Sip and Shoot

Gin it to win it: Bombay Sapphire bartender competition brings out Houston'sbest

Photo by Sarah Rufca
The bar at Hughes Hangar
Photo by Kim Padgett

Everything at Hughes Hangar was accented in shades of Bombay Sapphire's signature aquamarine blue for the Bombay Sapphire GQ-Inspired Bartender cocktail competition on Tuesday night.

As the Houston Burlesque Review showed off their sexy dance moves, the judges took seats front and center at the bar, where nearly 20 local bartenders and mixologists from across Houston would have one shot to make a gin cocktail that could earn them fame and glory.

The winner of the Houston competition got a trip to compete in the national finals at The Palms in Las Vegas, plus a chance to land of the cover of GQ with their creation.

Judge Chip Hight brought a chef's palate to the table, while Bombay Sapphire brand ambassador Gary Hayward (who is probably the closest approximation to a real-life James Bond that I'll ever meet) added a laser-sharp attention to detail and a British accent (very important in any judging trio). As for me, I just brought my camera and a curiosity about how the flavor would be played with and highlighted.

Nicholas, from the Museum District's new lounge, 5015, led the night off with a jalepeño-heavy Southern Sapphire Gimlet, followed by Kimberly Pollack of Cullen's with a sweet honeydew blend she called a Saint Bombay. The rest of the competitors followed these patterns of sweet and fruity or strong and packing heat.

Nerves seemed to plague many competitors — some were flustered looking for specific ingredients or strainers, one knocked a full martini in the direction of one judge, another managed to break his shaker glass against the bar as he was shaking it, and one bartender almost forgot to add the Bombay Sapphire to his mix until prompted by the judges. I also learned there are a few ingredients I never want to taste in a cocktail ever again, notably grappa and radish juice. There's a thin line, as it turns out, between inspired and insane.

Among a crowded field, a few drinks stood above the rest. Chedda, from Grand Prize Bar, loosened up the competition (and the judges) by offering up a round of Jager shots before using the liquor in his drink, dubbed the Montrose Gin. A mix of grapefruit juice, lime juice, gin, black pepper and grapefruit house-made simple syrup and garnished with a squash blossom, the cocktail earned him third place.

Representing Anvil Bar & Refuge, I liked Alba's hibiscus-heavy, Indian korma-like Corundum Tide, made with lemon and coconut puree. John, who was representing host bar Hughes Hangar, made a really nice Abel's Gin Fizz that was pleasantly gingery and light.

For the top two, competition was locked between Claire Sprouse, lately of Beaver's and competing on behalf of Grand Prize, and Anvil's Alex Gregg. Sprouse's Rumours Bombay cocktail mixed a reduced simple syrup of clove, coriander and triple karmeliet beer with gin, lemon juice and fresh hops to garnish, with a result that was complex, refreshing and subtly sweet. Gregg also started with an impressive simple syrup derived from the culinary staple of mirepoix (an aromatic blend of carrot, celery and onion), and added celery bitters, ginger beer, lemon juice, apricot brandy and gin with a garnish of carrot wrapped in bacon, dubbing the drink the Sapphire Fiddle.

In the end, Gregg was crowned Houston's champion for his inspired use of ingredients, and celebrated his victory with a mass hug from his Anvil co-workers and friends. Fans wanting a taste can order the Zydeco Fiddle at Anvil, the drink that Gregg's creation was based on.

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bring on the Bacalhau

Michelin-starred Houston restaurant heads to Portugal for new season

Photo by Zach Horst

No conversation about Houston’s best restaurants would be complete without mentioning March, Goodnight Hospitality’s Mediterranean-inspired, fine dining, tasting menu restaurant in Montrose.

For its 12th season, which begins this Friday, August 7, March will take a broad look at Portugal. Over the course of pre-dinner snacks in its lounge, seven courses in its dining room, and take away desserts, chef-partner Felipe Riccio and his team will guide diners through all aspects of Portuguese cuisine, including its trade routes with China, India, and North Africa.

Riccio tells CultureMap that Portugal was the logical follow up to March’s 11th season, which examined northern Spain. He began the research process a few months ago, drawing upon published literature, cookbooks, and his own experiences as a stage at a restaurant in Lisbon. More than a menu update, seasons at March also include changes to the beverage offerings and creating service touches that enhance the experience.

Photo by Zach Horst

Rabbit cozido.

“Portugal is so close geographically to the north of Spain, and there’s a lot of similarities,” he says. “The menu really explores a lot of places outside of the Mediterranean where the Portuguese had influence and were influenced by. It’s all these trade routes.”

Priced at $230 plus drinks, tax, and gratuity, a meal at March begins in the lounge with four snacks, including a peri peri-spiced duck rillette, a delicate tart with lobster and caviar, a tempura-fried fish (peixinhos da horta) and the Macau-inspired porcho balichao made with manilla clams.

As always, March brings premium ingredients to its take on classic dishes. For example, it sources Japanese Almaco Jack for a crudo that’s inspired by Portuguese salt cod (bacalahua). Cozido, a slow-cooked stew that’s a staple of Portuguese cooking, gets reinterpreted as a house made rabbit sauce with foie gras. Riccio acknowledges that diners expect a certain level of luxury at this price point, but diners may not always realize how valuable properly-sourced ingredients are.

“I don’t think it always has to be so overt. I think the majority of people, the experience as a whole delivers that value,” Riccio says.

Similarly, the Portugal menu continues March’s move to a set, seven-course menu instead of giving diners the choice of either six or nine courses. Riccio see that as another sign of the restaurant’s maturity.

“A tasting menu is restrictive. We needed to earn that trust and give people options. I felt like people trust us and we’ve proved we can create an experience,” he says.

Since part of the criteria for a Michelin star is consistency across visits, March’s ability to hold its star while still changing its menu twice a year is a testament to the kitchen’s skill. Add in the server’s deep knowledge of every dish on the menu, its comprehensive beverage offerings, and a dining room that features museum- quality art, and it’s reasonable to think that March might become Texas’ first restaurant to earn a two-star rating. For his part, Riccio would welcome the recognition.

“I think March as an entire experience, as a restaurant day-in and day-out, we can be at that level. We strive to give people that experience to where they have that menu and feel it’s well worth it,” he says. “That recognition. I’ve seen what it means for the team, for the guests, and for the validation of the experience, and, obviously, for my career and the restaurant as a business.”

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