Cocktails

TEXAS BARTENDERS BUFFALO TRACE SINGLE-BARREL SELECTIONS

TEXAS BARTENDERS BUFFALO TRACE SINGLE-BARREL SELECTIONS

A post from Anvil Bar & Refuge bartenders, Alex Gregg
Sometime last July, while changing a keg in Anvil’s walk-in, I was presented with the chance of a lifetime by my boss and mentor, Bobby Heugel – to go to Kentucky, attend a private barrel tasting and select whiskey to bring back to the state. You [...]


ANVIL’S FALL 2011 COCKTAIL MENU

ANVIL'S FALL 2011 COCKTAIL MENU

Everyone knows that fall in Houston is really it’s second summer. That’s why the team here at Anvil worked to put together a menu that continued to embrace the refreshing feel of the summer cocktail but with traditional fall flavors and drinks that emphasize boozier, spirit-forward characteristics. As usual, we kept a couple classics on [...]


THE SUMMER OF THE SOUTH!

THE SUMMER OF THE SOUTH!

The Summer of the South has officially begun! Last week Anvil launched what is without a doubt the best cocktail project I’ve ever been a part of – an entire menu devoted to the South. That’s right – fourteen new, original cocktails all inspired by Southern history, cooking, flavors, ingredients, and ATTITUDE. Throw in 15 [...]


ANVIL’S SPRING 2011 COCKTAIL MENU

ANVIL'S SPRING 2011 COCKTAIL MENU

Spring isn’t really a season in Houston – it just a brief transition. Nevertheless, we are living it up while we can. Below is our current house cocktail menu. I’m very proud of our staff, and I think this is definitely the best menu we’ve put out to date. We kept a couple we couldn’t [...]


MUSTARD COCKTAILS

MUSTARD COCKTAILS

Another post with photography from veteran Anvil bartender Matt Tanner.

When making a cocktail, sometimes the simplest perspective is an ideal starting point – what do I feel like eating or drinking right freakin’ now??? Don’t force the issue – just give in to those inner cravings. I’m not exactly sure how my most recent [...]


GIN & TONIC – BOBBY’S WEEKLY HOUSTON PRESS COCKTAIL COLUMN

GIN & TONIC - BOBBY’S WEEKLY HOUSTON PRESS COCKTAIL COLUMN

The Gin and Tonic is arguably the world’s favorite highball. This simple combination of botanical gin bliss, bubbly tonic, and a squeeze of fresh citrus is a leisurely, refreshing option that always helps to beat the summer heat. While a staple of the British colonial era, the gin and tonic is actually a relatively new [...]


SWIZZLES – BOBBY’S WEEKLY HOUSTON PRESS COCKTAIL COLUMN

SWIZZLES - BOBBY’S WEEKLY HOUSTON PRESS COCKTAIL COLUMN

I know what you’re thinking. And yes, the swizzle does sound like some crazy drink Snoop would have verbally invented at the height of his popularity. After all, it wouldn’t be the first of his concoctions – gin and juice anyone? It’s just too easy to imagine Snoop riding down Santa Monica in drop-top ‘64 [...]


APEROL – THE VERSATILE ITALIAN APERITIF

APEROL - THE VERSATILE ITALIAN APERITIF

Anvil recently hosted an Aperol showcase at the bar. I was excited about the opportunity to share Aperol with so many folks because, frankly, Aperol is one of my favorite liqueurs. I often describe Aperol to people as Campari-light, but this a flawed and discrediting description. Aperol is an amazing product that, like Campari is [...]


THE TOM COLLINS – BOBBY’S WEEKLY HOUSTON PRESS COCKTAIL COLUMN

THE TOM COLLINS - BOBBY’S WEEKLY HOUSTON PRESS COCKTAIL COLUMN

The Tom Collins is among the most famous of historical cocktails. Yet despite this widespread notoriety, one glaringly obvious question remains unanswered: Who the hell was Tom Collins anyway? Two competing stories may offer some insight. It seems that the often overlooked Mr. Collins was either a fictitious multi-state libelous scoundrel or a freaking bar [...]


