The 13 Most Influential Craft Cocktail Bars in the US. No. 7 - Anvil Bar & Refuge?!? Wow...thanks. Im not sure where we fit into all of this, but its amazing to even be listed with these other great bars. When we opened Anvil in March of 2009, I was 25 and had never even been to another craft cocktail bar, but I knew every cocktail on every single notable menu in the country by heart - at the time, that was actually possible, not so today. All I had was the internet, dorky cocktail forums, and photos guests had taken of menus that werent available online, but DID pop up in Google images searches. That was the only way to get glimpses of PDTs menu by the way. That and asking friends who were traveling to take pictures of menus and bring them back for me. At the time, there was no way I could afford to do that for myself. I had $14 left the day Anvil opened its doors. My most influential cocktail bars that actually made Anvil possible? Alembic, Beretta, 15 Romolo, Bourbon & Branch, Zig Zag Cafe, Vessel, Clyde Common, The Flatiron Lounge, The Pegu Club, PDT, Employees Only, Milk & Honey, Death & Co., The Violet Hour, The Velvet Tango Room, And Drink. I could have told you every single drink (and their ingredients, maybe even the specs) on their menus when they opened if you could find it online. It was the only way I had to learn and make our bar program better. I stalked bartenders around the country religiously from afar. I didnt know anybody except for Bill Norris to talk to about drinks in the entire state of Texas a couple of years before Anvil opened. In September of 2009, the GHCVB in Houston paid for me to make cocktails at an event in NYC, my first trip to the city. I finally stepped into some of the cocktail bars I idolized - PDT, Little Branch, Death & Co., and the Pegu Club. I only had time for four. I remember expecting to see incredible, almost magical bartending techniques and backbar setups that we were too stupid and young to have known to put into Anvil. The bars were outstanding, and I had a great time at each. But, to my surprise, I came back to Houston feeling more confident and proud of Anvil and the drinks we served. We WERE doing things right. Ultimately, this style of bartending isnt hard. The one thing all those bars and bartenders had in common was that we all tried to serve the best cocktails possible with the best service possible. It was a point of pride for all of us. Today, Ive been to more bars and met more bartenders who continue to change how I think about cocktails and this industry. Im going to rebuild Anvil in January of this upcoming year as the Home Depot products we used to build the bar are finally giving up on us. Guests probably wont recognize many differences (if it isnt broke, dont fix it). But, we will become better and stronger. Im looking forward to taking lessons Ive learned around the country and putting them into Anvil again. That bar is the closest thing I have to a home, and it was really only possible because of the hard work and dedication so many folks put forth before we ever even signed that lease. Thanks for changing my life folks. You were truly influential. liquor/articles/most-influential-craft-cocktail-bars-in-the-usa/
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 19:48:05 +0000