(Above) Brad Stringer, co-owner of DTO in Galveston, pours 2 ounces of mead for one of the bar’s craft cocktails, The Velvet Monk, which carries the flavors of honey, clove and star anise. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds

An ancient honey wine makes a sweet comeback

To bee, or not to bee, that is the question.

Oh sure, Shakespeare’s Hamlet is known for a similar-sounding quote when he’s wondering whether life or death is preferable. But in this instance, it’s 5 p.m. and he’s trying to choose a cocktail. [Read more…]

The Two of a Kind signature martini at Tookie’s Seafood in Seabrook includes Absolut Pear Vodka, Peach Schnapps, St. Germain Elderflower and fresh squeezed lemon. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds

March and its cocktails are a study in contrasts

As months go, March is a psychological disorder. [Read more…]

Is it worse to be a fish out of water, or a fisherman out of cocktails?

In the eternal libraries of written words, the dedicated scribes through time have preserved many great thoughts about people and fish. [Read more…]

Kat Rodriguez, a bartender at the Black Pearl Oyster Bar & Grille in Galveston, makes one of the restaurant’s popular drinks, the Calypso Punch. Made with rum and citrus juices, the drink pairs well with oysters. Photo by Stuart Villanueva

Luscious sips of the sea perfectly made to be savored with cocktails

A biker bar is where bikers gather. A gay bar brings in gay people wanting a drink. And a beach bar is for people coming in off the sand.

So, what is it with oyster bars? [Read more…]

Bartender Trey Kozlek prepares a Bunker Hell cocktail at Preamble Lounge & Craft House in Webster. Photo by Stuart Villanueva

Turning the dreaded fruitcake into a likable drink

Each year around this time, children around the world are cautioned to straighten up their behavior or expect a most disappointing Christmas morning. [Read more…]

An idealized portrayal of “The First Thanksgiving” by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, circa 1912-1915. A lot has been written about what the Pilgrims and Native Americans had to eat that first Thanksgiving, but not much of anything about what they were drinking. Courtesy of the Library of Congress

How a beer shortage on the Mayflower led to a hard cider Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, let’s party like the Pilgrims. [Read more…]

April Myers pours out a Pumpkin Pie Martini at Fisherman’s Wharf in Galveston. Photo by Stuart Villanueva

Halloween is a time for raising and rising spirits

If there ever was a day of the year custom-made for cocktails, it’s Oct. 31. [Read more…]

Cold brewed coffee-based drinks, from left, Five-Spiced Shaken Iced Coffee, Initial Ascent and Café Olé are featured at Toujouse Bar’s Brew Parlor at The Tremont House. Photo by Stuart Villanueva

Modern coffee cocktails perk up the island’s resort bar scene

Last year, one of the hottest predictions about dining trends to sweep across the nation had to do with breakfast, otherwise known by cocktail lovers as the morning-after meal. [Read more…]

Bartenders – and amateurs – pour a little ingenuity into their glasses

Way back in 1658, an English writer taking stock of advances in civilization at the time wrote, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” [Read more…]

Bartender Brad Stringer uses a soda siphon to make one of DTO’s traditional Zombie cocktails. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds

Carbonated drinks are bubbling up on the coastal cocktail scene

Sailor, aviator, author and conservationist Ernest K. Gann once said: “It’s remarkable how quickly a good and favorable wind can sweep away the maddening frustrations of shore living.” [Read more…]