Higher Ground is launching new food and cocktail menus at their popular downtown Austin lounge and bar, located at 720 Congress Avenue. Inspired by general manager Anthony Gonzalez’s and bar manager Steven Delgado’s Latin upbringings, the new food menu includes sandwiches, bowls and a dessert with a Cuban twist.
“Growing up I spent days prepping in my family’s food truck and eating traditional Cuban dishes. Unable to scratch that itch outside my home kitchen, I wanted to make it accessible for anyone. Some of these recipes go back 50 years,” explained Delgado. “The cocktails are the perfect pairing for that feeling. They are colorful, fun and elevated and show the new family I made in the cocktail scene in Austin”
“Working with my childhood best friend and my amazing bar team, we strived for that feeling, for that comfort of your family’s cooking. I think we nailed it. Collaboration was the name of the game for our new cocktail menu. We got inspiration from our favorite flavors and tried to have fun with classics like our Dirty Chai Martini – Chai Divine.” said Gonzalez.
New sandwich menu items include a Cubano with mojo pulled pork, prosciutto, pickles, honey-dijon aioli, pickled red onion and swiss cheese ($17); Pan con Bistec ($16) and a Pollo a la Plancha ($14) with steak or chicken, lettuce and tomato. All options are accompanied by housemade potato sticks with sides of aioli and chimichurri.
If you’d prefer a sampling, Higher Ground will also offer a slider trio ($15) that includes one ropa vieja, one pollo a la plancha and one frita (hamburger). The happy hour, brunch and pre-theater hotspot will also offer signature bowls with ropa vieja, white rice, black beans and tostones or a build your own bowl with your choice of protein, veggies and toppings.
As warmer weather arrives, Higher Ground will be serving a new dessert: a boozy Affogato where guests can pick from Caffe Borghetti, Cinnamon-infused Santa Teresa or Aperol to be poured over French Vanilla Ice Cream. Higher Ground’s signature Holy Spirits cocktail menu is being refreshed, with new sometimes seasonal, and always delectable ingredients.
The new Holy Spirits menu is below: Chai Divine ($16) Hangar 1, Caffe Borghetti, Chai, AllSpice, Cardamom, Clove Temptation ($17) Ketel One, Suze, Ramazzotti Rosato, Honeycrisp Apple, Soda Forbidden Fruit ($17) Hibiscus-infused Tanqueray, Lemon, Blueberry, Ginger La Sangre ($17) Maestro Dobel, 400 Conejos, Lime, Red Wine Reduction Divinity ($19)- Ilegal, Montenegro, Cocchi di Torrino, Creme de Cacao Thyme & Place ($16) Espolon, Giffard Peche, Lime, Thyme-Honey, Soda Black Pearl ($18) Cinnamon-infused Santa Teresa, Grapefruit, Lemon, Demerara, Bitters Genesis ($19) Johnnie Walker Black, Banana, Ginger, Honey-nut Cheerio Cypress ($20) Shiitake infused Suntory Toki, Lemongrass Turbinado, Miso- seaweed, Peychauds Eternal Paradise ($17) Dusse, Uruapan, Aperol, Pineapple, Lime, Demerara
Some additional classic cocktails are also being added to the drink menu including the Pineapple Daiquiri, The Business, an Americano, a Watermelon Cucumber Fizz, a Mezcal Floradora and an Aperol Spritz.
Learn more about Higher Ground here.
