Get Wild

Why this boozy sparkling water will be your new fave (well past summer)

You're not imagining it: hard seltzer is the drink of the summer (and probably well into next summer). But which sparkly sip should you be reaching for during happy hour, nights out, or any time you want a low-calorie lift?

Wild Basin Boozy Sparkling Water from Oskar Blues Brewery, and there are plenty of reasons why.

An impressive pedigree
The new boozy sparkling water comes from the grand daddy of craft beer. Founded by Dale Katechis in 1997 in Lyons, Colorado, Oskar Blues Brewery launched the craft-beer-in-a-can apocalypse with its hand-canned flagship brew, Dale's Pale Ale. Today, Oskar Blues operates breweries in Colorado, North Carolina, and Texas.

It's almost...good for you?
Gluten-free. Only 100 calories. Zero grams sugar. One gram of carbs. Five percent alcohol. Wild Basin is crystal clear, just like the clean, pristine waters it's made from. Lively carbonation punctuates contemporary flavor profiles like jammy, sun-kissed black raspberry, tropical lemon agave hibiscus, refreshing cucumber peach, smooth melon basil, and classic lime. Look for a new mix pack of flavors later this year, focusing on unique, juicy berry-forward flavor combinations.

No syrup here
Unlike some other hard seltzers that can taste of chemicals or come off as syrupy sweet, Wild Basin has only a hint of sweetness and a clean, fresh finish without any lingering aftertaste.

Good for the planet
At the heart of Wild Basin's identity is a reverence for the outdoors that connects back to its Rocky Mountain origin, so a percentage of sales goes toward river and ocean clean-up efforts led by Can'd Aid, with over $100,000 donated so far.

In a sea of black and white cans, look for the fun, bold, bright colors of Wild Basin. The cans depict a mountain scene similar to what can be viewed from Wild Basin, 8,500 feet above sea level in Rocky Mountain National Park. The mountains are reflected in the water at their feet — the same water that flows through Wild Basin via Colorado's majestic St. Vrain River, and ends up in every can of Wild Basin.

Wild Basin Boozy Sparkling Water has zero sugar and only 100 calories.

Photo by Ashley Gongora

Wild Basin Boozy Sparkling Water has zero sugar and only 100 calories.

Houston's smallest restaurant?

Michelin-recognized Houston sushi chef fires up 4-seat Japanese skewer spot

Courtesy of Sip & Skewer

Diners sit in front of chefs cooking on a grill.

The team behind one of Houston’s Michelin-recognized sushi restaurants is opening an intimate new izakaya. Sip & Skewer is the newest concept from Hidden Omakase owner Tuan Tran and chef Marcos Juarez.

Opening Friday, February 13, Sip & Skewer is a four-seat restaurant devoted to skewered meats that’s located within Sushi by Hidden, the group’s affordable omakase restaurant in Rice Village. At Sip & Skewer, diners sit across from the chefs as they cook a 10-course, $90 meal on a Japanese binchotan grill.

“Sip & Skewer is small, loud, and intentional. The kind of hidden experience you’d find in Tokyo,” Tran said. “And with Chef Marcos guiding the team at Sushi by Hidden, this space is getting new energy from every angle.”

A four-seat restaurant within a 10-seat restaurant might seem kind of superfluous, but Tran explains that it’s part of a larger plan for his group of restaurants, which also includes West U. hand roll restaurant Norigami. It also builds on the success of Hidden Omakase, the Galleria-area sushi counter that earned a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide.

“Sip & Skewer is part of a larger vision. It’s designed as a stepping stone toward our next concept, Kōri, a new hand roll and craft cocktail bar opening in the Heights. Our plan is to open Sip & Skewer directly next to our hand roll spot, creating a small alley of Japanese concepts that feed into one another,” Tran explains.

“This allows us to build awareness, train our team in a new format, and introduce guests to Japanese charcoal grilling in a very personal way before we scale the idea into a larger setting with Kōri. The four-seat format keeps overhead extremely low while serving as a live test kitchen and brand builder for what’s coming next,” he adds.

On a related note, Juarez and the other chefs at Hidden Omakase are dividing their time between all three restaurants. Tuam explains that it’s a deliberate strategy to ensure a consistent customer experience.

“The same team that works Michelin-recognized omakase service also runs the grill here, which keeps quality and execution consistent while allowing the chefs a creative outlet in a very different format,” Tran said. “Because Sip & Skewer is only four seats and reservations only, it does not require a dedicated full-time staff. It’s an extension of the team rather than a separate operation.”