After a lengthy hiatus, Houstonist Bartender is back and ready to blow your mind and bring some extra sizzle to your weekends with a whole new batch of drink recipes (get it? drinks? batch? Looks like we found a lame sense of humor during our vacation as well!) This week's recipe is not for the faint of heart. The Flaming Dr Pepper is an intense alcoholic beverage, that when consumed AFTER being set ablaze......

Though the calendar doesn't officially state it, summer time is slowly arriving in Houston. As temperatures climb into the 90-degree range and children across the city are prepping for final exams, only three thing comes to mind. Barbecues, flip-flops, and ice cold beverages. What better way to fight the heat this weekend than with an Absolut Summertime at your local tavern? Absolut Summertime+1.5 oz. Absolut Citron + 0.75 oz. Sweet & Sour mix +......

The infamous Texas Crawfish and Music Festival is scheduled to take place in Spring this Saturday. What goes better with crawfish than an ice cold beer? Now the tricky question is exactly what beer goes best with crawfish on a hot and muggy Saturday afternoon? After much research at Sam's Boat every Monday night for several months, Houstonist has found the answer. Blue Moon with a slice of orange to garnish. Yup - this......

The last time Houstonist offered up a drink recipe, we were hailing the coming of a new and warmer season. If you're like many longtime Houstonians, you've been enjoying this recent mild weather and spending as much time in the great outdoors as possible before the dreaded heat and humidity that is Summer comes rearing its ugly head around the corner. Alas, all good things must come to an end, but not like you......

Last week marked the start of the Spring season. It's time to put away the winter coats, boots, gloves, and scarves. Wait, we're in Houston, right? So, it's actually time to put away the long sleeved shirts, jeans, and to shave away that stubble from your face (or legs as the case may be) that kept you warm on those lonely brisk 60 degree evenings. Break out the cargo shorts, polo shirts, sun dresses,......

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day! To help you celebrate, we bring back a classic drink for everyone to enjoy this weekend. Whether you'll be huddled by a TV watching college basketball or celebrating with the masses in Rice Village, make sure you're throwing down Irish Car Bombs to celebrate Saint Patrick and all of his accomplishments (whatever they may be). Irish Car Bomb+ 1/2 pint Guinness stout + 1 oz. Jameson Irish Whiskey +......

As a public service announcement, don't forget that tomorrow night marks the beginning of Daylight Saving Time. At 2:00am on Sunday morning (late Saturday night for us party-going types), we will all be forced to set our clocks ahead by one full hour. As a result, we'll have one more hour of sunlight in the evening and one less hour in the morning. You know what this means? No more early cracks of dawn......

Happy Leap Day! For those that have always wondered, but never cared to ask about the purpose of leap day, please allow us to expound. Now we don't know about you, but we think that this man-made phenomenon is an occasion to drink! While out sipping away the twilight hours at a bar last night, we obtained a recipe for a "Leap Year" drink from a lovely young lady. When we asked why the......

It's the most wonderful time of the year Sure, when Andy Williams first uttered those words he may have been praising the birth of Jesus Christ. But for us, that same expression can be applied to Girl Scout cookie season! And wouldn't you know it, just this week five boxes of Thin Mints (amongst other variations) were delivered to our front door. After feverishly consuming the first box in a single sitting, we implemented......

So maybe you're like us and lacking in companionship on Valentine's Day. Maybe you're like us and just a wee bit distressed about the prospect of having no one to share chocolate-covered strawberries with this evening? Maybe you're even like us and plan to go out with your friends tonight to drown your sorrows in a river of Apple Martinis? But why be the clichéd lonely person sitting at the end of the bar......

We at Houstonist are pretty tired of this foggy weather. Cold we can deal with, but the fog just makes everything kinda depressing. So as we head into the weekend, we need a shot (of booze) in the arm. What better way to put a spring in your step (and a song in your heart) than with the combination of two of our favorite liquids: espresso and vodka. Sure, it's a bad idea to combine......

Houstonist is heading to Big Bend National Park this weekend to participate in our annual camping extravaganza called HookerFest (not those kinda hookers) by the participants and "the annual freeze your ass off trip" by non-believers. Never one to show up to a party without a contribution, we have been putting on our creativity caps for new and exciting libations each year. This year, we decided that it was time to "live off of the......

Christmas shopping at The Galleria, incessant caroling and a just a touch of holiday-induced agoraphobia have Houstonist feeling a bit out of sorts today. Our feathers and lackadoogles are more than slightly ruffled. Unfortunately, we can do nothing buscept press on with our holiday chores and hole up inside the HQ once said tasks are complete. That's when we're planning to throw back a cocktail or six like a Ruffled Rooster. Ruffled Rooster+ 4 oz.......

Good morning, Houston. Did you know that we're now in a bold new Fluorescent Age thanks to Mayor Bill White and his colleagues in Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso? The collective His Honors gathered in San Antonio on Friday to name the compact fluorescent bulb the "state bulb of Texas." If that doesn't make you want to switch to CFLs, try this: December is Compact Fluorescent Light Month in Texas. What's so......

Spent all your cash on girlie drinks and shattered dreams again this weekend, didn't you? No worries - Thriftster gives you the lowdown on cheap stuff to do until Paycheck Friday. Monday: If you're still in the Halloween mood, after all that blood red jell-o shot slurping and blacklight body paint application, hit the Lawndale Center's (4912 Main St.) retablo exhibit. Doors close at 5pm, which gives you plenty of time to nosh on some......

