Press

It's guaranteed to make your favorite urban cowgirl or cowboy happier than an armadillo diggin' grub worms.
Many a youthful happy hour did I spend at Austin's famously peripatetic Cedar Door bar, the self-proclaimed inventor of our state's most famous native cocktail, the Mexican martini. A frosty metal shaker of sweet-tart elixir, a salt-encrusted coupe glass, fat green olives impaled on a wee plastic sword-this was what summer in Texas was made of.

CHARLOTTE VOISEY, a cocktail consultant, worked long and hard last fall to develop a drink menu at the new W Hotel here that was worthy of Austin's burgeoning cocktail culture. But on opening night last December, she was flummoxed when the first customers requested a cocktail called the Mexican Martini.

Cedar Door likes to brag about the Mexican martinis, but whether or not you believe they invented them won't affect how delicious they are. The expansive outdoor patio is a favorite spot to hang out downtown during the day or night or take in a game on one of the HD TVs inside the main dining area. To keep you going throughout the night, the food here never plays second-fiddle to the tequila. Build your own taco plate or choose from a robust menu that proves Cedar Door is rightfully an Austin staple.
There's a limit on the number of Mex-marts you can get in one evening because of their potency. Your server will keep track for you.

The sweet, sour, slightly savory mashup of the Margarita and the dirty Martini is an ever-evolving Austin staple.

According to Austin lore, it’s thought that downtown bar Cedar Door is the original creator of the concoction now known as the Mexican martini, dating back to the 1970s or ‘80s. While nowadays it seems like many restaurants and bars in the city has a version of the cocktail, it’s still the same format: tequila and the briny liquid from olives — much like a classic dirty martini — served up in a martini glass with a shaker of the leftover cocktail on the side.