

Weirdest cocktail experiment you’ve ever attempted: This industry can teach you so much about life if you open yourself to the lessons. This is the spirit of hospitality, but at times in the past, I clocked that sentiment out after each bar shift and didn’t allow it to be a bigger part of my personal life. What do you know now that you wish you’d known five years ago?ĭon’t give, do favors or love if you will consider the recipient to be indebted to you afterwards. I enjoy accessing restricted rooftops with great views in Houston and drinking wine. What’s the weirdest hobby you currently have or have had? If you had to listen to one album on loop for the rest of your life, what would it be? I returned them all to him in a few hours in less-than-original form. A liquor store owner who had become a regular at the bar I worked invited the bar crew over to his house one night and busted out the best wines from his collection. I grew up in a very conservative family, so when I started bartending, booze was entirely new to me. The water at the end of that story was the best thing I ever drank. I once got lost in Texas’ dry Hill Country, at the peak of summer, during a drought, without my own water for an entire day and walked I don’t know how many miles until I found a highway. So what does Heugel do when he’s not concepting a new drinks list or visiting distilleries? Here, he takes a stab at our Lookbook Questionnaire to share his strangest hobby, the first time he ever got drunk and his go-to drink in a cocktail bar-and in a dive. Despite their many differences, each of these venues benefits from Heugel’s careful attention to detail, which has set the standard for a growing roster of Texas-based cocktail bars. Earlier this year, he debuted the formal Tongue-Cut Sparrow, located just above The Pastry War in addition, he partnered with chef Justin Yu, formerly of Oxheart, to open Better Luck Tomorrow, a bar and restaurant in Houston Heights with a casual, neighborhood feel. More recently, Heugel’s focus has shifted back in the direction of cocktails.

With the opening of The Pastry War in 2013, he debuted a carefully curated collection of tequilas and mezcals. Since then, Heugel has also become an influential voice in the national spirits scene, championing producers with a clear narrative and a connection to place. With a now-storied “100 List” of classic cocktails, the bar has since racked up accolades as one of the country’s best, earning no fewer than six James Beard Award nominations. The well-trained, sociable staff has built up a loyal crowd of regulars.Īnvil has an eclectic clientele of cocktail enthusiasts who come here for some the best drinks in town.Having opened Anvil Bar & Refuge nearly a decade ago, Bobby Heugel was the preeminent architect of Houston’s emerging drinks scene. Not sure what to order? Start with The Brave, a house specialty made with mezcal, blanco tequila, Italian amaro, orange-flavored liqueur, and Angostura Bitters, all served room temperature in a red wine glass.ĭig into snacks, from a pretzel with beer cheese to roasted pepperoncinis stuffed with ham, cheese, and rice and topped with tomato sauce. There’s a selection of beers on tap, but you're really here for the cocktails-more than 100 of them, all expertly made. Thomas University, high-powered attorneys in suits, and out-of-towners who have read about this nationally acclaimed bar. You’ll see neighborhood locals, 20-something college students from nearby St.

#Anvil houston zip#
Located in the demographically diverse Montrose zip code, Anvil draws an equally varied crowd.

Grab a seat at the bar or a table, order a drink, and settle into this casual, chic, high-energy spot. There are 100 classic and eight seasonal house creations on the menu. Head to Anvil-a brass-accented bar with a refined, industrial feel in Montrose-for well-crafted cocktails aplenty.
