bourbon Archives - Hungry Travelers

bourbon

Up n’ Down’s rock & bourbon hits sweet spot

Posted on December 14, 2022December 14, 2022 by Pat and David

Winter is coming on in a rush, which is all the more reason to seek some golden warmth. Last weekend we visited the spiffy Southern-inflected Kendall Square joint from chef Chris Parson. It's called Lily P's Fried Chicken and Oysters (50 Binney St., Cambridge, Mass.; 617-225-2900; lilypschicken.com). Located more or less in Coder Hollow amid the life sciences labs and condo warrens that now define Kendall, it has a bustling and inventive bar program to go along with the comfort food. Any bar where you can order pimento cheese and Ritz crackers to go with your drink is already steps ahead of the competition. About that inventive bar — one of the perfect cold weather cocktails now headlining the menu is the Vermonster. The base...Read More

Neat is nifty, but stirred into a cocktail might be neater

Posted on December 25, 2021December 18, 2021 by Pat

When I asked folks in the spirits industry in northern Kentucky how they took their Bourbon, the answer was invariably the same. “A healthy pour, neat.” Some admitted to adding an ice cube or a few drops of water to open up the taste. But nothing else. These professionals take their spirits seriously and relish the pure flavor and warm glow of unadulterated Bourbon. Nonetheless, most agreed that Bourbon's star had risen when the TV series Mad Men revived interest in classic cocktails. The spirit is still riding high as a versatile component of today's creative cocktail culture. I'm truly not much of a cocktail drinker, so I never ordered a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned and the weather wasn't cool enough for a Hot...Read More

Bourbon is not just for the glass

Posted on December 21, 2021December 20, 2021 by Pat

Patti and I found good company and good conversation on our trip to northern Kentucky Bourbon country. We also tasted some great Bourbon, but the spirit wasn't always confined to the glass. With its complex bouquet of flavors, it's not surprising that Bourbon complements sweet and savory dishes alike. Following are a few of my favorites. FLAVORS OF FRANKFORT In Kentucky's state capital of Frankfort, distillers used to roll barrels from their warehouses down the streets to flat-bottomed boats waiting to ferry the whiskey down the Kentucky River. A different type of commerce holds sway these days. One night before dinner, I strolled through the historic downtown and discovered a retail district full of local character. Crafts stores featured Kentucky folk artists and an independent...Read More

Bardstown proudly claims ‘World Capital of Bourbon’ title

Posted on December 18, 2021December 10, 2021 by Pat

Patti and I ended our tour of northern Kentucky's Bourbon country in Bardstown. Settled by colonists in 1780, it's the second oldest city in the state. But it doesn't play second fiddle to anyone when it comes to Bourbon. Signs throughout town proclaim Bardstown as the World Capital of Bourbon. Founded a year before the community, the former stagecoach stop of Old Talbott Tavern (Court Square, 502-348-3494, talbotttavern.com), shown above, deems itself the oldest Bourbon bar in the world. Bardstown supports its claim with Kentucky's greatest concentration of distilleries. Eleven distilleries fan out in a twenty-mile ring from the gracious former courthouse that houses Bardstown's Welcome Center. That cluster includes such pioneers as Jim Beam, which was established in 1795. But newcomers keep popping up,...Read More

Getting a clear-headed fresh start on another day of tastings

Posted on December 14, 2021December 6, 2021 by Pat

Even with all the temptations of great Bourbon, I managed to avoid overindulging on my tasting tour through northern Kentucky. But I still like to start the day with a brisk walk to clear my head. In Covington, there's nothing better than a jaunt over the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge. Popularly called the “Blue Bridge,” it connects the city to Cincinnati on the other side of the Ohio River. The bridge is a short walk from the Hotel Covington. Like the Buffalo Trace Distillery, the bridge is one of Kentucky's National Historic Landmarks—and with good reason. When it was completed in 1867, the 1,057-foot span over the river was the longest in the world. Moreover, it's one of only two bridges by noted civil...Read More

