$7.13 cocktails

More than 30 Houston bars are selling $7.13 drinks for Texas Cocktail Week

Courtesy of Four Seasons Houston

Houstonians with a taste for well-made drinks will be busy this week. The inaugural Texas Cocktail Week is taking place at bars across the city through this Sunday, September 21.

Organized by B.E. Mintz, a James Beard Award finalist for his writing about spirits and cocktails, the event features classes and tasting for beverage industry professionals, pop-ups from out of town bars and bartenders, and $7.13 cocktails at more than 30 Houson-area bars and restaurants.

For example, Bandista, the award-winning speakeasy-style bar at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston, will host four bars this week — Cure (New Orleans) on September 17, Press Club (Washington, D.C.) on September 18, Laowai (Vancouver) on September 19, and Locale Firenze (Florence) on September 20. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

Similarly, Happy Accidents (Albuquerque) will be at Reserve 101 on September 17, and Jewel of the South (New Orleans) will be at Nickel City in EaDo on September 18. Up in the Heights, Dallas bars Midnight Rambler and Black Swan will takeover Johnny’s Gold Brick on September 18 from 10 pm-1 am. Thursday will also see Austin bars Paper Cut and Here Nor There popping up at downtown cocktail bar Reserve 101.

As for the $7.13 cocktails — a meaningful deal when cocktails prices at new restaurants have soared past $15 — drinkers will find them all over there. Participants include Botonica, Camaraderie, Coastline Pizza, Doris Metropolitan, Grand Prize, Julep, Two Headed Dog, and Winnie’s. See the full list here.

People who are extra excited about Texas Cocktail Week can download a free app that serves as a passport for the event. Use the app to collect points by checking into participating bars. Prizes are available for people who visit at least five bars as well as a grand prize for the overall winner.

“Texas has always had the talent, the stories, and the spirit — literally and figuratively,” co-founder and publicist Rachel Boyd said in a statement. “With Texas Cocktail Week, we're giving our bartenders, distillers, and cocktail lovers the spotlight they deserve. This is more than a celebration; it’s a statement that Texas belongs on the global cocktail stage.”

Find a full roster of events, participating bars, and other details at the Texas Cocktail Week website.

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an offer he couldn't refuse

Exclusive: Killen's Barbecue will soon shutter in The Woodlands

Killen's barbecue meat platter with sides

Photo by Robert Jacob Lerma

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Fans of Killen’s Barbecue’s location in The Woodlands have a days to make one last visit. The restaurant will close this Sunday, December 7, chef-owner Ronnie Killen tells CultureMap.

Open since 2021, Killen says that he’s in final negotiations to sell the location at 8800 Six Pines Dr. to Whataburger for a new location of the iconic Texas fast food restaurant. Neither the original location of Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland nor its Cypress location are affected by the closure of The Woodlands and will remain open.

“Whataburger made me a deal I couldn’t pass up. It would take 10 years to do that kind of revenue,” Killen writes in a text, adding that the company recently made a significant payment to keep the deal’s window open through the end of the year.

He added that the costs to operate the restaurant have gone up significantly. As one example, a cord of wood cost $175 when he opened the first Killen’s Barbecue in 2013. It costs $475 now, he writes.

If the deal falls through, Killen states that he could look for a new buyer or convert the restaurant into a second location of Killen’s Burger, the retro-styled burger joint he operates in Pearland.

The restaurant’s closure had been expected since February, when Killen sold The Woodlands’ location of Killen's Steakhouse. At the time, Killen said he also planned to find a buyer for his barbecue joint in the bustling suburb. He cited the driving distance from Pearland to The Woodlands as one reason he chose to divest both locations. He still operates Killen's Steakhouse in Pearland, comfort food restaurant Killen's near the Heights, Killen's Burger, and three other locations of Killen's Barbecue.

As it approaches its 13th anniversary in the spring, Killen’s Barbecue remains a vital part of Houston’s barbecue scene. The restaurant recently earned an honorable mention from Texas Monthly and holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. In July, it opened a new location at Hobby Airport.

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