Review: Ciclo at Four Seasons Austin, Spring 2026 Menu

Drinks and/or dinner at a Four Seasons property is never a bad time, and when Austin’s Four Seasons management invited me to dinner at its lush restaurant Ciclo, I certainly wasn’t going to say no. The occasion: The arrival of its seasonal menu, Viva Abejas, “long live the bees.”

Now in its third year, Viva Abejas is a celebration of honey, and not just any honey: Honey that is produced on the hotel’s grounds in its own apiary. That’s quite a feat to do in downtown Austin, but each season the hotel pulls 70 gallons, more or less, from the hives.

Viva Abejas includes two cocktails and two food options on its menu, each made with honey produced on site. We tried all of them, plus some additional drinks off the standard cocktail menu, during our visit. The special menu runs through May.

Naturally, we’ll focus most on the cocktails, starting with the special honey concoctions.

Of the two, the Viva Abejas Paloma ($20) was arguably my favorite, made with chipotle-infused blanco tequila, honey, lime, and grapefruit soda. A slick of black salt adorns the glass. Refreshing but gentle spicy with a chipotle kick, the honey is subtle but balancing, and the fine-ground salt is a perfect compliment to the sweet-tart body. This one’s a porch pounder, to be sure, and likely dangerous on a hot day.

The other end of the spectrum is the Honeycomb Carajillo ($22), made with Lost Explorer mezcal, vanilla & cardamom honey, Ancho Reyes, and cold brew coffee. Take a Carajillo and layer it with both smoke and spices and you’ve got this cocktail. I found the Ancho Reyes to be a little heavy and would dial it back a little, especially to give the honey more of a featured role, but it was a nice spin on what has become a rather overdone drink.

Additional cocktails tasted included the Citrus & Spice Negroni ($21), made with Botanist gin, spiced Aperol, Antica vermouth, and chocolate bitters. To call this Christmassy would be an understatement with its heavy notes of cinnamon and cloves. It’s a little out of season for sipping in April, but I did really enjoy the use of chocolate bitters in the mix. The Living Spirit ($21) was particularly recommended, essentially a spicy tamarind margarita with Casamigos Blanco. It was a delight to drink, particularly because I really love tamarind in cocktails.

As for the food, the Beef Bavette ($72) is a 7 oz. Prime bavette steak with raw honey drizzled over the top. I’m on the fence as to sweetening agents on high-grade beef, but the excellent quality of the meat and the masterful cook made me nearly forget about its presence. The honey however fits right in with the Abejas Pavlova ($18), a baked meringue with bee pollen, mango, and passion fruit sorbet. More whipped cream would have really made this dessert sing, but my wife and I polished off every bite even without it.

The ambience of the restaurant can’t be beat in springtime, decked out in bee-appropriate florals as a counterpoint to the warm woods and moody lighting of the space. Service is beyond attentive to the point of being quite gracious and wholly knowledgeable about both food and beverage menus.

You’ve got a couple months to check out the new cocktails, but you’ll need to make a bee-line soon if you want to catch the menu before the honey runs out.

98 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701
cicloatx.com

The post Review: Ciclo at Four Seasons Austin, Spring 2026 Menu appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.