At Exclusive Pop-Up, Downtown's Bandista Swaps Places with Legendary French Quarter Bar. Bottoms Up!
Denny Culbert
Jan. 9, 2023
READY TO GET away — but don’t want to face airport travel just yet? Snag a ticket to the exclusive pop-up at Bandista this Wednesday, Jan. 11, for a taste of New Orleans from one of the country’s top bars. The Four Seasons Houston’s speakeasy bar and lounge will change places with heralded Jewel of the South bar and restaurant bringing the cocktails — and the award-winning bartender/co-owner Chris Hannah — to Houston for a bar takeover.
When the acclaimed bars switch residency for one night each, they will showcase the South’s best cocktail experiences in each other’s cities. The Houston pop-up, 5pm-midnight, will feature four Jewel of the South house cocktails and one collaboration cocktail ($30 to $50 each). Reservations are required for this special event, which benefits Camp H-Town.
Jewel of the South was named Best U.S. Restaurant Bar of the Year, and Hannah won U.S. Bartender of the Year at the recent Tales of the Cocktail conference. Jewel of the South was also named No. 24 in North America’s 50 Best Bars. Southern cocktail pioneer Hannah is known for reviving classic drinks and his vast knowledge of historic ingredients. His kitchen crafts indulgences such as a sterling caviar program and dinosaur-sized bone marrow, as well as elevated British fare in a charming Southern-style setting.
Houston city slicker Bandista will get its turn at the New Orleans pop-up Sunday, Jan. 15, from 5pm to 11pm at Jewel of the South. Highlighting the talents of Houston bartenders Alanna Svay and Sean Curtis, the team will present four Bandista house cocktails and one collaboration cocktail. Reservations are required for the bar pop-up, which benefits Turning Tables.
Jewel of the South wet bar garnishes
Bartender Hannah
"This pop-up exchange with our friends at Jewel of the South is a great opportunity to exclusively offer our guests one of the world’s best bar experiences, right here in the comfort of Bandista,” says Tom Segesta, GM Four Seasons Hotel Houston. “And taking Bandista to the French Quarter will further showcase what we have created here and give New Orleans a taste of our creative Houston drink artistry and craftsmanship.”
For those looking to make a night of it and stay at Four Seasons Hotel Houston, its Romance Package includes welcome Champagne and strawberries, daily breakfast, and an extended 3pm checkout. Why not get a jump on Valentine’s Day?!
From Your Site Articles
- From Speakeasies to Champagne Sabers, Here Are 14 Fun NYE Dinners to Book Now ›
- The Four Seasons’ Smart Speakeasy and Spectacle-Savvy Latin Steakhouse Are Must-Do’s Downtown ›
- The Cordúas’ Lymbar Is Now Open! And Other Fabulous Food News ›
- 'Cursed Cauldron' Pops Up at Industry Haunt on Friday the 13th, Serves Spooky Sips through End of October - Houston CityBook ›
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Cocktail at this Swanky Hideaway - Houston CityBook ›
- Two Nights Only! Famed New York Bar Pops-Up Downtown, with Proceeds Benefiting Kids with Cancer - Houston CityBook ›
- James Beard ‘Taste America’ Stops in Houston for a Foodie Affair at Four Seasons Downtown - Houston CityBook ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Keep Reading
Show less
This Weekend: Breakdancing Choreographer — and a Superstar Tween Dance Troupe — Make Moves at MATCH
Jan. 9, 2023
Mezclada (photo by CS Visuals)
IN 1973, A first-of-its-kind performance by Twyla Tharp Dance with the Joffrey Ballet changed the dance world. Combining contemporary dance, classical ballet, and a then-burgeoning, multi-disciplinary art form called hip-hop, Tharp invited a crew of graffiti artists to spray paint the stage backdrop live while her dancers shimmied and pirouetted to the sunny sounds of The Beach Boys.
On Jan. 12-13 at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH), Mezclada Dance Company presents its own 21st-century take on hip-hop culture, house dance, breakdancing, and salsa in their first public evening-length work, All of the Above. The title is a succinct statement of purpose from a company dedicated to developing and blending existing forms of street, classical, and modern dance to create something new.
“If you ask what dance styles will be involved,” says Mezclada’s 27-year-old artistic director Joel Aguilera when asked what to expect to see this weekend, “the simple answer is, ‘all of it.’” As a Colombian American, Aguilera grew up hearing and experiencing Latin jazz and salsa dancing in its many forms. At Westside High School, he took classes in hip-hop, house dance, and breakdancing (or “breaking”) and later earned his BFA in dance at UH. Taking the Spanish word for “mixed” as the name of his company, Aguilera began developing his hybrid style of choreography in 2018, and formally founded Mezclada Dance Company last year.
Though versatile in many styles, Aguilera names breakdancing as his primary focus as a dancer, and feels there is much more to be done with the art form. With that in mind, All of the Above incorporates a performance by guest company NorthBeast, a lively, thoroughly entertaining Houston breakdancing troupe made up of dancers all under the age of 12. “They’re very, very talented,” says Aguilera. “Hip-hop is all about community, and I wanted to reach out and bring that community into a space that is not super common for hip-hop.”
Set to a score of groovin’ ’70s-era Latin jazz and salsa, with clave patterns guaranteed to keep the feet moving, All of the Above will be performed by Mezclada’s diverse core dancers, including Aguilera and his new bride and assistant director Lizzy Aguilera, with Julia Cipriani, Hector Cisneros, Sonia Engman, Sydni Lee, Kenny Louis, Jeffrey Louis, and Elyssa Vega rounding out the cast. Each dancer specializes in a certain style of dance, and in performance, Aguilera expects each person in the audience will see something relatable, and at the same time, see something entirely new.
“Our goal is to find unity within diversity,” says Aguilera, “and create an art form that has not yet been made.”
From Your Site Articles
- Tomorrow’s ‘Mind the Gap’ Dance Show at MATCH Breaks Boundaries — and Thoroughly Entertains ›
- Houston Contemporary Dance Company Twirls Into Hobby Center, Miller Outdoor with New Summer Programming ›
- Barnstorm Rumbles into MATCH for Two-Week Dance Festival ›
- Avant-Garde Dance Troupe Goes Out on a Limb at Archway ›
- This Weekend: Urban Souls Dance Company Celebrates Black History Month - Houston CityBook ›
- At 83, Twyla Tharp Still Creates Work for No One But Herself — She Twirls Into Houston Sept. 28 - Houston CityBook ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Keep Reading
Show less