Partner Content
For Four Houston Bartenders, Success Means a Shared Work Ethic
Houston’s “Team Culture” built an all-star bar team with a simple mantra: work hard, play hard.
- story: Punch Staff
- photos: Kirsten Gilliam
Inside the Wine Cellar at Houston’s One Fifth
Matt Pridgen oversees the constantly evolving wine list at One Fifth, chef Chris Shepherd’s rotating restaurant incubator.
- story: Megan Krigbaum
- photo: Kirsten Gilliam
Inside the Wine Cellar at Houston’s Public Services
Behind the scenes at Houston's Public Services, where Justin Vann has sought to build a meaningful bond between wine and spirits.
- story: Zachary Sussman
- photos: Kirsten Gilliam
Justin Vann | Owner and Wine Buyer, Public Services
A little over a decade ago, Justin Vann dropped out of college to pursue a career in wine. Since then, he's made a name for himself in Houston by championing…
- story: Lizzie Munro
- photo: Kirsten Gilliam
Drink a Harvey Wallbanger to Help Houston
Houston bartender Bobby Heugel is looking to use this oft-maligned classic to raise money for victims of Hurricane Harvey.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photo: Julie Soefer
Bar Review: Bobby Heugel’s Houston Empire Expands
Tongue-Cut Sparrow and Better Luck Tomorrow may be Bobby Heugel’s most important bars since Anvil.
- story: Robert Simonson
- photos: Kirsten Gilliam
Behind the Backbar at Houston’s The Pastry War
In "Anatomy of a Backbar" we get to know the world's most notable spirits programs in five bottles. This round, The Pastry War, where responsibly produced agave spirits are sourced…
- story: Nicholas Hall
- photo: Julie Soefer
Possibly Useful Wine Questions: Texas Edition
This round, "Possibly Useful Wine Questions" (PUWQ) heads to Texas to ask Lindsay Thomas and Justin Vann about the best rodeo wines, the worst thing they ever drank and what…
- story: Punch Staff
- illustration: Natalie K. Nelson
Inside Houston’s Iconic West Alabama Ice House
In his "Bar Tripping" column, photographer Daniel Krieger travels the world to capture its most unique and photogenic bars. This week, he hits Houston's West Alabama Ice House, a watering…
- story: Nicholas Hall
- photos: Daniel Krieger
Beyond BYO: Building the Chinatown Wine List
Pét-nat and Peking duck? Off-dry riesling and Sichuan food? These kinds of combinations, ordained among wine nerds, have long come by way of the BYO restaurant. But sommelier Justin Vann…
- story: Megan Krigbaum
- photo: Mala Sichuan Bistro
