Alba Huerta’s been putting the craft in ‘craft cocktail’ since 2009. Born in Mexico, Alba emigrated to Houston at an early age where she discovered her love of mixology. She’s been making cocktails ever since, and has spent the past 15 years working at revered cocktail spots like the mezcaleria Pastry War and Anvil Bar & Refuge, a legendary cocktail lounge credited with introducing the craft cocktail to Houston. “It was a bigger risk at that time — to say you wanted to bartend or open a bar,” says Alba. “No one was writing about cool cocktails or anything. But it’s the only job I’ve ever had.”
You can think of her as the patron saint of Southern spirits, a passionate mixologist painting a tale of the American South with cobblers and crustas. Her passion for creating drinks that celebrated the South led to her being named Bartender of the Year by Imbibe Magazine in 2014 while her namesake restaurant, Julep, has netted her coverage in every food publication from The New York Times to Bon Appetit. A true culinary ambassador, she helped found and served as president of the Houston chapter of the US Bartenders Guild and is on the board of the Southern Foodways Alliance. She’s also the author of Julep: Southern Cocktails Refashioned, a Southern inspired cocktail recipe book, and is a two-time James Beard Award semifinalist.
“My responsibility as your bartender — and as your personal drinking guide — is to let you know what's out there in the world.”
“I’m an immigrant, and I think that’s a big part of why the American South calls me...in Houston I always felt included. I got to grow up in a city that was very multicultural and constantly culturally changing, and I see a lot of that in the new American South.”
