TWO HIGH FIVES
A pioneer in the cocktail industry, Midnight Rambler, turns ten.
Here’s a fun party trick to make you feel one hundred years old: describe to someone Gen Z (or younger) the cocktail scene in Dallas ten years ago. Tell them about how ordering an Old Fashioned at an average bar was practically unheard of. Or how a “daiquiri” was something that came pre-mixed from a blender. The reactions are bewildering.
But to truly give Midnight Rambler its flowers as it celebrates its tenth anniversary, it’s important to ponder how unbroken the cocktail landscape was when it came on the scene.
Midnight Rambler opened in October of 2014, changing the way that the city imbibed for good. Since day one, cocktails were treated as part-art, part-science (and sometimes part-magic). The bar’s original menus were filled with recipes calling for one drop of a fermented tincture or two drops of mineral saline. The philosophy was precision—an exacting approach that cemented Midnight Rambler’s status as a pacesetter, not just within the city, but nationally. Vinyl DJs, pop-up programming, and a regular cast of artists, musicians, cool kids, and a few good-spirited ne’re-do-wells established Rambler the place to be.
Post-pandemic, Midnight Rambler brought on award-winning “Best Bartender in Dallas” Gabe Sanchez to reopen the bar. With Sanchez’s guidance, the team ushered in a new era defined by imagination and risk-taking creativity. Themed menus have become one of the brand’s creative signatures with menus designed to look like amusement park maps, music scores, vintage Toys “R”Us mailers, and lotería cards. The cocktails, too, are more innovative than ever.
Take, for example, the Miami Granny Deviled Eggs, which are reappearing by the dozen for a limited time during the birthday festivities. A playful take on jello-shots, the trompe l'oeil “egg whites” are made with coconut rum and coconut milk, topped with “yolks” of pineapple whip, strawberry daiquiri purée, and a sprinkle of strawberry powder “paprika.”
“It’s my favorite cocktail from Midnight Rambler’s collection,” says Sanchez. “It started out as a passing ‘wouldn’t that be cool’ throwaway conversation and turned into a challenge. The process took months of work, failure, and reworking until bartenders Haley and Jennava created something we didn’t think was possible. The way guests go from this initial furrowed-brow reaction when they pick it up, to the amazed smile when they eat it—that made the hard work worth it.”
With one of the world’s friendliest managers, Mitch Murray, now at the helm and a all-star lineup behind the bar—Hayley, Jennava, Leo, and Raymundo—the bar feels poised for the next chapter of Midnight Rambler’s story. And we know, thanks to this creative crew, it’s going to be a page-turner.
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The Details: Say happy birthday to Midnight Rambler throughout the end of the year with special menus, alumni pop-ups, and more holiday programming. Follow @midnightramlerbar for the latest.
CHEERS TO TEN
To toast to Midnight Rambler’s birthday, mix up an at-home version of one of it’s most iconic drinks from years past
1000W THUMPER
¾ ounces fresh lime juice
½ ounce simple syrup
2 ounces watermelon juice
1½ ounces gin
1 dash angostura bitters
Combine all ingredients, shake, and strain into a highball glass. Top off with an optional splash of club soda and garnish with a watermelon spear.