Houston to host inaugural Texas Cocktail Week
Texas will welcome its first cocktail week next month with a range of tastings, takeovers and seminars to take place in its host city, Houston.
The week will run from 14 to 21 September, celebrating local and national bartending craft and Southern hospitality.
Guests can expect guest shifts, pop-up events, masterclasses and seminars from some of Houston’s standout venues. Confirmed bars include: Reserve 101, Two Headed Dog, Bandista, Bayou & Bottle, Doris Metropolitan, Johnny’s Gold Brick and Julep.
Julep’s owner, Alba Huerta, called the week a “true moment for our city”.
She said: “I’m thrilled to see Texas Cocktail Week come to life. It’s the first time we’ll come together as a full industry to celebrate cocktail culture here in Houston.”
In addition to home-grown talent, the city will welcome bar teams from other US states, too.
These include New Orleans’ Jewel of the South, Press Club in Washington DC, Albuquerque’s Happy Accidents and Paper Cut in Austin. Coming from further afield are Laowai from Vancouver and Locale from Florence, Italy.
Texas Cocktail Week will offer a cocktail passport, priced at US$20, which will grant access to events throughout the week. Guests with a passport can enjoy US$5 cocktails at participating venues.
James Beard Award finalist B E Mintz and Rachel Boyd – both respected figures in the drinks industry with a shared vision of raising the region’s profile – have organised the event.
Boyd said: “Texas has always had the talent, the stories, and the spirit – literally and figuratively. With Texas Cocktail Week, we’re giving our bartenders, distillers, and cocktail lovers the spotlight they deserve. This is more than a celebration; it’s a statement that Texas belongs on the global cocktail stage.”
The Texas Cocktail Week passports will be available to buy from 1 September. The full line-up of events will be revealed on 24 August.
Houston is reportedly the fastest-growing hospitality market in the US, with travellers spending US$97.5 billion in the state in 2024. The organisers said that with this kind of momentum, “launching Texas Cocktail Week isn’t just timely, it’s essential.”
Texas also offers the biggest growth opportunity for premium-plus gin, according to IWSR.
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