Apothecary
Julian Shaffer won the MICHELIN Guide Texas Exceptional Cocktails award in 2024 while bartending at Rye, and he now runs the list at Apothecary on Lower Greenville.1
Why go
The owners of Rye opened this in 2021 as the place for the drinks that would not fit on a restaurant list, and PaperCity's description of what that means is more experimental cocktails.
1 The James Beard Foundation made it a semifinalist for Outstanding Bar in 2025, one of two bars in the state up in that category.23 The menu moves by theme rather than by season, so what is pouring in any given month is a set of drinks built to one idea.1
Order this / avoid
- Ask what the current themed series is and order from inside it.1
- Take the experimental half of the list over the classics. That is what the bar was opened to do.1
What locals & experts say
- PaperCity, Megan Ziots: the bar was opened by the owners of Rye in 2021, and it is
a must-visit to try more experimental cocktails.
1 - Paula Forbes, Texas Monthly, January 2025, names this and Austin's Techo Mezcaleria as the two Texas bars up for Outstanding Bar that year.3
Good to know
- Rye has since closed, which is why Shaffer is here.1
Verdict
should-visit — The bar the owners of Rye opened for the experiments, now with Julian Shaffer behind it and a menu that changes theme rather than season. Ask what the current series is and order off it rather than off the classics.