Q&A: UHCL alumnus heads to International Cocktail Competition
Morshedi had always been interested in the bartending culture and in 2016 opened his own bar in Clear Lake, Rosewater.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
A: Welp…I grew up here in Clear Lake – attended UH and then graduated from UHCL with a BS in Biology under the mentorship of Dr. Puzdrowski. I’ve spent the past 15 years working at the Johnson Space Center for the Human Research Program, organizing medical research missions for Shuttle and International Space Station astronauts, but I’ve always been really in love with bars and drinking culture as an extension of human culture. I love beer. I love wine. Spritis, cocktails. All of it.
Q: In 2016 you opened Rosewater. How did the idea of opening the bar come about? And what would you say is the concept behind it?
A: The idea behind the bar may seem somewhat confounding to some people, but it’s really designed just to be a neighborhood bar, a place for people in the surrounding community, as well as visitors, can find a comfortable, safe place to relax and enjoy a drink prepared carefully, whether it’s a can of light beer or a properly executed classic drink. We jokingly refer to it as a fancy bar serving fancy drinks, but we’re not so fussy. We do our best to take care to ensure that the drinks we prepare are based upon classical, consistent technique, but we don’t do it to be “fancy” per se.
We do it because that’s simply how good drinks should be prepared out of respect for our guests. If you come into the bar and order a drink – for me it’s a sign of respect for you that we prepared that drink as carefully as possible. And that means high-quality ice, high-quality spirits, even in the “well,” fresh juices, etc. because you deserve it. But at the same time – come to the bar in your yoga pants. Grab a beer or some wine after the gym. It’s your neighborhood bar. There’s no fussy dress code. Fundamentally what we’re trying to do is elevate people’s expectation of what a neighborhood bar should be. You deserve a neighborhood watering hole that prioritizes the quality of what you drink, even if you’re drinking in your sweatpants, or whatever it is people wear to the gym – I don’t know…I don’t go to the gym.
Q: Why in Clear Lake? Why not in Houston?
A: My partner and I chose Clear Lake because we both live in the area. My partner lives in Pearland and owns a steakhouse there. Frankly, having lived and worked in this area for so long, I got really tired of having to drive all the way to the Inner Loop for a decent drink. And I’m talking about simple stuff – three ingredient stuff like classic Daiquiris, Manhattans, Negronis, etc. Nothing “fancy.” I don’t actually drink anything that I would call fancy. But these simple classics require very very specific technique and appropriately chosen and stored ingredients to really live up to their legacy.
Until Anvil opened in Houston back in 2009, there weren’t really any places in the entire city for properly made drinks. In the intervening years, the city has seen an explosion of good bars. I really hate the term “craft,” although I get why people use it to distinguish certain types of products like “craft cocktails.” And I figured that if I was so desperate for a properly made drink, surely there we other people. So I kicked around the idea for years, casually, until I was introduced to my partner Deedee about four years ago. At that point central Houston had plenty of good bars, so we decided to focus on this part of town where we lived. And on a personal note – I love Clear Lake. I’ve lived here for almost 40 years, and I wanted to contribute something that I felt would enhance to the culture of the community. Granted my frame of reference may be pretty hyperspecific, but if we’re able to share our love of obscured vermouths and Maderia and bitter Amari, I’ll feel like I’ve helped to make my community a little more fun. And I’m not much use otherwise.
Q: Who’s the creative mind behind the drinks? And if it’s you, what is your inspiration and where do you get it from?
A: Our primary cocktail menu is broken into two sections at the moment – a happy hour menu of classic and vintage cocktails and a seasonal menu of original recipes that we’ve created at the bar. I’ve been kind of obsessed with the geeky aspect of spirits and cocktails for over a decade, so when we first opened I was designing all the original recipes, but I am delighted that as our dedicated team learned and grew, everyone started contributing so that now our menu is pretty evenly split. Everyone contributes to the creative process. In the past few years I think we’ve nearly 200 original cocktail recipes – some as menu features and some merely as fleeting daily specials – and that list reflects the creativity of everyone who has been part of the team. It’s really the most delightful thing to have such a wonderfully collaborative and creative environment.
Q: What would you say is your favorite cocktail, or the one you like making the most?
A: This is a question I get asked all the time and every time my answer is that I wish I had a better answer than “it depends.” My favorite drink to make in general is whatever will bring joy to the person I’m serving, although my favorite personal victory is making a drink that converts someone who thought they hated gin. It happens all the time. People think they don’t like gin because nobody has ever given them a well-made gin drink. And when you give them one and their face lights up – “this is gin?!” Man, I love that. Or when I get to make a really simple drink like an Old Fashioned whiskey cocktail or a properly stirred Martini for someone who may have never had one. It’s very often a revelation and that’s just a great feeling. Spreading happiness is the best. To drink – when it’s hot outside I’ll usually just drink something simple like a gimlet or a daiquiri with a few dashes of bitters. Always bitters. More bitters.
Q: Can you talk about the Mediterranean Inspirations Competition and your participation in it?
A: Mediterranean Inspirations is a global cocktail contest sponsored by a Spanish gin called Gin Mare. The focus of this competition is one of embracing the Mediterranean lifestyle and gastronomy. To enter the US portion of the competition you had to submit an original recipe with a few very specific requirements. The company chose their top five recipes and flew those five bartenders to California a few weeks ago for the US National finals. In addition to presenting our original cocktail, we had to come up with a unique twist on the very elaborate Spanish style Gin and Tonic. I was lucky enough to win the US finals, so they’re sending me to Spain at the beginning of September to compete in their global finals where they’ll pair us with a local chef and we have to develop a gin cocktail recipe with Parmesan cheese. I’m pretty excited about that.
At the moment my drink that won the Gin Mare national finals is on our menu. The Lost Coastlines is made with gin, fino sherry, lemon cordial, kefir, salt, pepper, basil, and tonic water.
Q: Have you participated in any other competition or won any prizes in the past?
A: Earlier this year I also entered the Bombay Sapphire Most Imaginative Bartender competition and was again lucky enough to have been chosen among 15 other bartenders from the US and Canada to compete in the finals in London this September as well (it’s actually the week after the Gin Mare competition). This Bombay Sapphire competition is one of the most intense and competitive annual contests in the spirits world. It’s hard to even describe it. Last month, for example, Bombay Sapphire flew us out to New Orleans for a GQ photo shoot and a Chopped-style cocktail challenge, which was just insane for a nobody like me from Clear Lake.
This was my first year entering competitions, and it’s been pretty overwhelming so far, to be honest.
Q: What do you see in the years going forward for Rosewater? Would you like to expand?
A: For the future of Rosewater – I really just want to expand on what we are – to be a friendly neighborhood place that does its small part to try to contribute to the culture of Clear Lake. My partner and I have been discussing adding some light bites like charcuterie to the menu. We both have full times jobs outside of Rosewater, so we’ve really had to take baby steps. We’ll be looking to add more members to our team, as well.
There are other projects I’d like to undertake in Clear Lake if I can ever get the chance to expand, but the goal would be the same. My greatest desire for our community would be to see more locally owned places to eat and drink – fewer corporate options. We’re seeing more of that, fortunately. But I would really like to see more options for food and drink from people that actually live in our community because to me that’s a huge part of creating an interesting and thriving hospitality scene. If the Heights can do it, there’s no reason Clear Lake can’t also.
