Houston diners may no longer have a Haven, but the city's cocktail lovers are about to get a new sanctuary.
At least, that’s the rumor raging among restaurant industry insiders. River Oaks restaurant Triniti is set to rebrand its bar with a new name: Sanctuari — several restaurant world sources tell CultureMap. The plan calls for the bar area and private dining room to be remodeled to permit more bar seating. A Triniti representative declined to comment on the rumors, but all indications are that the plan is definitely happening.
An Aviary-style collaboration between the Ladies of Libation and Triniti’s talented culinary team could produce something that hasn’t been seen in Houston before.
With Sanctuari, Triniti hopes to leverage the restaurant’s two high-profile bartenders, Laurie Sheddan and Leslie Ross, known collectively as the Ladies of Libation. If the plan is successful, it could help differentiate Triniti from restaurants like The Pass & Provisions, Coltivare and Pax Americana that also have ambitious cocktail programs.
Ross has recently raised her profile both locally and nationally through winning competitions. She represented Houston in the Shake It Up competition in March and finished in the top five nationally in the United States Bartender Guilds’s Most Imaginative Bartender Cocktail Competition.
Sheddan and Ross have already worked to make Triniti a cocktail destination by hosting a guest bartender series in the spring that raised money for the 86 Cancer charity. The effort brought in new patrons and earned positive press coverage.
What direction Sanctuari’s cocktails will take is unknown, but Ross recently completed a week-long stage at The Aviary, the Chicago bar connected to three star Michelin restaurant Alinea that's known for its inventive cocktails, custom glassware and generally just being a badass place to get a drink. An Aviary-style collaboration between the Ladies of Libation and Triniti’s talented culinary team could produce something that hasn’t been seen in Houston before.
If the buzz is true, maybe Sanctuari will be enough to lure Michelle Obama back for a return visit.
If the rumors are true, Leslie Ross, left, and Laurie Sheddan could be getting their own concept to showcase their skills.
