okay Courtney you know what I love about
summertime it's 7:00 p.m. right now
we're done with work it's still totally
light outside and it's time to have some
fun I've been dying to check out a new
place talked about here's something you
want a custom cocktail like the derrick
or the Courtney the what yes custom
cocktail cottonmouth brand-new place in
Houston let's go check it out all right
cottonmouth is located on Main Street
and is housed in the Brewster building
which is the 11th oldest building in
Houston but this is not your typical bar
the owners say it's the least cocktail a
cocktail bar you're gonna find it's rock
slash punk vibe of the 70s and 80s is
inspired by New York City's East Village
we love the time period the design the
music to dress the whole thing so we
don't dress up as that but when you make
choices you make choices based on a
feeling that's the feeling we want and
that's the man behind the concept and
also the bar Michael Neff
internationally recognized award-winning
bartender cocktail is just chemistry
cocktail is just stuff in a glass but
the people's experience a cocktail like
that's Neurology so if we can kind of
like if I can get in and I can switch a
little couple like I can just switch all
these things in your head and I can
bring you along through the process then
at the end of it if I make something
custom for you you have an experience
that you're just like I did this event
in me and the reverse Speak Easy is
exactly that it's upstairs in a private
setting to figure out what we want to
drink and Neff works as magic Derek
Knight
we're belly up to the bar all right
let's get this process started we're
ready okay so the first thing we'll do
and this is kind of experience people
have first date I want you to look back
or most prominent display you'll see all
kinds of glassware so what speaks to you
okay Courtney first okay I'm gonna go
martini glass okay Courtney's like
what's the biggest glass
large glass place I'll get two 48-ounce
please could I please have the the glass
that has a design in it oh I'm gonna
take that one
okay the second thing I want you to do
is look at my garnishing okay and what
speaks to you here so this will
eventually lead to us like making a
cocktail but I want to know how you want
me to finish it I'm kind of thinking
like ginger and time great okay
I was thinking mint lime and time when
you drink cocktails do you think of
stirred and boozy things or shaking and
refreshing things like do you like that
kind of big like Manhattan martini old
fashioned experience or do you like the
more kind of like the daiquiris do you
like more of the kind of like a mix of
things
I'm definitely today more of a martini
okay drinker gin or vodka generally
vodka your whiskey drinker I'm starting
to you like bitter yes and if you had to
choose between Superman and Batman oh
that oh Jesus so so like precise yep
edition okay considering you just spent
time in traffic like how do you feel now
oh like I can use an old fashioned okay
and talk person campers definitely not a
cat person
okay wait what when you make custom
cocktails for people you had it was a
risk on your part in mine because you
get to the end of it was like how did
you know I'm like you told me everything
you want it you told me everything you
wanted all I have to do is listen
there's the big moment
and that's just me sure
[Music]
it's even prettier now you totally know
and I can smell it dude that's amazing
you set the bar very high for yourself
I'm sorry apologize to all your future
bartender so there's two types of people
in the world people who like black
licorice flavor and people who do not I
love it it's your lucky day and just so
you guys match
voila
who shot the Kourtney and Eric I know
we'll see jury day
let's see
the first time he poured that drink
Michael Neff right here to my left I had
like the salivating things happily
started tingling yes and now it's
happening again
hey we're so good we do Michael thank
you so much I can't wait to come back to
cottonmouth Club but in the meantime
we're glad you stopped by here to sort
of continue the magic the Cortney before
we do this Oh
garnish so as you recall oh my gosh a
little bit of mint and a little bit of
thyme it really isn't because it's so
artistic and that sort of finishes the
whole look but when it comes down to
what is exactly inside the drink Michael
now is when you're gonna spill the beans
right absolutely yeah so we started out
when you say martini and this is why I
start with the glass why right you
picked a very traditional straight side
of martini glass yes so that tells me a
few things about you but what you
normally drink what you kind of like and
then the questions that I ask afterwards
are basically saying like okay how far
do we want to go outside that how do we
want to tune it how do we want to take
it into a flavour aspect so we start
with the experience generally and then I
like to kind of like just slowly walk
backwards through it so it's so deep it
is so deep it's so amazing so while
we're sipping on this you have a special
cocktail that's happening a cottonmouth
right absolutely absolutely we're
actually launching a full menu on the
13th so our actual big like whiz-bang
everybody look at me this is we're doing
cool stuff menu that's all coming out on
the 13th so this is a sneak peak of one
of those okay most of the cocktails that
we do in life are based on classics
because classic cocktails are classic
for a reason yeah we don't you know we
kind of invent things and like what you
guys get what you guys have are examples
of cocktails that have never really been
made before right but they're still
based on classic templates and people
can taste them by the way they just
absolutely yeah these are actually gonna
be available all week Jerrica
coordinators we have a board for it yes
absolutely okay so you started with what
lemon juice so this is fresh lemon juice
I always use fresh juice this is honey
syrup so basically it's one to one honey
syrup so honey and hot water okay and
you do that because honey doesn't really
want to dissolve and cold things this is
Brooklyn
which is an example of the new new
american-style G and they call it so
fresh citrus a little bit of lavender
and not as kind of Christmas tree and
juniper is as a traditional engine
driver and you do measure Michael if I
measure there know what this is a much
much longer conversation much long
conversation and and so in lieu of ice
because we're in studio I'm basic
deluding with very very cold water okay
and then I'm going to insert basically
air into the process all right moment of
truth we have about 30 seconds left so
by the way something that's great about
cottonmouth Club I love that you guys
use old topo Chico bottles right and um
put your mixers in there and just cap it
off throwing things away so this gets a
Branca meant to wash awesome and then a
little bit of taste well I remind folks
to visit cottonmouth Club this week if
you want to try the Courtney or the
Derek at the bar Michael Neff thank you
so much oh my good so my dear listen
rate to see you Cheers you take the
Courtney you great to see you
we'll be right back