Drink Up

Make spirits bright this year with premium gifts made for festive sipping

'Tis that special time of the year, when you can ensure your loved ones can cheers with the best. And with all the holiday spirit in the air, what better gift to bring to family and friends than a bottle of premium liquor?

Help make spirits bright this season with these suggestions:

Bacardi Reserva Ocho|Shop here
Aged a minimum of eight years under the Caribbean sun, this Puerto Rican rum boasts warming notes of butterscotch, nutmeg, and dried apricots.

The rum's uncompromising quality rivals that of cognacs and older scotches, and is enjoyable on its own, on the rocks, or in a delicious Old Fashioned.

Grey Goose vodka |Shop here
Those who fill your life with joy deserve nothing but the finest: the finest French winter wheat from Picardie and the finest limestone-filtered spring water, all distilled only once to honor the flavors of these exquisite ingredients.

From the pop of the cork, you can give the gift of Grey Goose vodka knowing that every element is created and crafted in France to the highest standard.

And what better way to showcase the aroma and flavor than with vodka's most iconic cocktail, the Grey Goose vodka martini?

Simply add 2.5 oz of Grey Goose vodka, 0.5 oz of extra dry vermouth, and a dash of orange bitters to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir deliberately, and strain into a chilled martini cocktail glass. Finish by adding a twist of fresh lemon. Vive le Martini!

Bombay Sapphire|Shop here
Unwrap the festivities with a Bombay and tonic, the ultimate expression of the quintessentially classic cocktail.

Orris root and Angelica bring Bombay Sapphire its floral earthiness and enhance the bright, fresh flavors of citrus and juniper. Brilliantly straightforward and satisfying, this drink is always welcome at the party.

Cazadores tequila| Shop here
Cazadores Blanco starts in the agave fields, using 100-percent Blue Weber agave from the highland region of Jalisco. The agaves have a minimum maturity of six years to ensure high sugar content and excellent quality.

After a seven-day double fermentation process and two rounds of distillation, Cazadores Blanco is immediately filtered and bottled. The result? A tequila in its purest form, without aging, for intensity and real flavor of agave.

Citrus fruits, fragrant herbs, and the customary smooth finish make Cazadores Blanco excellent for cocktails or sipped neat.

Dewar's 12 year old |Shop here
Founded in 1846 by John Dewar, Dewar's has grown from a small wine and spirits merchant shop in Scotland to one of the largest Scotch whiskey brands in the world.

Best known for its iconic Dewar's White Label, it has expanded its family to create a portfolio of premium and super premium whiskies.

The signature Dewar's 12 is a luxuriously fruity and smooth blend that's perfect for the holidays. An approachable, premium trade-up for curious scotch drinkers, Dewar's 12 offers a richer profile, with fuller and more rounded aromas of honey dried fruits and vanilla.

This satisfying flavor results in Dewar's 12 being the ideal serve for any occasion: drink it on the rocks, neat, in an Old Fashioned, or an aromatic highball.

Angel's Envy bourbon| Shop here
The holidays are all about tradition, and this top-shelf whiskey puts a new spin on a Louisville classic.

Finished in port wine barrels, Angel's Envy is complex yet approachable and reinvigorates your favorite seasonal sips.

Aberfeldy 12yo single malt whisky| Shop here
Nestled within a lush valley in the foothills of the Central Highlands of Scotland, Aberfeldy Distillery is in the quaint village of Aberfeldy, Perthshire.

Aberfeldy whisky is known as the "Golden Dram." Golden for the distillery’s water source, which is the famous Pitilie Burn, renowned for its water quality and famed for its rich deposits of alluvial gold.

Golden, for Aberfeldy continues to be awarded gold and double gold medals in international spirits awards. Golden, for every sip laden with honey, spices, citrus, and hints of vanilla.

Aged for 12 years and scented with spices and honeyed plump fruits, with a taste that's syrupy with lots of vanilla and fudge and a whisper of smoke on the finish, the 12yo Aberfeldy is sure to be a treat for all.

Swap the snow for sunshine with Bacardi Ocho.

Photo courtesy of Bacardi

Swap the snow for sunshine with Bacardi Ocho.

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family-friendly outdoor bar

Massive, German-inspired beer garden coming to new Energy Corridor project

Photo by Eric Sandler

The new beer garden will be similar to Katy Beer Garden.

One of Houston’s most successful bar operators is bringing his talents to the Energy Corridor. Steven Salazar is opening Ashford Beer Garden at the Ashford Yard mixed-use development.

Slated to open in early 2026, Ashford Beer Garden will build on the success Salazar has had with Katy Beer Garden, the project he opened last summer at The Dryer, a mixed-use development on the property of Katy’s historic Cardiff Rice Dryer. Like KBG, Ashford Beer Garden will be large — roughly 21,000 square feet — divided into a 10,000-square-foot indoor beer hall with a companion cocktail bar and a 11,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden that’s shaded by trees.

“We’re sticking with that Bavarian charm,” Salazar says about his vision for Ashford Beer Garden. “Bring your family. It’s really relaxed. The kids are playing. You have multiple generations hanging out. It’s worked well in Katy. We’re excited to bring it to a new area.”

Of course, the new project will make some improvements on the original. Most importantly, Ashford will have a full kitchen (KBG mostly relies on food trucks and a nearby food court). Salazar says he’s looking for a chef to lead the kitchen.

In response to customer demand for private event space, Ashford Beer Garden will also have a larger second floor patio than KBG does. The beer garden will have a larger screen to make it easier for people to watch sports.

Located on the site of a former Schlumberger campus near the intersection of Dairy Ashford Rd. and Briar Forest Dr., Ashford Yard is a 12.7-acre development that will include apartments, restaurants, and retail tenants. Salazar says he found his values aligned with the projects developers, Houston real estate firms Market Square Companies and Tenon Property Company.

“We have a similar vision of quality for the community and creating a space and having great neighbors. Not being a strip center but a true development that’s above and beyond what the area has to offer,” Salazar says. Later, he adds, “It seems great for us to be surrounded by companies such as Shell and Baker Hughes and all these great neighborhoods."

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