Nothing pairs better with drinks than the right food. Except maybe movies.

From the White Russians in The Big Lebowski to martinis in any (and all) James Bond films to the French 75, which rose to fame after its mention in Casablanca, films and cocktails have a long, mouthwatering history. Alamo Drafthouse is paying tribute to movies through booze starting this month with a new cocktail program.

If you've ever seen a movie at Alamo Drafthouse, you know the place has a lengthy food menu and a great wine and craft beer selection, but today is the first day you can see a movie at the theater, liquor in hand. Other Alamo Drafthouse locations in Austin started their cocktail program first, and it was a such a hit that our local bartenders traveled there to train and create a unique cocktail menu for the two Houston locations.

There are currently 12 cocktails and four loaded milkshakes on the menu, but the local bartenders and Bill Norris, a mixologist for Alamo Drafthouse corporate, are developing new drinks to pair with films all the time.

"One of our signature programs is The Big Lebowski quote-along," explains Alamo Drafthouse programming director Robert Saucedo, "and we've never been able to serve White Russians during the screening, and that's just a crime. So this opens up a lot of possibilities. If we were crazy, we could do a screening of Leaving Las Vegas where people drink a shot every time Nicholas Cage does in the movie. That's probably not something we'd do, but it's an option that's now available."

In February, Alamo Drafthouse is launching Cinema Cocktails, a new series that will feature a classic film paired with three unique cocktails. The first in the series will be Sabrina (the original, of course), and the bar will be serving up special Long Island Iced Teas, Oliver Larrabee's Dirty Martinis and a new drink called The Getaway in celebration of the film.

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