When you eat a fresh raw oyster, it's still alive. A month after my grandfather ate his last serving of raw oysters, he was not. Bacteria caused the fatal infection, but a weakened immune system was really to blame. Despite reminders of the health risks, he wouldn't be denied oysters, or a strong drink to go with them. (If you'd even try to forbid an 82-year-old combat veteran from eating what he wants, I'm not sure what to say to you.) I thought about him when I stopped by the Oyster Bar at
Danton's (4611 Montrose, 713-807-8883) for some raw shellfish and alcohol. As a small offshoot of the main restaurant, the bar isn't the type of place you'd go to wild out, but the happy hour specials (including 75-cent oysters) make it a good spot to start the night. There's also a short specialty drinks list. My friend tried the Bloody Danton, a Bloody Mary made with the restaurant's smoky roux. It was a nice take, but I preferred the Galveston Island Tea, a Long Island variation with key lime juice. It was less saccharine than what you'd get at most other bars thanks to the fresh juice. It makes for a better aphrodisiac than oysters, too, and it probably won't kill you, provided you limit your intake.
½ ounce Tito's vodka
½ ounce Bacardi Superior white rum
½ ounce Sauza Blanco tequila
½ ounce Seagram's gin
½ ounce triple sec
1 ounce fresh-squeezed key lime juice
Splash Coke
Combine ingredients over ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a key lime wheel.
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