Flourishing Texas town serves up moonshine flights and Southern hospitality

[JohnS]

Flourishing Texas town serves up moonshine flights and Southern hospitality

An on-site cigar lounge with a differing cocktail menu makes this a one-stop shop for all your vices.

By Taylor Kamnetz, Features Editor - Sep 27, 2025

A few examples of the infused moonshine you can enjoy at Copper Shot Distillery in Bastrop, Texas. Taylor Kamnetz/MySA

Flights of moonshine, honey shine made with rainwater and local honey and craft cocktails that pair perfectly with a cigar of your choice? This one-of-a-kind distillery, founded in 2016 in a charming Texas town, has every vice you could need with a hint of historic hospitality. 

Not every town across the Lone Star State has a main street that is, by no exaggeration, bustling with activity at 11 a.m. on a Sunday. That is part of what makes Bastrop great, says Stephen Todee, the owner of Copper Shot Distillery — a spot on Main Street that happens to serve up arguably one of the best whiskey sours Texas has to offer and includes an adjacent cigar lounge with a massive humidor, ample seating and a prohibition-inspired bar.  

Stephen Todee, the co-owner of Copper Shot Distillery in Bastrop, Texas, pours samples of moonshine. Taylor Kamnetz/MySA

"I like the small feel, but everything's available," Todee told MySA while pouring us a flight of moonshine at the Bastrop distillery. "We have everything you could ask for, but still have the small town feel. ... It's its own beach."

But aside from the charm of the booming town, Bastrop has everything one could need (an H-E-B, a Buc-ee’s, gorgeous views of the Colorado River, a vibrant Main Street with local bookstores, art galleries, breweries, distilleries, restaurants, stores to get lost in and more), Bastrop is home to the distillery owned and operated by Todee and his wife, Cheri, where patrons can taste test an array of moonshine flavors that actually taste good. 

Moonshine flights at a one-of-a-kind Texas distillery

Each flight of moonshine at Copper Shot comes with four, 1-ounce pours of the shine of your choice — some with a higher proof than others. But those willing to walk on the wild side can level up their flight experience with a little mix-and-match action. Moonshine flights start at $15, but if you mix-and-match two pours of infused 'shine with two pours of Copper Shot's range of potent yet delectable spirits like its honey whiskey or "Bosun’s Brew  - an espresso rum," flights start at $18. 

If you're looking for a recommendation on which of the more than 15 infused moonshine flavors to start with, the man behind the moonshine magic said his favorite flavor "depends on the time of year."

Copper Shot Distillery. Taylor Kamnetz/MySA

A liquor sign hangs above the main bar at Copper Shot Distillery on Main Street in Bastrop, Texas. Taylor Kamnetz/MySA

"Prickly pear is our poolside [moonshine]," Todee said, noting it's "so easy to make." But during MySA's late-summer visit, another moonshine flavor had his heart: Tang. This moonshine flavor is a nod to the drink mix that took the U.S. by storm when it debuted in 1957. Though Todee showed concern that his adoration for this flavor might be lost on younger generations, the moonshine's bright yellow-orange color in a glass container behind the bar is enough to tantalize one's curious taste buds. And, we're happy to report it tastes equally as delicious and refreshing as it looks.

Other notable moonshine flavors include root beer (Todee recommends using this at home to make a boozy root beer float), apple pie, peach and watermelon. Certain infused 'shines are 30 proof, while others  (like graham cracker and banana, for example) are 100-proof. Those who dare can take a walk on the wild side and get a burns-so-good pour of 120-proof "Lightnin'" moonshine.

The eye-catching containers you see hanging from the ceiling when you first walk into Copper Shot Distillery's main entrance give guests a glimpse at the spirit-making process of honey shine. These start with the 120-proof "Lightnin'," and locally sourced, unpasteurized honey gets added to the mix. Then, nature does its thing, and that's how Copper Shot's 100-proof honey shine is made.

Honey shine being made at Copper Shot Distillery in Bastrop, Texas. Taylor Kamnetz/MySA

The spirit-making process in action at Copper Shot Distillery. Taylor Kamnetz/MySA

Copper Shot Distillery's adjacent cigar lounge in Bastrop, Texas

If you're not into shooting moonshine — even the infused takes that hide the booze impressively well — Copper Shot Distillery has a slew of cocktails available that differ depending on whether you're at the main bar or at the Prohibition-inspired bar in the C&S Cigar Lounge. The cigar lounge and its included bar with homemade mixers is located in an adjacent building accessible through the distillery's back patio or the lounge's main entrance at 705 Pine St., Bastrop, TX 78602. No, you don't have to be a cigar smoker to hang out in the cigar lounge or get a drink from the bar. 

Starting at $10, cocktail prices at Copper Shot are ridiculously affordable, especially if you're visiting from Austin, where drink prices typically are offensive at best. If you'd like help picking out he best cigar to pair with your drink of choice, the folks in the cigar lounge can certainly assist. 

 

Humidor at Copper Shot Distillery's C&S Cigar Lounge in Bastrop, Texas. Taylor Kamnetz/MySA

 

Seating in the C&S Cigar Lounge in Bastrop, Texas. Taylor Kamnetz/MySA

Finding Copper Shot Distillery in Bastrop, plus hours

Copper Shot Distillery is located on Main Street in Bastrop and is open daily, though hours vary. Free parking is available in lots around Main Street or along Main and Pine Streets.

Find it: Copper Shot Distillery: 809 Main St., Bastrop, TX 78602 
Hours: 2 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 1 to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. 

Source: https://www.mysanantonio.com/food/article/copper-shot-distillery-bastrop-20816425.php

[Çnote]

23 hours ago, JohnS said:

that happens to serve up arguably one of the best whiskey sours Texas has to offer

Bold claim. @Capn_Jackson a quick 4hr drive...when you wanna go?