At the James Beard Awards on Monday in Chicago, Houston's Anvil Bar & Refuge went up against some of the biggest names in the American cocktail world as a finalist for Outstanding Bar Program. The city's lone finalist this year in any of the restaurant and chef categories, Anvil lost out to Cure in New Orleans, another favorite of Houstonians who visit there.

Anvil owner Bobby Heugel included.

"I love Cure," he said from the lobby of the Lyric Theater, where the awards gala was held. "I'm really happy for them. They opened within a few months of us, we're friends, we've been through a lot of the same experiences. It's one of my favorite bars in the world, and I go every time I'm in New Orleans."

Also in the mix for the title were Bar Agricole and Trick Dog, both in San Francisco; Clyde Common in Portland; and Kimball House in Decatur, Georgia.

After nine years as a semifinalist in the prestigious competition, Anvil's 2018 finalist nod cemented its status as one of America's premier craft cocktail bars.

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Anvil was founded in 2009 by Heugel and Kevin Floyd in a rehabbed industrial space on the Westheimer Curve. The two — who have split their business interests in recent years — did much of the construction work themselves. It was the city's first bar devoted to classic cocktails and the kind of meticulous craftsmanship that eventually swept much of the country.

Among the ideas that set a regional pace at the time was the use of house-made bitters and local ingredients for a wide-ranging drinks menu of 100 classics, plus a revolving slate of seasonal inventions. Houston cocktail enthusiasts regarded it as a badge of honor to work their way through each drink on Anvil's "100 List," and they still do.

Education is another wrinkle that has set Anvil apart in Houston. In-house classes focusing on spirits such as mezcal or scotch brought in customers who were interested in learning more or upping their home cocktail game. In time, Heugel's deep interest in traditionally produced agave spirits led him to open the first of Anvil's offshoots, The Pastry War, which specializes in tequila, mescal and sotol drinks.

Heugel has gone on to open the Southern-skewed Julep with Anvil alumna Alba Huerta; the charity-themed OKRA bar downtown; Tongue-Cut Sparrow, a small speakeasy-type spot where service is a focus; the Nightingale Room, a nightclub run in partnership with Mike Criss; and the easygoing, indoor/outdoor Better Luck Tomorrow, a project he opened last year with James Beard Award-winning chef Justin Yu.

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Heugel is in Chicago with four members of his management team; they plan to stay for a cocktail conference that follows the Beard awards.

"The national recognition is nice," said Heugel. But we go to work everyday for people who live in Houston, and that's what matters to us."