Like a Pro.

Everything You Need To Know About Day-Drinking in Dallas.

Just like operating a vehicle, drinking is not only one of those things that nearly everybody does, but one of those things that most everyone thinks they do well.

But, just as driving on icy roads can make even the most experienced driver look foolish, drinking during the daylight hours can too prove a dicey proposition — albeit one that we all attempt to indulge in from time to time.

We here at Central Track of course consider ourselves pseudo-professionals in this matter, though. And, as such, we'd like to offer up a few pro tips.

First off: Remember that day-drinking is a marathon and not a sprint. Pace yourself and time out your drinks just right. It also doesn't hurt to occasionally mix in some water to stay hydrated and, if need be, a Red Bull to give you that last big push towards dinnertime. Remember, too, to eat and to stay in the shade when possible. Also? Keep in mind that there's safety in numbers.

But all that pretty much goes without saying.

Another quick tip? Make sure every third drink you order is something fizzy. A friend who considers himself something of a longtime endurance drinker once told us this trick, and, we must admit, it's always seemed to work out well for us.

Above all, though, day-drinking like a pro in Dallas simply requires a little practice. And that's something we've had plenty of. So, to give you a leg up, we've put together this list of the city's best day-drinking options and lessons so as to help you maximize your next three-day weekend, personal day or Sunday funday.

Just promise us that you'll plan out a safe way home in advance, OK?

Find a patio.
Weather permitting, patios are the most natural habitat of the day-drinker, so, if your day-drinking excursion involves multiple locations, it's inevitable that you'll wind up on at least one. Some of our favorites include Goodfriend, The Foundry, Sundown, Katy Trail Ice House, The Blackfriar, Lee Harvey's, Bryan Street Tavern, Gloria's, The Blue Goose, The Ginger Man, Capitol Pub, Aww Shucks, Ozona and, though it may be small, the Single Wide. In the spring and fall months, though, so many Dallasites flock to these day-drinking havens that it can be hard to find an open spot. Our best advice? Have a number of locations in your back pocket, ready for use in case your first few options are packed.

Remember: No one will judge you for drinking at brunch.
While patios generally make for a good place to wind down your day-long binge, you might want to look elsewhere for your first taste. The mimosas, Bloody Mary's and Bellini's served at most brunch places provide a terrific way to ease into daylight drinking while still affording you the chance to look somewhat classy in the process. A bonus to starting off at a brunch spot? Any grub you can scrounge up on your outing will go a long way in the endurance department.

Soak it.
The whole fun of drinking during the day is finding a nice spot outdoors to really soak in. The most quintessential of these locales, of course, is poolside. And Dallas is indeed full of great pool options. The tattoo convention-like ambiance at the Fraternal Order of Eagles pool is an obvious favorite; just remember to be careful with their $1 Jell-O shots. A classier option might include finding your way into one of the many luxury hotel pools around town. Don't worry, sneaking in to these places is often much easier than you might imagine.

Go festing.
What's the point of drinking during daylight hours if you're not going to, y'know, actually enjoy the daylight? Consider yourself lucky in this regard. Between annual affairs such as the Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day parade, the State Fair of Texas, Barktoberfest, Deep Ellum Arts Fest, or one of the dozens of outdoor music festivals that have cropped up in recent years, there's nearly always something going on. Keep an eye peeled at local events calendars (such as our own daily Things to Do posts) for an idea of what's going on. You can almost bet that any event where large crowds gather will attract at least one beer sponsor. And that's before we even get into the various beer festivals around town, which includes such affairs as Beer Feast, Big Texas Beer Festival, Dallas Winter Warmer, and Untapped.

Visit the source.
In the past couple of years, a whole slew of new breweries and distilleries have cropped up around the Metroplex — and places like Peticolas Brewing Co., Lakewood Brewing Co., Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Community Beer Company, Four Corners Brewing Co., Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co. all offer up tours of their grounds at various times. Even better, because of Texas laws, breweries aren't allowed to sell their products onsite. Seriously, that's a good thing: Any tastings you take part in at a brewery will be on the house.

Multi-task.
Drinking is pretty entertaining simply in and of itself, but, that being said, just about everybody who has ever taken a tug of the old sauce can tell you that it'll increase the fun quotient of most activities exponentially. So maybe consider taking your day-drinking adventure to the next level by pairing it with another socially acceptable daytime activity. Consider a trip to Bowl and Barrel or a sporting event. Or while running some errands, even: Drinking wine while shopping at the Lakewood Whole Foods is one of our favorite pastimes and area dentist chain Floss will gladly serve you a glass of wine as you waiting to get those same wine-stained teeth of yours whitened.

Embrace the happy hour concept.
The whole idea behind the happy hour concept is to bring in customers to drink at off-peak times. At no time is this more applicable than when most folks are at work or doing something otherwise totally responsible and upstanding with their time. This is especially true on Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays. Check out our complete list of drink specials to figure out the cheapest days and times to hit up the bars in your individual neighborhood. Or use that same reference to devise a bar crawl.

Give zero fucks.
A bar doesn't necessarily have to be cheap to help facilitate your day-drinking desires. It just has to be open. And, while most bars in town open during the late afternoon, a handful of spots around town — The Goat, Ships, The Old Crow and Starlight Lounge, among them — open up as early as 8 a.m. every single day of the week. At these hours, it's an entirely different breed of human being that gets their drink on. These are the kind of folks who, for one reason or another, are almost never awake for dinner. Know this much heading in, though: Just because a bar is open at 8 a.m. doesn't mean it's a good idea to bother getting there that early.