Waiting for Chinola at The Ivy League-Themed Academia in Austin

Academia is now serving up cocktails in Austin, and if you haven’t been yet, it’s time. With a beverage program helmed by Russell Davis, Bartender of the Year award winner and former Bar Rescue co-star, this spot in the heart of Austin’s warehouse district is a must visit.

Although Academia is still in soft open mode, the drinks are on point – and there is an air of creativity and eloquence in the space and the drinks alike. Dubbed as a “figurative faculty lounge for an Ivy League university of drinking where the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Hunter S. Thompson could be found,” Academia incorporates the latest innovations in applied and social and cognitive behavioral sciences to make the experience a little more cerebral and – dare we say – refreshingly geeky.

“These sciences have been proven to work and are used by some of the world’s largest corporations, such as Disney, yet have never been executed on this scale,” explains Davis about this new foray into the utilization of cognitive psychology in F+B. “We will be setting the new standard for when it comes to setting drinking atmospheres. We can change the bar industry forever.”

Thoughtful and creative drinks fill the menu, including the rum-based Waiting For Shinola (pictured, above) with Plantation 3 Star rum, passion fruit, lemon, Becherovka, Lazy Day lager and pomegranate.

“I really wanted to do a passion fruit shandy (cocktail with beer), and my gut reaction was to use Chinola, an amazing passion fruit product that we’ve been waiting to come to the states from the Dominican Republic for some time, but we just can’t seem to get it, hence the name “Waiting for Chinola”,” explains Davis. “Fortunately, we were able to find another outstanding passion fruit flavoring by Liber & Co. and pulled off a truly killer drink. It reminds me of drinking beer and eating fresh maracuyá from the market during sunset in Central America. It’s a perfect summer drink for a Texas winter.”

Waiting for Chinola recipe and preparation

1.5 oz Santa Teresa Claro Rum
.75 oz Liber & Co. Passionfruit Syrup
.75 oz Lemon Juice
1 Barspoon Becherovka
1 oz Lazy Day Lager
Dash Monin Pomegranate Syrup
Pomegranate Seeds

Combine Rum, Passion Fruit Syrup, Lemon Juice, and Becherovka into a shaker with ice and lightly shake. Strain into a collins or pilsner glass and then add cubed ice. Next, top with Lazy Day Lager and a small scoop of crushed ice. Dash Pomegranate syrup over the top of the ice and top with Pomegranate Seeds.

It’s time to check it out now before the masses start going – if they haven’t descended upon it already.