Welcome to the eighth part of a series where we showcase the noteworthy food and drink experiences of a very weird year. In the spirit of the holidays, it s also a very special collaboration between the food writers of the Houston Press and Houston Food Finder, the online publication founded by former Houston Press restaurant critic and food editor Phaedra Cook. This eighth edition covers some of our writers favorite cocktails and spirits. Part nine will cover some of the important organizations that have helped hospitality workers survive this difficult year.
Favorite Distillery
Photo by Gulf Coast Distillers.
For a town with a brewery on seemingly every corner, Houston had, until recently, suffered from a distinct lack of local distilleries. Luckily, that has changed a bit in recent years with a handful of notable spirits producers popping up around town.
Bird Bird Biscuit (Photo by John Anderson)
Seoulju Korean Kitchen and Bar Whether you re picking up at their Kitchen United spot or ordering delivery (including late night), you can t go wrong with a half-pound of Korean fried thigh nuggets and all the sauces, plus bulgogi kimchi waffle fries and corn cheese and several different soups and ramen. And, of course, soju. www.seouljuatx.com
Chicken Salad Shoppe This pandemic flex of Vanilla Orchid Catering provides – stop the presses – the best chicken salad we ve ever had. And the birdy goodness comes in a variety of styles: fried on Texas toast and more – from pesto to buffalo, salads to wraps, with blueberries on croissant, even veggie options like apricot chickpea. The broccoli gouda soup is luscious, and, oh yeah, they make monster half-pound cookies. www.chickensaladshoppe.com
Buffalo Trace live streams reach 3.6m viewers 11th December, 2020 by Owen Bellwood
Kentucky-based Buffalo Trace Distillery will continue its virtual tourism offering next year after its live-streamed Whisky Wednesday show reached more than 3.6 million viewers.
Buffalo Trace offers behind-the-scenes tours of the distillery through Whiskey Wednesday
Since the Covid-19 pandemic forced distillery visitor centres and tasting rooms to close from March, producers have sought new ways of engaging fans with their products.
Buffalo Trace has live-streamed the Whiskey Wednesday programme across social media since 13 May. The debut programme received almost 30,000 viewers, which grew to 200,000 on 22 July. On average, 165,000 viewers tune into the programme each week.