Alba Huerta’s acclaimed cocktail bar Julep is all about distilling Houston’s multiculturalism. Yes, Huerta pours many versions of the bar’s quintessentially Southern namesake, but her more eclectic drinks reflect the city’s global soul.
“Houston’s diversity is important to Julep,” Huerta says. “It’s showcased through our menus, our employees’ backgrounds, and the flavor combinations they bring.” That inclusive mission has scored Julep many honors, including Houston’s first-ever national James Beard Award in 2022, plus a spot on North America’s inaugural 50 Best Bars list.
Julep will mark a decade next year thanks to Huerta’s innovative—and sometimes, unorthodox—approach to designing drinks. “A lot of [Julep’s] drinks come from my staff, who are inspired by creativity, but aren’t necessarily able to make a cocktail,” she says. “I think it’s a good way for us to put beautiful drinks on the menu.”
Julep just debuted several new drinks, plus it’s brought back an old favorite—all the more reason to go back or visit if you haven’t been. Read on for four drinks to try at one of Houston’s most raved-about cocktail bars.
1. A mango lover’s dream
Childhood Dreams is a rum and mango seed-syrup drink that takes cues from a Julep staff member who has fond childhood memories of shopping for fruit at local farmers’ markets. “The idea behind this cocktail is to use the total fruit,” says Huerta, who has experimented with that top-to-bottom approach since 2010. The mango is juiced and used as part of the syrup (the seed is part of that process, too), and the drink’s bright garnish comes from mango peel and ginger. “It has a bit of tropical flavor to it,” Huerta adds.
2. A silky-to-sip sour
3. From Japan, with love
The Toki and Lychee Highball began with a staff member who wanted to recreate one of her favorite drinks, the lychee martini. “There’s a story about how her grandparents first met in Japan, and [because of that] her family would use lychee in their foods,” Huerta shares. “Lychee isn’t exactly the easiest fruit to peel and use in a cocktail bar,” she added. It’s why Huerta decided to create a lychee soda on draft, then paired it with a sweet-and-spicy Japanese whisky for the final fizzy product.
4. Back by popular demand
Huerta reserves a section of the cocktail menu for crowd favorites. “After being open for so many years, people often ask us, ‘Whatever happened to that drink?’” she says. The menu’s current throwback is The Morning Call, a margarita and tonic topped with hibiscus-infused mezcal. “It’s probably from our second or third menu,” she says. “We’re always making new drinks and that’s one reason why nine years doesn’t feel like nine years.”
Aarti Virani is a blog editor at OpenTable.
