Photo by Jenn Duncan.Īnvil Bar & Refuge, 1424 Westheimer: In opening this Montrose landmark, Bobby Heugel and his business partners, Steve Flippo and Kevin Floyd (who would later separate from the partnership ) catalyzed a new age for Houston cocktails. A selection of cocktails at Refuge, the 50-seat bar above Anvil and Tongue-Cut Sparrow. Looking for great drinks in more casual venues? Check out our list of The Best Casual Cocktail Bars in Houston. At these bars, the adventure as a whole is almost as important as the drinks that are being served. This list focuses on the more-refined spots that go above and beyond to create wonderful drinks, atmospheres and settings. The city’s drinking options range from elegant and intimate to neighborhood dives, all of which offer quality cocktails. That makes excellent cocktails available in many more neighborhoods no need for a long haul across town. However, instead of cocktail bars tightly clustered in a few inside-the-Loop areas, a growing number are opening in the suburbs or outlying towns, such as Spring Branch, Clear Lake and Old Town Spring. A high concentration of top-quality bars near Congress and Main in downtown Houston - including The Pastry War, Tongue-Cut Sparrow (both with the same owners as Anvil the latter had a brief second life in Montrose), Moving Sidewalk, Public Services Wine & Whisky and The Honeymoon - were decimated by either uneven weekday business levels or the COVID-19 pandemic. Houston’s cocktail bar scene has continued to grow albeit sometimes on unsteady legs. It never won, but its impact is undeniable. Between 20, this pacesetting bar was considered for a James Beard Award 10 times two of those times as a national finalist for Outstanding Bar Program. While practices were improving, and there were a few craft cocktail spots, there was not a boom in truly refined drinking experiences until Anvil Bar and Refuge opened in 2009, catalyzing the growth that’s turned Houston into one of the best destinations for mixed beverages. Compared to many cities around the United States, such as New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, Houston was late to the party. Time-honored, cocktail-making practices rapidly expanded and evolved, inspiring hundreds of new cocktail bars to emerge. The late 1990s and early 2000s are regarded as a renaissance period for cocktails.
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