HTX Whiskey Weekend is returning for its third year at City Place Plaza, the massive mixed-use complex located at 1250 Lake Plaza just off of I-45 in Spring. The center is home to Houston City Place Marriott, restaurants and an expansive green space which will be used for HTX Whiskey Weekend. It happens on Friday, April 28 and 29, and features food, live music, cocktail classes and most importantly Texas whiskey

Things kick off on Friday, April 28 with a four-course dinner supporting The Butcher’s Ball, an organization and event that raises funds for various food-based organizations emphasizing sustainability. The special dinner is a joint effort from Robin Wong, Terry Wong and Quy Hoang of Blood Bros. BBQ, and pastry chef Alyssa Dole and Arash Kharat of Luloo’s Day & Night. Blood Bros. BBQ is a well-known Houston restaurant that’s garnered national acclaim for incorporating Asian influences into Texas barbecue. Luloo’s, a relatively new cafe, is a collaboration from Blood Bros. BBQ and Dole, serving burgers, sandwiches and baked goods in Garden Oaks. Tickets for the dinner are $185 and include wine pairings and a cocktail showcasing the Still Austin distillery.

A Taste of City Place happens on Saturday, April 29. The park in front of the Marriott will be lined with booths serving samples of Texas-made whiskeys from several distilleries. Participating brands include Houston-based William Price Distillery, Still Austin, Blackland Distillery, Modisett & Sons Distillery, Devil’s River Whiskey, Clifford Distillery, Gentle Ben, Ironroot Republic Distillery, Milam & Green Whiskey, Rebecca Creek, and Texas Tail Distillery. Dawn Sloan of Soul Taco is setting up a station to serve hearty, southern cuisine-inspired tacos. To cool off, HTX Whiskey Weekend is also setting up the Take 5 Lounge, an indoor area serving zero-proof cocktails by Not Too Sweet Ventures. Entry into the event is free, but guests who want to enjoy the food and whiskey will need to purchase passes for $85.

April 29 will feature additional ticketed events. Patrick Abalos of Not Too Sweet Ventures will be teaching cocktail classes, Rebeccas Creek Distillery is hosting a Whiskey 101 class(now sold out) and, in the evening, the Milam & Green Distillery will be featured in the Whiskey Under The Stars event(now sold out), which has live music, light bites, cigar rolling and whiskey samples. Each of these events is $35, with tickets available online.

Speaking (well, typing) from personal experience, this event is fun, and worth the trek to the Spring. If you wish to fully partake in the samples, the Marriott is well-kept, tidy, comfortable and running a special for HTX Whiskey Weekend, which includes breakfast for two, welcome cocktails, an Old-Fashioned kit from Rebecca Creek, self-parking and late checkout. Use code XY0 when booking a reservation.

Ryan Kasey Baker