The Best Drinks in Houston in 2017 (So Far)

We’re not ashamed to say it, but we’ve spent the first six months exploring the best drinks in Houston and surrounding areas. Here’s our look at our favorite frozen drinks, cocktails, sophisticated sippers and more. It’s been a very good year in Houston (so far). Salud!

We celebrated the nine year anniversary of Reserve 101 in January.
Tom Brunello di Montalcino wineries gathered in January for the vintage debut.
In our poll of chef-recommended favorite late night beverages, Ronnie Nguyen of Roostar recommended the chili-infused Garden Variety cocktail from State Fare.
In our poll of chef-recommended favorite late night beverages, Lisa Carnley Benoit of The Cajun Stop recommended the margarita on the rocks with salt and lime at El Tiempo.
In our poll of chef-recommended favorite late night beverages, pop-up chef Evelyn Diaz of E&E Catering recommended the classic Brass Old-Fashioned at The General Public.
We ordered the pineapple-serrano margarita during our first look at Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen.
We ordered the spicy Bloody Mary to go with smoked meat during our first look at Pinkerton’s Barbecue.
The borscht sour we discovered during our first look at Riel turned out to be a frothy, earthy delight.
The Berry Bramble we stumbled upon during our first look at BonFire Grill packed a subtle punch.
Ninja Ramen’s Oroku Sake went down easy in February.
We asked industry insiders to name the best brunches in Houston, and Hungry’s Cafe in Rice Village made the list, with its variety of fresh mimosas made with grapefruit, strawberry and orange juices.
We asked industry insiders to name the best brunches in Houston, and Fielding’s Wood Grill made the list, with its delicious coffee flight of four coffee cocktails.
In February we rounded up our favorite booze posts and voted yes for the Income Tax cocktail, which turned up on our ballet of 10 Election Day Cocktails.
When we checked out Kitchen 713’s new digs in February, we couldn’t resist the Sorghum Old-Fashioned.
When we visited Kitchen 713 in its new digs in February, we couldn’t resist the bourbon-spiked milkshake.
We celebrated National Margarita Day in February with five dollar margaritas at all three Molina’s Cantina locations.
We judge most dives by their Moscow Mule, and Poison Girl didn’t disappoint in February.
In March we went looking for the ten best new happy hours in Houston, and stumbled upon these thirst-quenching cocktails at Cane Rosso.
We’re always on the lookout for new happy hours, and in March we zoomed in on the price-friendly good times at Kitchen 713.
On a quiet night in March at Weights + Measures, we ordered the nice and frothy That’s What She Said, in spite of its name.
The Anvil team brought the “Texas Tiki Disco” action to the Nightingale Room in March, serving up tropical takes on classic cocktails.
In March we reported that Michigan-based, family-run Bell’s Brewery is now available in Houston. The Am I Right or Amarillo American IPA is inspired by the Lone Star State.
In March we reported that Michigan-based, family-run Bell’s Brewery is now available in Houston. The Oarsman Ale, a tart wheat ale, is available around town.
In our pursuit of Austin spots to check out during SXSW, we came across Red Headed Stepchild’s Purple Drank.
While in Austin for SXSW, we found ourselves enjoying a happy hour at Parkside, as well as the heavy-on-the-aromatics Rose Parade.
In March we put the Woodlands Margarita Festival on our list of must-do events for the weekend.
We celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day all over Houston, including a perfect pour of Guinness at some of our favorite Irish bars.
Our trip to Brasserie 1895 in March was a blissful encounter, made even better by the chocolate stout trifle Vuelve a la vida Ardennes Bavarian cream.
During our first look at Broken Barrel in The Woodlands, we couldn’t resist the Hendrick’s Gin with rose petals and cucumbers.
We did explore the concept of green beer during this year’s Saint Patrick’s day festivities.
During our first look at Ramen Tatsu-Ya we found the Baezilla cocktail delicious but also kinda creepy.
We took a closer look at Ka Sushi’s Pimm’s Fury in March.
We celebr8ted four years of beers during the 4th Annual Celebr8tion of Beer at 8th Wonder Brewery in March.
During our review of Eloise Nichols Grill & Liquors in March, we labeled the Spirit Animal a runaway hit of a cocktail in a brass-pineapple urn.
We discovered an affogato with stracciatella during our visit to the new gelato shop Dolce Neve in March.
The fourth annual Houston Whiskey Festival was one of the high points of early April.
The sweet, tangy and boozy Mini Lili’s Mango Orange Mojito at Ruggles Black was on our must-try list for April.
Cheap and hearty, we found these bottles of Manischewitz at Belden’s for just $3.59 during our search for Passover wines.
Santa Fe Flats made our list of best kid-friendly restaurants in Cypress/Northwest Houston, and we’re big fans of the Sangria-Swirl Margarita.
When we attended the 2017 Sugar Land Wine and Food Affair Grand Tasting in April, we gravitated towards Etoile Cuisine et Bar’s Hendrick’s gin-based cocktail called “Love me two times.”
In our pursuit of low alcohol wines for Easter, we came across this rosé from Clos Cibonne 2015 Côtes-de-Provence Tibouren.
In our pursuit of low alcohol wines for Easter, we came across the Commanderie de Peyrassol 2016 Côtes-de-Provence.
In our pursuit of low alcohol wines for Easter, we discovered this age-worthy Semillon from Tyrrell’s Wines.
We discovered the Fireflower fruit blend and Shiso Spritz tea cooler during our first look at Yauatcha in April.
