There was a time in my life when I was really stressed about what to order at the bar. My childhood best friend Tanner gave me instructions: First, ask if there’s a special. If you don’t want the special, say: “Vodka cran, please.”
In Nashville, my engrained strategy is all but useless. “Nope, no special, everything full price,” is a likely reply. A solid drink special feels so elusive here that I’m embarrassed to ask. That, or the deals have passed me by once happy hour’s done — which is often, criminally, at 6 or even 5 p.m. But there are still some places to get a buzz on the cheap at any hour of the day. This is a (far from exhaustive) list of some.
Pickleback at Mother’s Ruin
East Nashville’s Vinyl Tap has perhaps the best range of options, with four shot-and-beer combos at $7 apiece. One of those is a Chicago Handshake — Malört and an Old Style beer. (Read more about the former in our Malört Repört in this issue.) Gramp’s Garage Bar is another top East Side contender, with fourshot-and-beer specials, each for $10 or less. Try the Happy Meal — Fernet Branca and a Miller High Life pony — or stay on theme with a pickle beer and a shot of Old Grand-Dad Bourbon. If you’re a pickle person, it may be mandatory to try the Pickleback (a shot of Four Walls whiskey and a shot of house pickle brine) at Germantown’s Mother’s Ruin for $9. For those looking for something a bit more fruity while flipping through vintage records or perusing second-hand tees, Garage Sale Vintage offers $8 shot-and-beer combos featuring a Budweiser plus a shot of fruit-infused tequila or vodka made in house.
An old reliable in East Nashville’s Five Points is Duke’s, which offers a rotating shot-and-beer combo for $7, and — true to its laid-back m.o. — promises “no nonsense, nothing nasty.” Take a small bar crawl at any time of day by going from Vinyl Tap to Schulman’s, and snag the rotating shot du jour for $7. I love daily specials — it feels almost as good as opening a blind box. Wedgewood-Houston mainstay Bastion’s $11 punch of the day scratches the same itch. It’s not quite crawl-able from Bastion, but nearby GoodTimes offers its own “beer and a bump” Coors Banquet and draft cocktail shooter special.
Lower Broadway is perhaps the trickiest place to get sauced on a budget, but a few places stand out from the rest. Nudie’s Honky Tonk offers a shot of tequila and a Montucky lager for $10, and there’s always the reliable Recession Special at Robert’s Western World — a bologna sandwich, a PBR and a Moon Pie for $6.
Otto’s, which you could say offers East Nashville-y vibes on the West Side, offers a Miller High Life pony alongside a shot for $9. Whoever programmed the “Happy All Day” menu at GreenHouse in Green Hills is a person after my own heart. The menu features a GreenHouse shot with rum and melon for $3, alongside ranch waters, sangria, Jell-O shots and spiked fruit tea, among other deals.
Plus, quenching our thirst for limoncello, issuing our first Malört Repört and sampling Tío Fun’s soft-serve margaritas
