• Reservations: No
• WiFi: No
• Website: www.congressaustin.com/bar-congress 
• Twitter: @CongressAustin

Bar Congress is the best place to enjoy a cocktail downtown when you need a break from mayhem, music, heat, and food trucks. The  cozy space– about a dozen seats at the bar and a few small tables– can be accessed by a Congress Avenue entrance or through its sister restaurant, Second Bar + Kitchen. The bar has a small selection of beers, most local, and a notable wine list, but what makes Bar Congress worth a visit are the mixed drinks.

Quick Information

Flat Track’s Interior

• Address:
  • In Farewell Books (on the back side)
    913 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702
  • In No Comply Skate Shop
    812 W 12th St, Austin, TX 78701
• Phone: (512) 814-6010
• Hours:
  • Monday-Friday 7AM-7PM
  • Saturday and Sunday 9AM-5PM (No Comply location closed on Sundays)
• Reservations: No
• WiFi: No
• Website: http://flattrackcoffee.com/
• Twitter: @FlatTrackCoffee

Flat Track Coffee is a small Austin coffee roaster with a tiny espresso counter located in the back of Farewell Books on Austin’s East Side. Flat Track prepares coffee for the aficionado and newbie alike, but don’t come here looking for caramel whip anythings. The baristas carefully prepare espressos, cortados, lattes, and other espresso-based drinks using their in-house roasted beans. Expect to find a rotating selection of single origin coffees, but don’t expect to park with your laptop and surf the web. The owners of Flat Track decided not to offer WiFi, which is actually not a bad idea for such a small shop. Rather, customers are encouraged to chat with the baristas, owners (who are often there), and each other.

Side wall of Farewell Books and entrance to Flat Track

In addition to their prepared coffees, Flat Track also sells bags of their house roasted beans, growlers of iced coffee, branded apparel and rags, and some truly delightful scratch-made caramels from Butterdays Confections (owned by Flat Track barista Emily Jackson).

Like the holidays, this is a recipe that just keeps on giving.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup turbinado sugar

Preparation

1. combine ingredients in a small sauce pan. Cover and heat slowly over low heat.
2. Once the liquid starts to steam uncover and, sirring occasionally, continue to heat to just below simmering for 10 minutes. If the liquid boils, the cranberries will pop which is not optimal for the candied cranberries.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool at room temperature for about an hour. Transfer to a covered heat-safe bowl and refrigerate over night.
4. Strain the cranberries from the liquid and refrigerated to use in other salads or in holiday baking. Keep liquid in a non-reactive airtight container and use within two weeks.

An old fashioned is a really simple classic cocktail of sweetened bourbon with orange and maraschino cherry garnish. This recipe uses cranberry simple syrup in place of granulated sugar to bring out the holiday flavors and adds some orange juice for some added winter time  vitamin C.

Cranberry Old Fashioned

Ingredients

• 1.5 ounces of straight bourbon whiskey
• .5 ounce cranberry simple syrup
• .5 ounces of fresh orange juice, strained
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• Ice

Preparation

Stir bourbon, cranberry simple syrup, and orange juice. Pour over ice in an old fashioned glass. Add bitters and garnish with fresh cranberries and an orange twist.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegan butter
• 2/3 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons egg replacer
• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 cup rice flour and extra for rolling
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon orange bitters (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, combine salt, baking powder, egg replacer, almond flour, and rice flour.
2. In a large bowl or mixer blend vegan butter, sugar, orange juice, bitters, and orange zest.
3. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. When the dough is consistent add the chopped cranberries and pecans.
4. With rice-floured hands, roll the dough into two-inch wide rolls with flattened ends.
5. Place these rolls onto well-oiled cookie sheets and bake  for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.
6. Remove the pans and reduce the oven heat to 300 degrees.
7. Allow the rolls to cool on a rack for about 15 minutes, then cut the rolls into 1/2-inch wide slices to make the cookies. Place the cookies back on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake until golden brown on the bottom, about 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the cookies and brown the other side.
8. Cool the cookies on racks to keep them dry, then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.