Texas proud
Dr Pepper puts a nice spin on cocktails.
Dr Pepper is a flavor I cannot live without. So imagine my delight when, during a recent trip to Jack in the Box (yes, for tacos), I saw a sign for a new soda flavor: Strawberry Dr Pepper. Heaven. While I was greedily gulping it, I also wondered what it would taste like with vodka, rum or whiskey. Dr Pepper, after all, is infinitely agreeable to mixing.
Bayou & Bottle, the chic bar in the Four Seasons Hotel Houston at 1300 Lamar, must think so, too. The bar offers an inviting spin on the Old Fashioned with a Dr Pepper twist. The house’s Dr Pepper Old Fashioned (created by assistant manager Judith Piotrowski and general manager Peter Pearce) marries Rittenhouse Rye with a housemade Dr Pepper syrup, a few dashes of cherry-vanilla bitters and Angostura bitters. It’s topped with a Luxardo cherry.
Brilliant idea. At $14, the cocktail is an indulgence. But Bayou & Bottle offers its share of bargains. Its happy hour, 7 to 9 p.m. daily, offers traditional Old Fashioneds and Moscow Mules for $8 (the house also makes really good chips and queso, $8).
Another clever local example of a cocktail made with Texasproud Dr Pepper is the Dr. Feelgood. It is made with Jack Daniels Rye, Angostura bitters and a house-made Dr Pepper syrup. Bar manager Crisia Araujo, who created the cocktail, reduces Dr Pepper to an orgeat syrup. The drink is served in a crushed-ice-filled Dr Pepper can. This delight is $12 at BCK, 933 Studewood. And probably worth every penny.