Downtown Austin Hotel Van Zandt Opens New Cocktail Bar Brass Poppy | Eater Austin
"Opening in mid-September as the new lobby bar at Hotel Van Zandt (605 Davis Street in the Rainey neighborhood), this intimate bar aims to offer a getaway from the bustle of Rainey Street. The cocktail program, led by Curtis Janto, reframes dismissed classics from the 1970s–1990s with inventive touches — examples include a Grasshopper with house-made crème de menthe, crème de cacao, Branca Menta and macadamia whipped cream; a Pink Lady made with gin, pisco, dry sherry, hazelnut oil, house spiced grenadine and lemon; and a Rusty Nail featuring beeswax‑rested scotch and an almond‑butter fat‑washed Drambuie with lemon oil. The drinks list is complemented by draft Texan beers, a canned Mexican beer and a concise wine‑by‑the‑glass selection. Executive chef Sergio Ledesma is offering internationally inspired snacks such as vegetable-and-fruit nigiri (no fish), a layered French onion dip with piquillo peppers, hard‑boiled eggs, steakhouse chips, tout oe and caviar, a duck al pastor infladita (meat tucked inside a puffy tortilla), and a playful cookies‑and‑milk dessert of Dutch chocolate cookie sandwiches filled with foie gras mousse served with truffle‑infused cream. The bar is part of a Markzeff‑designed lobby renovation that emphasizes mixed metals (including brass), jewel tones, vintage furniture and 1960s–1970s aesthetics. Hours are 4–11 p.m. Sunday–Thursday and 4 p.m.–midnight Friday–Saturday, with indoor dine‑in service." - Nadia Chaudhury