Old Bourbons never die — they just go back on the shelf

Posted on December 11, 2021December 6, 2021 by Pat

Women, I'd been told, are the fastest growing segment of Bourbon drinkers. My friend Patti and I were doing our part for our gender as we sampled our way through northern Kentucky. But men have a special niche in the Bourbon world as collectors of rare bottles. They're often affectionately called ‶dusties″ (the bottles, not the collectors). Brad Bonds (at left above) is just such a guy. In 2020 he turned his avocation into a business by launching the Revival Vintage Bottle Shop (5 East 8th Street, 859-479-2676, revivalky.com) in Covington. ‶I think all the best stuff has already been made,″ he insisted to Patti and me when we stopped in at his storefront. Contrary to the nickname, there wasn't a speck of dust in...Read More

Newcomers enliven tradition-bound world of Bourbon

Posted on December 7, 2021December 6, 2021 by Pat

Kentucky is more than prepared to meet the growing demand for its signature spirit. According to the Kentucky Distillers' Association, production has risen 250 percent since 1999. And it hasn't yet hit a plateau. The state's legacy distillers are certainly doing their share. But as Patti and I were to discover on our tour through northern Kentucky, there's plenty of room for newcomers. NEW RIFF PICKS UP THE BEAT New Riff (859-261-7433; newriffdistilling.com), a family-owned small distillery, was established in 2014 with a plan to follow time-honored practices to maximize flavor. For example, the distillery brews by adding sour mash to the grain bill. It also eschews cold filtration to preserve volatile flavors from the yeast. The operation has two facilities in Newport, just across...Read More

Back to the roots at Buffalo Trace

Posted on December 4, 2021December 3, 2021 by Pat

My husband David and I are the authors of two books about National Historic Landmarks in New England and in Boston. It's no surprise that we've written about historic homes and grand public buildings. But we've also sung the praises of carousels, submarines, and a public beach. I'm convinced that National Historic Landmarks tell us a lot about regional identity—both what folks celebrate and what they feel defines them. That brings me to Kentucky, which counts three distilleries among its 32 National Historic Landmarks. Of the three, Buffalo Trace in Frankfort (113 Great Buffalo Trace; 800-654-8471; buffalotracedistillery.com) also claims to be the oldest continuously operating distillery in America. Daniel Swigert got things rolling when he started distilling on this site on the east bank of...Read More

Slaking my thirst for friendship in Kentucky’s Bourbon country

Posted on November 30, 2021December 3, 2021 by Pat

After months of pandemic lockdown, I really needed a drink. So I was all in when my Kentucky friend Patti asked me to join her on a road trip through the northern edge of Bourbon country. Kentuckians, I was to discover, take their Bourbon seriously. And no wonder. Barrels of aging Bourbon actually outnumber people. The Commonwealth of Kentucky has enough Bourbon to offer two shots to everyone in the United States. That's everyone of legal age, I'm sure. After decades of vodka inexplicably dominating the spirits market, Bourbon is enjoying a well-deserved revival. Just as foodies are embracing local products, drinkers are looking for unique and authentic spirits. Bourbon fits the bill. First distilled in Kentucky in the late eighteenth century, Bourbon was designated...Read More

Lost among the ‘dusties’ in Lexington’s House of Bourbon

Posted on January 26, 2020January 16, 2020 by Pat and David

Brian Booth tapped the back wall of Justins’ House of Bourbon at just the right point, and the wall swung open to reveal a windowless den behind the shop. It was a veritable speakeasy of some of the rarest vintage whiskeys ever brought together in one vault—old bottles known in the trade as “dusties.” That's a big part of what Justins’ House of Bourbon (601 West Main St., Lexington, Ky.; (859) 317-8609; thehouseofbourbon.com) is all about. Note the placement of the possessive apostrophe. This Mecca for bourbon nerds is the brainchild of Justin Sloan and Justin Thompson, both of whom began collecting vintage bottles of bourbon more than a decade ago. When Kentucky law changed in 2017 to allow the sale—by the glass and by...Read More