Houston, TXCocktails

Montrose's defining cocktail bar since 2009, where sharp bartenders run through classics and originals built on ingredients like saffron tequila and osmanthus tea. The room that helped set Houston's modern cocktail scene in motion, and more than a decade on it remains a Montrose landmark for serious drinking.

A James Beard Award winning bar program and 50 Best honoree on Washington Avenue, built around riffs on the mint julep alongside a deep, well executed list. Ten plus years in and one of the city's most decorated rooms, with a Southern leaning list that runs deep beyond the julep itself.

Tucked above Anvil in a dim, 25 seat room, this sister bar from the same team runs table service and riffs on classics with unusual spirits like Pineau des Charentes and St. Lucian rum. A quiet, reservation friendly escape from Montrose's street noise.

An unmarked upstairs bar reached through a door beside The Nightingale Room, with a mezcal, amaro, and absinthe list deep enough to keep regulars exploring for years. One of downtown's more committed hidden bar builds, its unmarked entrance keeping it a regulars' secret.

An eight seat speakeasy hidden behind the Four Seasons' pan-Latin steakhouse, run on 90 minute reservation seatings. A North America's 50 Best Bars honoree and the most internationally recognized cocktail room in the city, where reservations are essential for one of the eight seats.