How to Get Drunk for $20 in Austin

it’s your night and you want to get your drink on, but you don’t want to break the bank doing it. In Austin, the key is finding the right deal on the right night. A word to the wise; if you plan to get drunk, also plan to have a ride home and friends with you to keep you out of any trouble you don’t want to be in. Here are ways to get a lot to drink for just a little money in Austin.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. For the ladies, one of the best happy hours is at Ninety Proof Lounge on Second Street and Trinity. On Thursdays, ladies get free champagne and wine until midnight.

2. Alligator Grill has a great happy hour that extends beyond the drinks and includes 10 cent shrimp, 25 cent oysters, and 35 cent wings. A South Austin fixture since 1994, the Cajun style restaurant and bar is well-received among locals, simply for the fact that the movie Office Space was filmed here. Happy hour is every day from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. and offers $4 Hurricanes along with daily drink specials.

3. For an early start, hit the the Iron Cactus on Sixth Street and Trinity for brunch, between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. where they serve delicious bottomless mimosas. During Happy Hour, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.,
Domestic Beers are $2.75, House Wine is $3,
Wells are $2.75, and house margaritas are $3. Thursday nights here are a great deal too, from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., Mexican martinis are $3 and Wells are $2.

4. Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill is one of Austin’s phenomenal restaurants, so it might seem like an odd choice, but the happy hour is a great start to the evening offering half price starters and select cocktails and wines for $4, Monday through Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. To take it a step further, fancy drinks like grapefruit-champagne-vodka martinis and cranberry cosmos are also half-price. On Sundays, the Red River hotspot host one of Austin’s best brunches from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with $3.50 mimosas and Bloody Mary’s.

5. On Mondays, you can’t beat $1 Tecates at El Arroyo on W Fifth Street from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

6. But the consensus among locals, is that the best place to get wasted on cheap (but strong) drinks is Barfly’s on Airport Road. It’s considered a dive bar, but that comes with its own bonuses. The bartenders are heavy with the pour, the jukebox is typically playing less-than-hipster music, the pool tables are usually busy and the bartenders will remember your name and what you drink. All in all, it’s a formula for a good time. You can get a Stella Artois for $3, a top shelf whiskey for under $5, and a Lone Star Longneck for $1.50. A local favorite is the Happy Meal, Lone Star with a shot of Jägermeister on the side for $4. Perhaps Barfly’s motto says it all: "Our drinks are cheap so you don't have to be."