Half-off 100 cocktails

Iconic Houston cocktail bar brings back happy hour for first time in 5 years

One of Houston’s most enduring cocktail bars is giving customers a deal to start the new year. Happy hour is coming back to Anvil.

Beginning Tuesday, January 7, Anvil will open at 2 pm instead of 4 pm. Along with the new opening time comes the return of happy hour for the first time since 2020.

The deal is very straightforward. All of the cocktails on its 100 classics list will be half-off from 2-5:30 pm Monday-Friday.

“The happy hour at Anvil was such a big deal, and we haven't had it since Covid. We wanted to bring it back,” owner Bobby Heugel tells CultureMap.

As its name implies, the 100 classics list includes staples such as the pisco sour, margarita, martini, and Old Fashioned. Considering all of them except one, the labor-intensive Ramos Gin Fizz, are regularly priced between $13 and $15, that means customers will only pay $7.50 or less for their drinks.

Opening at 2 pm allows the bar to add two new bartenders to its roster, giving everyone on the team a little more schedule flexibility. Bringing back happy hour will keep those bartenders busy. It’s also a gesture of goodwill to customers.

“I think happy hours are good for bars to show they want to give not just take. There’s a lot of take in Montrose currently. We want to give a little bit.”

Heugel has long been an advocate for aggressively-priced happy hours. Both Squable and Better Luck Tomorrow, Anvil’s sister concepts in Thorough Fare Hospitality, offer similar half-off happy hour deals. It’s his somewhat subtle way of encouraging other bar owners to be mindful of their prices.

“Happy hour at Anvil reminds people that cocktails don’t have to be as expensive as they’ve gotten in the city,” he says. “I like pushing back. I like trying to stay a little grounded with it. It’s just ridiculous what’s happened with cocktail prices, and it’s bad for cocktail bars. It just is.”

Anvil will celebrate its 16th anniversary in a couple of months. Although veteran bartender Brandon Choate just took a new job at Nancy’s Hustle, many of the bar’s other employees have been with the company for seven years or more. Heugel is proud of that status and eager to remind patrons that the bar is in top form.

Courtesy of Anvil

The Southside is one of Anvil's 100 classic cocktails.

“It’s a better place than its ever been. It’s a better place to work at than its ever been,” Heugel says. “I think the cocktails are better. We have more ingredients than ever before. More things to work with.”

cocktails happy-hours anvil

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H-E-B names 3 innovative Houston food companies among 'Texas Best'

H-E-B Quest for Texas Best Hive Food Co.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

Hive Food Co. is known for its infused honey.

After months of pouring over video submissions, H-E-B is entering the final leg of its annual grocery games. The San Antonio-based supermarket chain has narrowed down the finalists for its annual Quest for Texas Best competition, including three from Houston.

Ten innovative Texas entrepreneurs were chosen from a record-breaking 978 entries representing more than 500 companies spread across the Lone Star State.

Now in its 13th year, the contest asks Texas small businesses to put their best foot forward for the chance to win a combined $100,000 in cash prizes and the opportunity to be stocked on H-E-B shelves. Since the competition's beginning, the grocer has discovered more than 1,000 unique products, many of which have become literal household names.

“Quest for Texas Best is more than a competition; it is a launchpad for Texas entrepreneurs,” said James Harris, senior director of diversity & inclusion and supplier diversity for H‑E‑B, in a release. “H‑E‑B began as a small business, and we know firsthand how powerful the right opportunity can be.”

This year, the San Antonio and Houston regions were at the head of the pack with three finalist nods each. But the entrepreneurs hailed from all over the state — from border town Roma to Fort Worth suburb Haltom City. The top 10 hopefuls include:

Boerne — Coley’s Foods Inc., a frozen cookie dough company
Floresville — Dean & Peeler Meats, a beef producer known for its smoked Gouda sausage and Angus tallow
San Antonio — WFN Foods, maker of heat-and-serve taco fillings like beef barbacoa, pork carnitas, and carne guisada
Roma — In Your Smokin' Face, a spice company specializing in bold chile piquín and carne asada blends
Haltom City — Sol Dias, a gourmet paleta and Mexican ice cream company
Glenn Heights — Uncle Marc’s, a manufacturer of barbecue seasonings, rubs, and sauces
Houston — Doggie Express, a small-batch maker of decorated treats for canine celebrations
Houston — Big Bayou Cocktail Sauce, a saucy supplier branching out to Bloody Mary and margarita mixes
Houston — Hive Food Co., beekeepers known for gourmet infused honey
Bastrop — La Fregona, creators of a chile sauce for elotes and esquites

The final contenders will pitch their products on October 8 at H-E-B's headquarters in San Antonio, where judges will determine the top four winning products and award $50,000 to the Grand Prize winner and the "Texas Best" title — an honor that guarantees placement on H-E-B store shelves.

The first-place winner will receive $25,000, the second-place winner will receive $15,000, and the third-place winner will receive $10,000.

Since 2014, H-E-B has handed out nearly $2.75 million in prize money to Texas entrepreneurs. But Quest for Texas Best isn’t just about capital: the winners receive marketing, mentoring, and supplemental support to grow their brands. Fifty-five Texas small businesses that took part in the contest have achieved $1 million in sales and earned a commemorative H-E-B Million Dollar Club belt buckle.

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