Yee-Haw, Drink Up

Your first taste of RodeoHouston's official whiskey cocktail + how to recreate it at home

Cheers, y'all.

Photo courtesy of Crown Royal

It's nearly RodeoHouston time — we know who's performing and what we're wearing, but now we also know what we'll be drinking.

Meet the Royal Rider, the Official Whisky Cocktail of HoustonRodeo 2024 from Crown Royal. This feisty blend of Crown Royal Deluxe and lemonade is the ideal sip to accompany you in and around NRG Stadium and NRG Center while you take in everything Rodeo-related.

Here's where to find the Royal Rider and other Crown Royal cocktails:

At the Rodeo

The Main Corral Club
Open to anyone who has access to the Rodeo, this space on the second level is a major hot spot after the shows. Head to rooms 300-303 and 307-310 during the entirety of the Rodeo, February 27-March 17, from 12 pm-12 am to raise a glass.
The Crown Royal Showroom & Saloon
Seek out this rootin'-tootin' activation from March 1-3 and March 8-10 and you'll be rewarded with a libation worthy of a true Rodeo fan.
The Ranch @ NRG
Kick off the first weekend of Rodeo at the Crown Royal takeover at the Ranch Saloon in NRG. Stop by the experience March 1-2 from 2-5 pm to enjoy a Crown Royal cocktail served in a highly Instagrammable boot mug. Enjoy your cocktail while posing at a Crown-themed photo booth, receiving a boot shine, and watching custom Crown bandana embroidering.
Crown Royal Bar
Anyone with tickets to NRG Stadium can visit this bar, located on the 500-level concourse.

Around town

Hotel ZaZa x Crown Royal Lobby Takeover
Get ready for some delightful surprises on March 1 from 3-6 pm. Swing by the lobby at Hotel ZaZa (5701 Main St.) for a taste of Crown Royal, bandana embroidery, a corn station, and even a boot shine.
The Crown Royal Rodeo Saloon in The Post Oak Hotel
This one-of-a-kind pop-up experience is open February 22-March 16, Thursdays through Sundays, from 4-9 pm. Enjoy live music, Rodeo-inspired hors d'oeuvres, and delicious Crown cocktails. Preserve the appearance of your favorite boots and hat with a complimentary boot shine and hat steaming.

If you'd like to mix up a Crown Royal Rider in the comfort of your own home, we've got the recipe for you below:

Royal Rider
serves 1

Ingredients

1.5 oz. Crown Royal Deluxe
4-5 oz. lemonade (to fill)
2-3 dashes of bitters
Lemon slices and mint to garnish

Directions

—Combine ingredients over ice.

—Garnish with lemon slices and mint.

Doesn't get much easier than that, huh? Happy HoustonRodeo season, everyone, and we'll meet you at the bar.

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Please drink responsibly. Crown Royal Blended Canadian Whisky. 40% Alc/Vol. The Crown Royal Company, New York, NY.

Photo courtesy of Crown Royal

Lean into the Rodeo vibe with Crown Royal's bars and pop-ups.

rodeo cocktails drinks recipes promoted

all about the taste

Beyoncé-loved Houston brunch spot sweetens Sugar Land with new location

Courtesy of Taste Kitchen + Bar

No meal at Taste is complete without chicken and waffles.

One of Houston’s most successful brunch spots is coming to Sugar Land. Taste Bar + Kitchen will open its second location on Wednesday, December 10, in the former Veritas Steak & Seafood location at 1550 Lake Pointe Pkwy, Suite 500.

Located near the Greatwood development, the restaurant will feature a lakefront patio and a private dining room that will host family celebrations, corporate events, and other happenings.

Even more importantly, it will serve chef-owner Don Bowie’s kicked up take on Southern comfort food. The restaurant’s menu offers more than a dozen versions of chicken and waffles — General Tso’s, Nashville hot, jerk, Cajun, etc. paired with waffle flavors such as peach cobbler, apple pie, and sweet potato — as well as seafood, mac & cheese, and the jerk lamb chops that won the prize for best dish at the CultureMap Tailgate earlier this fall.

Diners can expect a lively atmosphere, particularly in the evening, when the restaurant will showcase its extensive cocktail program and live entertainment on the weekends.

Count Houston icon Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and her husband Jay-Z among the restaurant’s fans. Along with their families, the duo feasted on an order from Taste before Queen Bey’s Cowboy Carter tour stop at NRG Stadium. Bowie later shared a photo of himself with Jay-Z on Instagram.

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“We’re thrilled to bring Taste to the Sugar Land community,” Bowie said in a statement. “This expansion allows us to share the flavors and experiences our guests enjoy downtown with a new audience, beautiful waterfront views, and a signature space designed for both everyday dining and memorable occasions.”

Taste Bar + Kitchen opens daily at 8 am.

No meal at Taste is complete without chicken and waffles.

Courtesy of Taste Kitchen + Bar

No meal at Taste is complete without chicken and waffles.

openings news-you-can-eat brunch