Where to Drink Now

Where to drink in Fort Worth right now: 5 best bars with mezcal cocktails

Tortaco offers more than 90 mezcals.

TorTaco/Facebook

Cocktail enthusiasts all over the Lone Star state are proclaiming their allegiance to mezcal. Even spirits traditionalists who prefer a tried-and-true margarita can get on board with this alcohol made, like tequila, from agave. Quite a few drinkeries in Fort Worth stock this smoky spirit. Here are five of the best.

Wild Salsa
Mexican restaurant with Dallas roots offers five mezcal cocktails (and plenty of margaritas) with, as Wild Salsa puts it, single malt-esque smokiness. Fruit lovers should try a Del Maguey Vida made with banana, or Illegal Joven made with green apple. Options made with honey, chocolate, white pepper, and mesquite make ordering difficult. For crowd-pleasing proportions, get a pitcher of Wild-rita margaritas made with jalapeños and roasted pineapple.

Revolver Taco Lounge
With a lengthy happy hour Tuesday to Saturday, and for Sunday brunch (yes, weekends too), one would be tempted to stick to $4 house margaritas and $2 pastor tacos. But Revolver Taco now serves liquor from Jesús María, Mexico, which it uses for tasty cocktails including one mixed with pineapple and spices. Besides cocktails, a taco-induced food coma would be well-worth the caloric intake at Revolver Taco.

Mezcales Mexican
Classic Tex-Mex on the western side of Fort Worth does praise-worthy renditions of all your basics — fajitas, quesadillas, combo plates — and the tortillas are house-made. Their mezcal program is old-school, and includes the Monte Alban label, known for having the actual worm inside. Cocktails such as the Blue Mezcalita, with mezcal, orange liqueur, margarita mix, and blue curacao, are served in big frosted schooner glasses and generously portioned; you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Tortaco
With more than 90 mezcals to choose from, decision fatigue will set in upon reading the Tortaco menu. You can order mezcal by the sip or shot (perfect for big groups wanting to sample Mexico’s finest liquors) or get it mixed in a cocktail. Try Tortaco's take on an old fashioned called Flux, with mezcal reposado, angostura bitters, and simple syrup. Or a Stinky Inky made with mezcal, rum, berry puree, and citrus, which you can order in a frozen version that's almost like a smoothie, or else on the rocks.

La Perla
Drink specials such as Mojito Monday and Wine Wednesday please the not-so-adventurous drinkers while a modest selection of mezcal offerings tempt the more daring. This unpretentious bar with small bites invites first dates and ladies nights out alike. Try a shot of the illegal mezcal, trust us. The smoky mezcal mule is the perfect cocktail to sip during happy hour or to accompany tacos and sliders.

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Closure News

Tropic Lady restaurant-bar on Fort Worth's Race Street says aloha

Tropic Lady

The dip trio at Tropic Lady.

A chill restaurant and bar in Fort Worth's River East district has closed: Tropic Lady, which opened in the former Fuzzy's Taco space at 2719 Race St. in 2023, has closed.

The restaurant, which closed in mid-December, was a sibling to Bearded Lady, the popular gastropub in Near Southside; their last Facebook post was on December 10. Their phone number is not working, and their website is no longer active. Owner Shannon Osbakken was unavailable for comment, but a Bearded Lady employee confirmed the closure.

Tropic Lady was a tropical-themed gastropub opened by a trio of friends: Bearded Lady owner Shannon Osbakken, her business partner Sarah Allen, and general manager Amanda Yunger. It offered a similar menu as Bearded lady but with more tropical-inspired fare, including shrimp tacos, bacon-wrapped grilled pineapple bites, and guacamole dotted with mango.

For a gastropub, they did interesting food with dishes like watermelon salad with feta and cucumber; or their Dip Trio, with mango guacamole, tomatillo salsa, and queso blanco served with house-made tortilla chips. Definitely not run-of-the-mill. They also had great lunch specials like a smashburger with curly fries for $10.

Food did not seem to be the problem.

Decor featured artwork and murals created by local artists. A beautifully landscaped patio wrapped around the building’s facade. So the setting did not seem to be a factor.

It's tempting to point the finger at its location on Race Street, which has witnessed a round of closings in the past two years including buzzy birria taqueria Caliscience, which closed in February 2024; as well as The Post at River East, a restaurant and live music venue that shut down the same month.

In 2023, three other restaurants on Race Street closed: Tributary Cafe, the Bon Appetit-lauded La Onda, and vegan burger spot Zonk Burger. But separate reasons can also be found for each of those closures, whether that be inexperience or lease issues.

For years, the city and neighborhood advocates have been trying to turn Race Street into a trendy hotspot. As part of the city’s Urban Villages program, the city of Fort Worth invested $5.6 million in revitalizing the area, making improvements to traffic flow, sidewalks, landscaping, and outdoor lighting.

When Osbakken opened the bar, she said she loved the area, stating "it reminds me of Magnolia when were first were on it 10 years ago in our old location. It's a great community and the neighbors have been friendly and reaching out."

And there are still restaurants along the street, including a popular Mexican restaurant called Tesoro, the Dough’d Up doughnut shop, and Kingyo Sushi & Ramen House, as well as a coffee shop, Race Street Coffee.

The Bearded Lady continues to flourish. Osbakken originally opened the popular gastropub on Magnolia Avenue in 2013. Six years later, she moved it to the South Main, where it’s still going strong.

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