New Nonalcoholic Cocktail Bar Taano House Opens in Austin | Eater Austin

"Opened August 15 as a spin-off of an Austin-based nonalcoholic beverage company, this food-truck bar at 1109 East Sixth Street in East Austin reimagines social drinking by incorporating legal psychoactive plants into mocktails and classic-style cocktails. The menu updates familiar cocktails with botanicals such as kava, kanna, amanita muscaria (fly agaric), and blue lotus to promote relaxation, euphoria, and social connection without alcohol's effects; highlights include an Egyptian Mule (blue lotus, a cucumber-ginger-serrano nonalcoholic spirit, ginger beer, lime, and simple syrup) and a Molly Martini (kanna, espresso, nonalcoholic coffee liqueur, nonalcoholic white rum syrup, and vanilla). Founded by University of Texas professor Geoff Smith and Joe Wes after forming their company in late 2023 and developed with mixologist Shaun Meglen, the concept aims to offer a familiar yet inviting atmosphere focused on sustainable, healthy, hangover-free plant-based options. The truck provides ample shaded seating, a selection of traditional nonalcoholic beers, wines, and spirits, plans for events ranging from academic lectures to DJ sets, and operates daily from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m." - Darcie Duttweiler