Pico's cocktails pack creative punch

There's so much fun at the bar at Pico's Mexican restaurant on Kirby that it's easy to forget the serious effort being put into those crafty cocktails that light up the night.

You can thank beverage director Monica Richards for all the creativity and know-how put into those tall glasses of high-octane pleasure at the restaurant owned by her father, chef Arnaldo Richards.

When Pico's made its move from Bellaire to Kirby and Richmond, it sought to up its cocktail game. Richards, who approaches her job with equal measures of scholarship and amusement, has created an array of beguiling potions that any serious libations lover should try. Take her Mi Novio, a mezcal-based beauty laced with fresh guava, orange and pineapple juices, sugar cane syrup and muddled nopales that lends an earthy, vegetal body to the cocktail. El Humo de San Miguel is a jewel of a drink - hibiscus juice, mescal, and a sugar cane syrup infused with the warming spices of cinnamon, clove and star anise. Her Paloma Cimarron marries Cimarron tequila with tamarind agua fresca and chamoy (a tart fruit pulp sauce with lime and chile) is served in a tall glass rimmed with powdered chamoy.

Where does Richards get her cocktail inspirations? "I read a lot, I research a lot, and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen with my dad," she said, adding that she and her father often bounce ideas off each other.

Monica Richards recently returned from Mexico where she sourced more tequila for the restaurant, including Herradura Double Barrel Noir Reposado, exclusive to Pico's.

With the holidays in full swing, Pico's is the place for inventive cocktails and luxury margaritas, including La Billionaria, a blend of Herradura Seleccion Suprema Extra Anejo, Grand Marnier Cuvee de Cent Cinquantenaire and fresh lime juice. It'll set you back only $75. But after two you won't care about the price.