

There’s also a menu of new snacks including French onion dip, an oyster picnic (oysters, sausage, bread and butter) and a crazy-good burger. But one sip of the house Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Pimm’s Cup, Sazerac or Ramos Gin Fizz, and you’ll recognize instantly someone cared quite a lot about your date with very special spirits. The skill and thought poured into every cocktail might be lost on the casual drinker. This bar specializing in Southern-inspired cocktails is slinging boozy classics and a new slate of imaginative (and somewhat idiosyncratic) charmers. Tepache Julep (sous vide pineapple and turbinado sugar in verdejo wine, maraschino, mezcal, and raspberry) at Julep bar as part of its new summer 2021 specialty cocktail list. Hawaiian leanings from the food menu include ahi poke, coconut shrimp bao, Maui short ribs, fish tacos, shrimp cocktail and Spam musibi. The indoor-outdoor space with a tropical design offers vacation island-inspired cocktails such as Spation Wagon (gin, vermouth, watermelon syrup and bitters), Sun Soaked on Montie Beach (rum, passion fruit, ginger and mint) and Big Daddy Sam (rye, mezcal, crème de banana and chocolate bitters). This clever bar is set next to the pool of Heights House Hotel, a former sketchy motel that is now a hip boutique inn. Dylan Scardino / Dylan Scardino Space Cowboy Sun Soaked on Montie Beach, a rum, ginger and passion fruit cocktail at Space Cowboy, a new poolside bar and restaurant at the Heights House Hotel, 100 W. Check out the watermelon sangria called It’s Always Sunny in Houston food trucks service the bar five days a week in addition to a permanent food counter offering pizza, hot dogs and nachos. Arcade games and TVs galore and two dozen beers on tap and cocktails (including a highball Ranch Water machine) for the thirsty. This bar is a doozy: a full-service, three-level space (the former Spaghetti Warehouse location) boasting downtown’s largest covered patio bar with views of the Houston skyline and Buffalo Bayou. There’s also a food menu that includes specialty pizzas, chicken wings, fried calamari, and sweet potato fritters. Cocktails also are on tap, including the Red Shirt (vodka, strawberry-infused Aperol and lime), Oaxacan Viejo (white tequila, mezcal, Grand Marnier and lime) Bramble (gin, cassis, lemon and turbinado syrup), and a classic Old Fashioned. Amy Scott / Amy Scott Shoot the Moonīilled as Houston’s first self-service bar and restaurant, this Spring Branch newcomer allows guests to pour themselves cider, beer, and spirits. Shoot the Moon, 8155 Long Point, is billed as Houston's first self-service bar where guests can serve themselves cider, beer, wine, cocktails and spirits from an automated tap wall. The breezy new bar sits adjacent to the partners’ new Highline Park patio bar. With only 28 seats, Casa Nomad features a coastal Mexican menu that includes tropical, vacation dreaming craft cocktails such as the Tuluminati (reposado tequila, dry Curacao, lime, agave, and dragon fruit syrup). The partners of Wicklow Heights bar have created a chic Tulum, Mexico-inspired lounge, a charming sliver space in the hot M-K-T Heights retail and restaurant collection. Tuluminati cocktail (reposado tequila, dry Curacao, lime, agave, and dragon fruit) at Casa Nomad, a new Tulum-inspired lounge and coastal Mexican restaurant at M-K-T Heights, 600 N. An a la carte food menu also is offered, as well as wines by the glass, at this art-filled space. The cocktails include Fish House Punch (peach brandy, dark rum, ginger, citrus and spices) Hibiscus Zen (herbal tea cocktail with gin, hibiscus flowers, fresh basil and white pepper) and Mezcal Last Word (mezcal, cherry liqueur, Chartreuse, and lime). Chef Thomas Stacy’s tasting-menu restaurant at Cit圜entre launched a new cocktail menu to coincide with the opening of Cafe ReikiNa, a walk-in friendly café and bar area with seating for 42.