THE CORN N’ OIL – BOBBY’S WEEKLY HOUSTON PRESS COCKTAIL COLUMN

THE CORN N' OIL - BOBBY'S WEEKLY HOUSTON PRESS COCKTAIL COLUMN

For weeks, this friendly cocktail column has resisted the urge to write about the Corn N’ Oil. It was tempting, but using the Gulf spill as vehicle for discussing this cocktail seemed far too easy. After all, maintaining this column as a refuge from the daily stream of petroleum press seemed increasingly important as the [...]


BOBBY’S WEEKLY HOUSTON PRESS COCKTAIL COLUMN

BOBBY'S WEEKLY HOUSTON PRESS COCKTAIL COLUMN

If you’re a long time Drink Dogma reader, I know you probably think that I’ve been a lazy blogger. Sure, Drink Dogma has been neglected lately, but I’ve been anything but lax about writing about cocktails. For 15 weeks now, I’ve been writing about cocktails for the Houston Press, a local paper mag that’s been [...]


ANVIL’S BUFFALO TRACE PRIVATE BARREL SELECTION

ANVIL'S BUFFALO TRACE PRIVATE BARREL SELECTION

Kevin and I recently visited Kentucky to select a barrel of Buffalo Trace to serve as Anvil’s own private barrel-selection. Yes, I am aware that this makes our jobs at Anvil seem like the cushiest dream jobs ever. Watch yourself there – you’re drooling with envy all over your screen. Well, truth be told, when [...]


A LOVE AFFAIR WITH AMARI

A LOVE AFFAIR WITH AMARI

While familiar with Amaro before working at Anvil, the unusually large selection at the bar exposed me to different brands that I had not had before. I found these to be very interesting in flavor and quickly became enthralled with drinking these wonderful liqueurs. In my introductory post to Drink Dogma, I thought I would [...]


HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BITTERS

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BITTERS

I want to be like Antoine Peychaud. After finally confronting the realization that I will never live up to the old “Be like Mike commercials”, I lived in a world without a role model and guidance for several years. This void in my life, filled by a perilous journey towards a purposeless end (Masters degree), eventually had [...]


AIR INFUSIONS: SMOKED RYE

AIR INFUSIONS: SMOKED RYE

I’ve got two obsessive hobbies: cocktails and large South American tropical fish. The .0005% of the world’s people who appreciate the cocktails don’t understand the fish, and the .0005% of the world’s people who appreciate the fish don’t understand the cocktails. I might be the only link between these two strange groups of hobbyists. Generally, [...]


THE MAPLE LEAF COCKTAIL

THE MAPLE LEAF COCKTAIL

Bourbon is a little angry at the cocktail world . For such a long time, it was a cherished standby of the refined palate, a refuge from the candy cocktail plague. Bourbon was a more respected American take on nobility, if such a thing exists. Yes, Elijah Craig would have been very proud. Unfortunately, the nostalgia of bourbon seems [...]


GIN & TONIC CANS: CONVENIENCE GONE TOO FAR

GIN & TONIC CANS: CONVENIENCE GONE TOO FAR

First the rattlesnake vodka, now canned gin and tonic; what the heck is going on here? Is the world completely giving up on the cocktail?
It all started when I was browsing the gin aisle at Houston’s ridiculously large liquor store, Spec’s, last week, and there it was canned gin and tonic. I mean it [...]


SMOKED COCKTAILS?

SMOKED COCKTAILS?

Update: I wrote this several years ago before Anvil existed, and I have since smoked so many different things I’ve left the concept behind. I still get e-mails about this and would be happy to comment, but since Anvil doesn’t have a huge smoker, like my previous stomping grounds did, it’s not as important in [...]