Houston is full of nationally recognized bars with noteworthy drinks. While you can’t go wrong with a local brewery or dive bar, sometimes occasion warrants somewhere a bit more refined. Head to these three neighborhoods where the city’s hottest mixologists are whipping up perfectly balanced craft cocktails with handmade ingredients, fresh garnishes, and premium spirits.

Montrose

An outdoor patio in the Montrose neighborhood

The vibrant, nightlife-friendly Montrose is the home of Houston’s seminal craft cocktail bar, Anvil Bar and Refuge. The Prohibition-era themed bar has barbacks in bow ties and suspenders slinging classic cocktails like old fashioneds and hurricanes. The after-work crowd packs in for half-priced drinks at happy hour, while there’s a more relaxed, intimate vibe in the evenings.

Night Heron, quickly becoming a neighborhood favorite, has a worldly cocktail menu meant to transport imbibers to exotic locales. Bartenders add unique ingredients to classics like the salty dog, sidecar, and daiquiri; the result is a drink familiar enough to evoke the original but still stand alone. The margarita, for example, is updated to include herbaceous notes of sweet vanilla and tarragon, and a froth of egg whites gives the drink a smooth, rich finish.

Newcomer Present Company has an inventive cocktail menu full of creations as luscious to drink as they are to look at. The tropical themed bar is an explosion of color—from brightly colored chairs, orange booths, and floral wallpaper to glowing neon signs scrawled with Instagrammable epigrams and painted bird cages suspended from the top floor. While many opt for cocktails served in repurposed La Croix cans, the Whispering Eye (featuring tequila topped with a purple layer of lavender and butterfly pea flower) stands out in both flavor and presentation.

Downtown

Downtown Houston 

Cityscape views set Downtown’s cocktail bars apart from other neighborhoods. Lawless Spirits and Kitchen, Capt. Foxheart’s Bad News Bar, and Hoggbirds (located on the 23rd floor of the Le Meridien hotel) have rooftop patios overlooking Houston’s breathtaking skyline. Have a drink overlooking the street with the sound of the Metrorail whizzing by. 

High and Dry Rum Bar sits ground-level in a 100-year-old brick building. Ten-foot tall hand-carved tiki statues stand sentry over the bar. Showcasing an overlooked and underrated spirit, High and Dry has 75 rums on hand for sipping neat or mixed into a carefully crafted cocktail like the Bajan Brew, a blend of cold brew coffee, coconut milk, and Bajan rums.

You won’t find pastries in The Pastry War, but you will find delicious mezcal cocktails like the strawberry balsamic margarita. Open the mysterious unmarked door to reveal a stairway leading to a 25-seat lounge that appears transported from another time. Tongue Cut Sparrow is a sophisticated speakeasy where guests are treated to hot towels, complimentary snacks served in elegant glassware, and expertly crafted cocktails.

The Heights

Shade in The Heights

The Heights is loaded with spots for residents to grab a drink and hang out on a patio after work. Lei Low, beloved tiki bar with kitschy island decor and bamboo-lined walls, has a tropical menu of mai tais, mojitos, and hurricanes. The nutty Space City Painkiller is served in a coconut mug and topped with a colorful paper umbrella. Wear a Hawaiian shirt to get happy hour prices at any time of day.

Better Luck Tomorrow’s menu is full of creatively named concoctions like the boozy Cold Fashioned with bourbon, rum, brandy, sugar, and bitters; the Salty Cat, a refreshing take on a salty dog garnished with salted fruit and gummy candy; and the sweet, but not cloying Double Rainbowwith vodka, blood orange, and curacao.

Johnny’s Gold Brick is a neighborhood watering hole with signature green walls and white booths. The bar has a fixed list of traditional drinks like a martini, Tom Collins, and Moscow mule for $8 as well as a list of cocktails that change monthly.

Presidio serves southern comfort fare with a twist. The Sun Tea Swizzle is a bourbon tea upgraded with peach, lemon, and sage while the Manhattan is southernized with the addition of sweet strawberry.

Eight Row Flint is a whiskey and taco haven. The bar buys whole barrels of whiskey like traditional proprietors once did. Take a swig from the Solera Infinity, an ever-evolving blend of whiskey from every barrel they’ve owned, or try one of the six whiskey flights.