Our April jaunt on the Texas Beer Bus led us to the Oso Bueno amber at 11 Below Brewing Company.
Our April jaunt on the Texas Beer Bus led us to The Moonshine Reserve Cask at Whitmeyer’s Distilling Co.
Our April jaunt on the Texas Beer Bus led us to Spindletap Brewery.
During our first look of Rim Tanon we discovered The Phuket Island, which tastes like blue raspberry Jolly Rancher. If that’s your sort of thing, then drink up.
We captured the elusive Unicorn Frappuccino at Starbucks in April.
All summer long Jax Grill is celebrating happy hours with weekend specials onbuckets of beer, beer-ritas and frozen margaritas to mimosas and frozen bellinis on the weekends.
Bartender Marla Martinez won the Texas Heritage Master of the Mule competition in April for her Rose Gold Cocktail Den.
In our round-up of places to brunch in Houston for Mother’s Day, we couldn’t resist the mimosa flights, sangria and frozé at Hungry’s and Upstairs bar and lounge.
Our weekend’s best bets for the end of April included Crawfish & Brews at 8th Wonder Brewery.
In our search for the best Houston restaurants for Cinco de Mayo, we thought that Eight Row Flint’s patio would be the perfect place to sip frozen and rocks margaritas and palomas.
During our first look at Hamburger Mary’s, we couldn’t resist the refreshingly light and breezy Pepino Cooler.
We announced the opening of Better Luck Tomorrow in May with a sneak peek at The Early Start, an aquavit cocktail.
During our May exploration of excellent casual gems in the Garden Oaks/Oak Forest area, we found the goes-down-easy white sangria at Sassafras.
During our mid-May round-up of new spots to try for the weekend, we had to recommend the English Garden martini at Starfish.
In May we finally saw the opening of The Branch in Spring Branch.
In May one of our best food events involved sipping summer cocktails at Reserve 101.
During our first look at Marais in Dickinson, we gave high marks to the five dollar Bat-Tini at Marais’ daily bat flight special.
In May we decided to keep it casual with the Weinstephaner Vitus and a beer pretzel at King’s BierHaus.
In May we decided to keep it casual with The Early Start and the Salty Cat at Better Luck Tomorrow.
In May we went looking for the ten best spots to check out on Galveston Island, and that’s when we found the beautiful Batida de Coco at craft cocktail lounge, DTO (Daiquiri Time Out).
In May we took out of town guests to the San Antonio Riverwalk and ended up at Boudro’s Texas Bistro, which is where we sampled the Prickly Pear Margarita.
During June’s Negroni Week we celebrated the Negroni cocktail at several restaurants, including several variations at Nobie’s.
More than 115 venues celebrated Negroni Week in Houston. Nobie’s got creative with their cocktails.
During Negroni Week in June, Beaver’s served up The Bow Tie, made with a vanilla and cinnamon-infused Campari.
During Negroni Week in June, Weights + Measures offered its take on the Negroni with Campari gin, sweet vermouth, lemon and elderflower liquor.
Nobie’s celebrated Negroni Week in June with Negroni Jell-O shots for just three dollars.
We went looking for the best great bubble tea restaurants on Houston’s north side, and that’s when we discovered these large servings of boba tea at DrinkabiliTea.
We went looking for the best great bubble tea restaurants on Houston’s north side, and that’s when we discovered Heavenly Beverages.
In June we took a look at Houston’s summer wine obsession with Glou-Glou. Vinology sells bottles of Zero Infinito, a pét-nat from the small mountain village of Faedo, Italy.
In June we took a look at Houston’s summer wine obsession with Glou-Glou. Vinology sells bottles of Raisins Gaulois, a French red.
We’re always on the hunt for the best new happy hours and booze specials, and in June we came upon this stunning highball at Tongue Cut Sparrow.
We’re always on the hunt for the best new happy hours and booze specials, and in June we came upon the English Garden at Starfish, a floral high note in their martini selection.
We’re always on the hunt for the best new happy hours and booze specials, and that’s when we discovered these new cocktails at Picos.
In June, Hay Merchant began operating as a full bar, which means we saw some great new cocktails like the H-Town Slammer.
During our first look at Ohn Korean Eatery we discovered these carafes of soju cocktails, perfect for sharing.
In June we went in search of brand-new brunch and breakfast options in Houston, leading us to this pretty row of bloodies at Snooze, an A.M. Eatery.
Our search for the ten best frozen drinks this June led us to the Frozen Gin + Tonic at Eight Row Flint.
Our search for the ten best frozen drinks this June led us to the Pineapple Express at Pi Pizza.
Our search for the ten best frozen drinks this June led us to Agu Ramen’s Bellini Bliss.
Our search for the ten best frozen drinks this June led us to the blended drinks and tiki concoctions at Lei Low.
Our search for the ten best frozen drinks this June led us to the Sake-Rita at Rico’s Morning+Noon+Night.
Our search for the ten best frozen drinks this June led us to the Strawberry Daiquiri at Gloria’s Latin Cuisine.
Our search for the ten best frozen drinks this June led us to the Frozen Limoncello at Osso & Kristalla.
Our search for the ten best frozen drinks this June led us to the Frozen Paloma at Tacos A Go Go Garden Oaks.
When we reviewed Yauatcha in June, we enjoyed the Hakka, made with Belvedere vodka, Junmai sake, lychee, lime, coconut and passion fruit.
Our June hunt for decent wine bars north of Houston led us to The French Connection.
In our search for the best after hours hidden gems in Clear Lake we came upon Nokturne, with its rich and delicious Fresh Heart Beet juice.