Anvil Bar & Refuge - Poison Girl Classic American Cocktail Gathering

There are five American whiskey cocktails that you must try at least once in your lifetime. And no, making any of them with spoiled vermouth or ordering them out of boredom while you endure a layover at O’Hare does not count. These landmarks in cocktail history deserve good brands, bartenders, and bars. In this spirit, Anvil Bar & Refuge and Poison Girl invite you to enjoy these cocktails this upcoming Thursday, December 18th, from 6:00-9:00. The entire Anvil staff will be slinging drinks at Poison Girl, and we hope to see everyone for a preview of Anvil style-bartending armed with Houston’s best whiskey selection.

Poison Girl
1641 Westheimer Rd.
Houston, TX 77006

Poison Girl, located just a few blocks west of Anvil on Westheimer, is another one of my favorite Houston bars. Ok, to be honest, I spend almost my entire time in Houston bars at 13 Celsius and Poison Girl. True these bars may seemingly have little in common and extremely different crowds, but you can’t pass up an awesome product, friendly service, outstanding ownership, and great atmospheres. Among all of its great features, we hope to add a little bit of Anvil cocktail insanity to Poison Girl this upcoming Thursday by forging five great American classics:

1. The Sazerac – Rye, Absinthe, & Peychaud’s Bitters
2. The Old-Fashioned – Rye & Angostura Bitters
3. The Mint Julep – Bourbon & Mint
4. The Whiskey Daisy – Bourbon, Yellow Chartreuse, Lemon, & Lime
5. The Manhattan – Rye, Sweet Vermouth, Angostura Bitters

Each of these cocktails goes on the bucket list – right between skydiving and running with the bulls. I did the skydiving thing (pardon the bad music), but the ground doesn’t have an angry temper like the bulls. I think quite a few of the five above cocktails prior to facing the bulls would be in order, but one day, Manhattan in hand, I’m going to risk being one of the crazy American tourists who goes down in Spain every year. Speaking of crazy gringos…

When you come by on Thursday, introduce yourself to Scott Walcott, co-owner of Poison Girl and the type of person I would like to see running more bars in Houston. He has built one of the best bourbon selections in the country, and I am constantly surprised by what he manages to bring in every week. On a recent visit, I sampled two Buffalo Trace experimentals and the Woodford Reserve Sonoma-Cutrer Finish Bourbon. Just about any American whiskey available to our market Scott snatches up as quickly as possible and gets them on the Poison Girl shelves. They’ve got almost every whiskey and bourbon you can think of and the best patio in the city.

We are extremely excited to be opening Anvil in the same neighborhood as Poison Girl, and we hope that you will join us on Thursday in a good ole neighborly love fest. Please come meet the Anvil and Poison Girl staffs and enjoy some classic American cocktails. We are working to get Anvil open as quickly as possible, but maybe this event, along with the Anvil Champagne Cocktails being served at 13 Celsius nightly, can help feed your cocktails cravings and give you a couple of good bars to frequent while waiting.

Alright everyone; post a comment if you’re coming!