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    a taste of history

    Downtown whiskey bar now pouring rare vintage spirits thanks to new state law

    Eric Sandler
    Sep 6, 2023 | 11:20 am
    Sean Fitzmaurice Reserve 101 vintage spirits

    Find these vintage spirits at Reserve 101.

    Photo by Eric Sandler

    A bar in downtown Houston is among the first statewide to take advantage of a new law that allows it to sell vintage spirits. Reserve 101, a whiskey-obsessed cocktail bar located near the House of Blues, has rolled out a vintage spirits program that gives its customers the ability to taste pours they could have only previously found via well-connected friends with extensive collections or by spending thousands at a whiskey auction.

    Before diving into Reserve’s offerings, let’s look briefly at this new law that became effective September 1. SB1322 amends certain sections of the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Code to provide for the sale of vintage spirits, which are defined as any distilled spirit that has not been available through a wholesaler for at least five years. To be eligible, the bottle must be unopened. The law places limits on how many bottles any individual can sell to any single store (no more than “24 containers” per 12 months), and it limits how many bottles bars and restaurants may purchase from a retailer to six per 12 months.

    Those purchase limits — and the higher prices some of these bottles will likely command at auctions, estate sales, or via other means — likely limits vintage spirits to a niche offering, but Reserve 101 has committed to making a limited selection of these rare pours available on a daily basis.

    “It’s really important for us to do it, because, if we want to say that we’re the best whiskey bar — not just in Houston but in Texas — I want to be able to diversify ourselves. I’d like us to stand out beyond other bars that have a really great whiskey selection,” co-owner Sean Fitzmaurice tells CultureMap.

    “Now that new opportunities are arising, we want to be on the forefront of that. As soon as we found out we were able to do something like this, that we start cataloging it. So that on September 1, when the law changed, we were able to hit the ground running.”

    Fitzmaurice says he began planning for this moment since the law passed the Legislature in May. Reserve’s initial roster includes Wild Turkey from 1987 ($30 for a half ounce) and Old WL Weller Special Reserve from 1977 ($150 per half ounce).

    Requiring that vintage spirits only be out of distribution for at least five years allows Reserve to do more than sell whiskey that’s older than many of its customers. Fitzmaurice has also sourced more modern releases such as a highly coveted bottle of ultra-rare Booker’s Rye ($125 per half ounce or $250 per ounce). Coming soon (and pictured above) will be a bottle of Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye from 2013. He’s got a long wishlist of spirits he’d like to offer at some point, including replacing a rare bottle of Yamazaki Mizunara 2017 that was stolen during a robbery.

    “My favorite whiskey ever was a collaboration between Compass Box and Delilah's out of Chicago for their 25th anniversary. Those are the ones I’d like to bring back,” he says.

    Fitzmaurice acknowledges the prices make trying these spirits a splurge for most people, but they’re also more accessible as a single pour than trying to source a whole bottle. To make the supply last as long as possible, a person will only be able to buy one ounce of any individual vintage spirit per day. Although the offering has only been available for a few days, initial interest has been strong.

    “The amount of phone calls, the amount of texts I’ve gotten, I think it’s going to be a program that does really well for us,” he says. “What I think is cool, is that the only constant will be change. What we have today, once it’s gone, it’s gone, and who knows what will be available tomorrow?”

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    That's Amore!

    Pioneering Mexican chef and chic speakeasy popping up at Houston hotel

    Brianna Griff
    May 23, 2025 | 10:00 am
    Chef Alejandro Ruiz of Casa Oaxaca
    Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Houston
    Four Seasons Hotel Houston is hosting a two-night pop-up dinner featuring chef Alejandro Ruiz of Casa Oaxaca.

    Houston diners won’t need a passport to explore Mexico’s culinary capital next month. On June 16 and 17, Four Seasons Hotel Houston will host From Oaxaca, With Love, a five-course experience that teams celebrated chef Alejandro Ruiz of Casa Oaxaca with Oaxaca City cocktail bar Sabina Sabe and agave-spirits producer The Lost Explorer.

