Raspas are a typical Hispanic child’s summer pastime, but only a Spurs-loving Alamo City kiddo knows of the jaw-clenching pucker associated with a “Chango.” SInce 2011, Hi-Tones (621 E Dewey Place, (210) 573-6220) has been doling out Changos in shot form: pickle juice, Mexican Chamoy sauce and an unnamed spirit. Rimmed with sal y limon and chili powder, natch.
The shot is part of a line of house shots, available for $2 a pop, that include the Hi-Tones pickle, chamoy, pica piña and la bomba roja. The bar team produces batches of the shot concoctions daily, averaging anywhere between 8 to 10 gallons of both the pickle and chamoy mixtures on a Friday or Saturday night.
Artist and part-time happy hour bartender, Chris Davila says people of all demographics flock to the bar sometimes solely for the specialty shots. “When I’m behind the bar, people are always like ‘I don’t know what I want to drink but I want either a pickle or a chamoy shot’,” raves Davila. “Both the house shots and drinks are meant to inspire the spirit of San Antonio – that spirit is what Hi-Tones is all about.”
