The Champagne Cocktail & Houston Wine Bar 13 Celsius

I just wanted to let everyone know that, Houston wine bar 13 Celsius is going to feature champagne cocktails with an Anvil Bar & Refuge twist. While the Champagne Cocktail is an outstanding libation in its original form, these variations have a special feature I am certain you will enjoy. Not only will they be made correctly (a strong deviation from most popular drinks using champagne these days); they will use some of our bar, Anvil’s House Vanilla-Lavender Bitters.

13 has long been my favorite bar in the city, and for a guy so focused on cocktails to say that I love this wine bar above all others is quite a statement. Granted I’m a big sucker for wine as well, but I usually don’t enjoy bars with wine and beer exclusively as much as I do 13. There is just something special about the place that lures me in so often. Maybe it is the awesome design of the space, maybe it is Houston’s best wine list, or maybe it is the eclectic crowd. All of these things contribute to a great bar experience by far, but I have to think it has more to do with the staff and great service.

I have never received friendlier service in a bar, and I am amazed at how the staff manages to seemingly connect so well with each guest and fulfill their most detailed needs so effortlessly. I think it has something to do with that rare quality so often seen in good bartenders – the ability to enhance your experience through a legitimate interest in you as a person. You’re never just another number, as is so commonly the perception with so many bars. The guest is someone who they appreciate, and they make you feel flattered for sharing your evening with them.

So, this weekend why not compliment great service with a great cocktail. The Champagne Cocktail is one of the history’s most documented cocktails, first appearing in one of the oldest available cocktail guides from 1862, Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tender’s Guide or How to Mix Drinks. This simple, but elegant mixture of champagne, sugar, and bitters is a cocktail that never seems to fail to fit perfectly into any situation. Anvil’s homemade bitters are a lighter, delicate variation of the classic Angostura bitters, creating a slightly more subtle variation on this classic.

The 13 Celsius Champagne Cocktail

1 Cube Sugar
3 Dashes Anvil Homemade Vanilla-Lavender Bitters
Champagne

Soak the sugar in the bitters and place in the base of champagne flute. Top with champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.

The champagne cocktail is such a simple recipe, allowing for easy variations through different champagne choices and alternative applications of bitters. While Angostura bitters is the classicist’s favorite, I have found a variety of bitters to work, including Peychaud’s, Fee Brothers Barrel-Aged Bitters, and Anvil’s homemade Pecan, Aromatic, Barrel-Aged, and of course, the Vanilla-Lavender.

I hope that if you are a local Houston resident that you will venture down to 13 this weekend and sample the Champagne Cocktails. They are outstanding. While you’re there, be sure to take in Houston’s best wine bar and everything it has to offer.

If you aren’t a native Houstonian, put 13 and Anvil on your list of places to see when you find yourself in our part of Texas. Also, be sure to try a champagne cocktail the next time you feel like mixing a classic, but different drink. There is a reason why this simple formula has been pleasing people for so long.