    The evening begins with Sabina Sabe bartender Mike Prado greeting diners with a cocktail in Bandista, the hotel’s speakeasy bar and lounge. The libations promise to be divine, with Sabine Sabe currently ranked No. 54 Best Bar in North America, and Bandista sitting at No. 59.

    From there, the party moves into a dining room filled with contemporary works supplied by Oaxaca Serrano Contemporary Art Gallery and underscored by live music.

    Ruiz, whose flagship Casa Oaxaca earned a spot in Mexico’s inaugural Michelin Guide, built his reputation by elevating the dishes he learned as a child cooking alongside his mother on the family farm.

    The chef stays close to his roots with recipes crafted using native ingredients such as chiles, corn, insects, and seeds purchased directly from local producers. Ruiz has long been considered an ambassador of the southern Mexican state — his enfrijoladas caused Noma’s famed Chef Rene Redzepi a moment of rapture.

    For his Houston appearance, diners can expect a true taste of Oaxaca: think a mini tostada topped with heirloom chapulines, chicatanas, and gusanos de maguey (grasshoppers, flying ants, and agave worms); red snapper cured in a bright tomatillo-rice-vinegar broth; and a slow-braised short rib finished in a fruit-laced mole.

    Prado will pair each course with cocktails such as the Pimiento Margarita, combining The Lost Explorer Tobalá mezcal with vermouth, peach, pimiento, cinnamon, and lime.

    “It is our great pleasure to welcome chef Alejandro Ruiz and Sabina Sabe to Houston, Texas,” Tom Segesta, Four Seasons Hotel Houston’s general manager, said in a statement. "These dinners, featuring these awarded ambassadors of Oaxacan food and drink, are sure to be enjoyed by our local community and guests from around the world.”

    The pop-up continues the hotel’s ongoing dinner-series format, which has previously spotlighted restaurants ranging from Emeril’s in New Orleans to Employees Only in New York and an Italian-American steakhouse from James Beard Award winner Chris Shepherd.

    From Oaxaca, With Love begins at 7 pm on Monday, June 16, and Tuesday, June 17. Seating is limited, with tickets priced at $250 per person plus tax and gratuity. Each reservation will receive a signed English-language copy of Ruiz’s cookbook The Food of Oaxaca: Recipes and Stories from Mexico's Culinary Capital. Reservations are available via OpenTable.

    Those who wish to linger can book the hotel’s Advance Purchase offer, which discounts room rates by up to 25 percent when reserved three or more days ahead.

    The menu features:

    Starter Trio

    • Mini tostada with heirloom insects
    • Zucchini blossom stuffed with ricotta and roasted banana purée
    • Hoja santa “taco” with quesillo, beans, and wild mushrooms

    Green Aguachile

    • Red snapper cured in tomatillo-rice-vinegar broth, Persian cucumber, red onion, cilantro, ginger-toasted peanuts
    • Cocktail: Pequeño Gigante – Madre Cuishe mezcal, hoja santa, ginger, lime, Oaxacan spices

    Tortilla Soup

    • Tomato-pasilla mixe broth, crispy tortillas, fresh cheese, cream, pork cracklings, mint-celery garnish
    • Cocktail: Pimiento Margarita – Tobalá mezcal, Mistela vermouth, peach, pimiento, cinnamon, lime

    Braised Short Rib

    • Anchamanteles mole, seasonal fruit relish, banana purée, crispy plantain
    • Cocktail: Agave Xerez – The Lost Explorer tequila, Palomino sherry, green apple, pear

    Textures of Oaxacan

    • Chocolate Mousse, sponge cake, ice cream, tuile, passion-fruit jelly, cacao nibs
    • Neat pour of Tobalá mezcal
    • Traditional water-based hot chocolate infused with cacao flower

    Chef Alejandro Ruiz of Casa Oaxaca
      

    Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Houston

    Four Seasons Hotel Houston is hosting a two-night pop-up dinner featuring chef Alejandro Ruiz of Casa Oaxaca.

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