This East Austin bar is turning into a haunted house two weeks before Halloween
The powder blue bungalow that houses neighborhood bar Craftsman is a pleasing sight on East Cesar Chavez Street — but it’s transforming in mid-October into something far more frightening, in honor of Halloween.
Craftsman is dressing up for the spooky holiday, too, and will become a haunted pop-up bar starting on Oct. 17 through Halloween. Thanks to the decor, you’ll feel as though you’ve wandered into a haunted house in the heart of East Austin and just might need a drink to get you through it.
And not just any cocktail, of course.
The usual drinks menu is being tossed aside in favor of themed cocktails featuring house-made ingredients and surprising garnishes, according to a news release. Each one gets its name from a range of scary subjects. The foam-topped Billy Butcherson is an ode to beloved Halloween film “Hocus Pocus,” for example, while the beer-filled Bride in Room #525 nods to a local legend: the suicidal brides who killed themselves at the Driskill Hotel, in the room — you guessed it — 525.
Here’s a sampling of the creepy cocktails being offered:
Billy Butcherson: Jagermeister, housemade pumpkin butter syrup, lemon, orange, housemade Grand Marnier foam
Death on the Beach: Charcoal-infused Malibu Rum, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Gosling Gold Strap Rum, pineapple, orange, lime, grenadine
The Bride in Room #525: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Dickel 8 Yr Whiskey, lemon, Demerara syrup
Nobody Likes Candy Corn: Espolon Tequila, El Silencio Mezcal, orange, pineapple, fresh corn reduction
Graveyard Smash: Grand Marnier, mint, lemon, smoked orange
The haunted “boozery,” as Craftsman is calling it, runs nightly from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. starting Oct. 17-31. Craftsman also hosts a Pumpkin Spiced Cocktail Party this weekend, in case you’re looking for more quintessential fall fun.
The bar is located at 2000 E. Cesar Chavez St.
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