Restaurant Review: Pick Your Poison

Photo by John Anderson

The Tigress Bar and Cocktails

Walk into the Tigress on any given day and the first thing you'll hear is "Hi, I'm Pam!" That would be owner Pam Pritchard, who imagined this minipub and cocktail lounge as a homey place for friends and neighbors to gather over fresh local pints and inexpensive classic cocktails. Her small list is made up of pre-Prohibition standards like the sidecar, the manhattan, and a righteous martini, plus newly revived classics like the Aviation, the Blood and Sand, and the Bee's Knees, all for $7. A native of Santa Barbara, Calif., Pritchard is a laid-back newcomer to Austin who has spent a lot of time in England and knows a thing or two about what a pub should feel like. The tiny yet bright space has room for 20 people or so with one large boothlike table, four small cocktail tables for two, and seats along the L-shaped bar. Pritchard will get you in the mood for a friendly, lively conversation with tasty cocktails like Satan's Whis­kers – a blend of gin, vermouth, and orange liqueur – or a refreshing French 75, properly served in a tall Champagne glass from her eclectic collection of thrift store vintage barware.