$12.4 million. That’s how much folks spent on alcohol at the JW Marriott from January to September 2025, making it the top-selling alcohol vendor in town.
Alcohol sales in Austin amounted to around $578 million in the first six months of 2025 — about $3 million less than the same period in 2024 — as venues have been grappling with a “softening” decline in drink sales since 2022.
Here’s a peek into what the stats say about the state of beverages in ATX.
Top venues
The JW Marriott was one of five hotels to make the top 10 highest-selling venues, which also included the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Proper Hotel, Fairmont Austin Hotel, and WLS Beverage Company (which appears to be the Austin Marriott Downtown).
The Moody Center, Moody Amphitheater, and Q2 Stadium took up three slots, and two restaurants made the top 10: Ojos Locos Sports Cantina and Matt’s El Rancho. Altogether, the top 10 venues sold $70.81 million worth of alcohol from January to September 2025.
Top ZIP codes
While hot spots for drinking districts mostly trended towards Downtown and Downtown-adjacent areas like Bouldin Creek and East Cesar Chavez, north Austin’s 78758 ZIP code (home to Q2 Stadium and The Domain) clocked the No. 4 highest sales in October.
Other areas in the top 10 included the airport’s 78719, south Austin’s 78748 + 78745, St. John’s 78752, and the southwest Austin swath of 78735.
Top months
From January to October 2025, it seems that alcohol sales follow the trends of festival season. The biggest month for alcohol sales was October, during which folks purchased ~$118.9 million worth of beverages.
March was the second-highest month at ~$109.9 million, marking the start of the most consistent sales period, which hovered around $108 million through the end of May.
In case you’re wondering, January saw the lowest sales at $75.3 million. Psst — stay tuned for some Dry January recommendations.