Spent all your cash on girlie drinks and shattered dreams again this weekend, didn't you? No worries - Thriftster gives you the lowdown on cheap stuff to do until Paycheck Friday. Monday: Strut your inner rock star at Guitar Hero Mondays at Fitzgerald's (2706 White Oak Dr.) where you can air guitar your way to everlasting glory. Just think of the pick up lines you'll have for the bar next weekend - chicks dig faux-musicians......

Good morning, Houston. Pardon us, but we seem to have lost our phone number. Can we borrow yours? Yeah, we know — it's lame. And apparently we're not the only one with a bad pickup line: Houston is the country's 14th best city for singles, according to Forbes magazine. We lag behind Dallas-Ft. Worth (No. 9) and Austin (No. 12), but we're far ahead of San Antonio (No. 28). On the bright side, Houston......

Houstonist hits Italy's Rimini Beach every Pasqua (that's Easter for y'all that don't habla) for fun in the sun, dynamite food and to make-uh the party. And while you can make-uh the party without booze, we like-uh our booze. One of our favorite Italian libations is limoncello. Limoncello is a great aperitif or digestif that is made from grain alcohol, lemon zest and sugar. The drink is sweet and sour, but not like Chinese food.......

Good morning, Houston. Weather got you down? Here's a fun story to lighten your mood: drunk astronauts. A report on astronaut mental health (undertaken after the infamous Lisa Nowak incident) revealed that NASA has sent astronauts into space totally sloshed. This happened in spite of the fact that they put a ban on alcohol consumption at least 12 hours before launch. Oops. We hope they're not too hard on the astronauts. After all, it's......

So, it would be bad enough to nearly be involved in a wrong-way collision on a freeway — but it would be that much worse to fall from an overpass after you nearly crashed. Don't believe us? Ask a guy who did exactly that on the Southwest Freeway early this morning. It happened in Stafford just after midnight, when police say the man was headed south on the northbound feeder road of the Southwest Freeway......

Good morning, Houston. You might want to grab a drink before you get started on this morning's news: According to KHOU, a shift toward growing corn in Mexico could lead to a spike in the price of tequila. It seems a lot of Mexican farmers are getting rid of their blue agave fields to make way for corn, which is in demand thanks to the growing popularity of ethanol — and as the amount......

LAist was comped front row seats by the Dodgers due to Malingering being struck by a foul ball last week, and she came back with some great photos, and earlier made fun of 4th of July on Venice Beach. But the biggest stories of the week was that the Mayor's Hot Tamale was revealed, and that a Kwik-E-Mart was erected in Burbank. Phillyist was busy doing the Fourth of July up right, exercising their......

Yep, it's already time to start wining again. Fortunately, someone thought ahead and planned a whole week of winofun!!! Except... it's in The Woodlands. But, it's kind of every Houstonian's responsibility to make sure we keep an eye on our corporate northwesternly neighbor. Bummer for drive time, yes. But just think of the wine and food that await you at The Woodlands' Wine and Food Week 2007! Wine and Food Week 2007 starts today, June......

The story behind this drink is two-fold, so get ready for a history lesson. We first got turned on to the Aqua Velva when we saw Zodiac last spring. In the movie, a dandy, very late-1970's Robert Downey, Jr. and an earnest Jake Gyllenhaal discuss a serial killer over drinks. Gyllenhaal's character orders an Aqua Velva, a fancy bright blue drink with a paper umbrella, which Downey's character finds questionable. Cut to a scene......

Fire investigators searched three Needville area homes yesterday in connection with the fire that damaged of Needville High School on Monday morning, but no arrests have been made yet. The fire, which destroyed the school's administrative building and science wing, was intentionally set, investigators said earlier this week: Someone entered the building early Monday by throwing a concrete block through a side door, and fires were set in two separate locations. The investigators — from......

Fire officials worked through the weekend to stabilize a burned-out east Houston office building in hopes of being able to begin an investigation of the cause of the fire. If the six-story structure at 9343 North Loop East is deemed safe enough, investigators could go in as early as Tuesday, nearly a week since the fire that killed three people and injured six more. Among the tasks in making the building safer this weekend was......

Steven Weinstein, the man whose car had a dead body hidden in its trunk, will be held without bond until at least Friday, a judge ruled yesterday. State District Judge Caprice Cosper said she wants Weinstein, 42, stabilized on anti-depressant medication before she considers bond and wants him examined by a mental health professional before he's released. "I appreciate what you're saying," Weinstein told Cosper. "But the best thing for me is to take my......

So what if you and your neighbors suspected there was a dead body hidden inside one of the houses on your block, but no one took you seriously? That's apparently what happened in Midtown for weeks before police finally investigated this weekend and discovered a body in the trunk of a car parked inside the garage of a townhome. Ugh. Neighbors in the 1300 block of Rosalie said they began noticing a foul odor coming......

Good morning, Houston. Have you ever looked at your pet gerbil and thought, "Y'know, Nibbles really looks like an ibex?" If so, you might consider seeing an eye doctor — or entering the Houston Zoo's Naturally Wild photo contest. The zoo and KTRK are looking for photos of pets that look like wild animals; if yours makes the cut, you could win a family membership to the zoo and a gift card from Petco.......

From the "This is why we're glad we don't have a pool" file comes the story of Laurie Haring, a vice president at JPMorgan Chase who was surprised Saturday to learn that a couple of teenagers had driven a 1995 Toyota Camry into her backyard swimming pool. Oops! Haring said her first thought on getting the call about the car in the pool was that she had been punk'd (seriously, is that show still on?),......