EIGHT ROW FLINT EXPANDING

EIGHT ROW FLINT

Bourbon Crazy and an Expansion Coming

by Marene Gustin

Since 2015 The Heights has been home to a modern-day Texas icehouse, Eight Row Flint. And it’s been a hit with locals ever since for its creative cocktail menu, extensive whiskey and agave lists, as well as being one of the first bars to revive the old traditional Texas cocktail called Ranch Water, a concoction of Tequila, sparkling water, and fresh lime. Not to mention the food offerings like the delicious tacos on house made tortillas. If you’ve never had a Brussels sprouts taco, it’s worth a trip just to try one. There are also fajitas, a Sonora dog, nachos, and a burger with some Tex-Mex brunch items on Saturdays and Sundays.

And now comes some exciting news from the crew behind the icehouse; Bourbon Heritage Month all September featuring specials on the liquor, and word that Eight Row Flint will be adding a second location in late fall. It will be in the Second Ward spot of the former Night Shift Bar on Harrisburg Boulevard right on METRORail’s Green Line, making it easy for downtowners to get there. The new location will have a full kitchen so the menu will be expanded.

Eight Row Flint is the brainchild of Agricole Hospitality’s Ryan Pena, Morgan Weber, and Vincent Huynh. The company also has three other properties in EaDo; Indianola, Miss Carousel, and Vinny’s, as well as the highly touted Italian eatery Coltivare in The Heights.

For the new Eight row Flint location, the hospitality company tapped team members Christina Ramey as concept manager for both icehouses, Christian Garza for general manager at the new location, and chef Marcelo Garcia will oversee both kitchens.

“We’re so proud of what we’ve built at Eight Row Flint over the last eight years,” the owners say. “With this being our first concept expansion, it’s a really exciting moment for us. Nurturing our staff and watching them develop is one of the most rewarding elements of being business owners. We couldn’t be happier for these three key team members, Christina, Christian, and Marcelo, to grow alongside the Eight Row Flint concept as they increase their responsibilities and take on these new roles.”

In the meantime, there is still plenty going on at the original Eight Row Flint. September is Bourbon Heritage Month and there will be specials to celebrate the libation all month long.

Bourbon is as American as apple pie, dating back some four hundred years, before our nation was even founded. Some say a man named Elijah Craig was the first one to make bourbon when he

distilled corn whiskey in oak barrels back in 1789. Whoever the first person was to make bourbon, it was quite popular with the colonists, even with George Washington. Fast forward in 1964 and an act of Congress declared bourbon to be a unique product of the United States. Federal law states that bourbon must be produced in the U.S., contain at least 51 percent corn, and mature in freshly charred oak barrels for at least two years. In 2007 the U.S. Senate declared September as National Bourbon Heritage Month, a month-long happy hour to celebrate our country’s own special spirit.

“I’d say bourbon is our number one spirit that we sell at Eight Row Flint,” says Ramey.

“We have over 100 bottles and seven barrels.”

Eight Row Flint visits distilleries where the team samples batches from different barrels and then purchases the

Agricole Eight Row Flint Mexican Spirits Back BarPhoto: Agricole Hospitality

Jacques Vallée holding archive material

Agricole Eight Row Flint Taco Salad. Photo: Agricole Hospitality ones they want. It’s a tough job but one Ramey certainly enjoys.

“I’ve been in this business for 12 years,” she says. “And the bourbon craze has really taken off in the last five years. It’s crazy. There are bourbon clubs and Facebook pages.

And, then there’s the hunt for unicorn bottles.”

A unicorn bottle is a rare bottle, usually from the 1970s, that collectors seek out.

“People travel to these small West Texas towns and hunt down vintage bottles on a small liquor store shelf, and then they post about it online,” Ramey says. “I don’t have time to be traveling around doing that! Besides I work at Eight Row Flint and I’m around good bourbon all day.”

The icehouse does a lot of craft bourbon cocktails, but Ramey is a purist when it comes to the American whiskey.

“Personally, I like it on the rocks,” she says. “I like a glass of Old Forester over ice.” Old Forester is a Kentucky distill-

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Agricole Eight Row Flint Bingo Night Photo: Agricole Hospitality

Bourbon is as American as apple pie, dating back some four hundred years, before our nation was even founded.

ery established in 1863 by George Gavin Brown who was the first to sell bottled bourbon. “It’s 120 proof, and barrel aged for five years,” Ramey says. “It’s delicious with notes of caramel, coffee, and a little tobacco.”

You can taste it for yourself the first week of National Bourbon Heritage Month when Eight Row Flint will have Old Forester on sale. Elijah Craig is on special the second week, Sazerac Rye the third, and the fourth will be Solera Blend house-blend of every single barrel that has ever walked through the doors at Eight Row Flint for just $12. The final week of September you can enjoy summer cocktails at special prices before the icehouse takes them off the menu to make room for new fall cocktails.

EIGHT ROW FLINT 1039 Yale Street 832.767.4002

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