Mark Your Calendars for Bourbon Heritage Month : TRAVEL/FOOD

When it comes to bourbon, it’s never too early to start making plans. So even though we have to wait until September, mark your calendars for celebrating Bourbon Heritage Month in Paducah, Kentucky. Paducah, a river town with rich past, is a UNESCO Creative City. And when it comes to bourbon, that creativity is on display at several of the city’s restaurants.

Barrel & Bond

Barrel and Bond is a bourbon-centric bar in Historic Downtown Paducah, recently named one of the Best Bars in Bourbon Country according to Bourbon Review. The new bourbon and cocktail bar features one of largest selections in the United States, boasting more than 1,400 Bourbons and American whiskeys. Expertly curated cocktails and charcuterie boards offer a perfectly paired introduction to Kentucky food and drink. Take the bourbon experience to the next level by attending a meeting of the Paducah Bourbon Society.

Freight House

Freight House, a farm-to-table restaurant in Paducah, serves up traditional Southern flavors, paired with locally sourced meats and garden-fresh fare. Freight House Paducah features a full bar and with a staggering selection of bourbons, as well as a seasonal rotation of cocktails and craft beer. Named one of America’s Best Bourbon Bars by The Bourbon Review and Buffalo Trace.

“Buck 50” at The FoxBriar Cocktail Bar

This cocktail, which has been a year in the making, is inspired by the Kentucky Buck cocktail. FoxBriar takes this ginger beer-based cocktail and combines it with the ratios of a French 75 to create something new and special.

While you’re waiting, here are some recipes to make.

The following recipes are courtesy of the Freight House in Paducah.

Freight House Fried Chicken

marinade

1 pt buttermilk
1/4 c hot sauce
1 T granulated garlic
1 T granulated onion
1 T granulated salt

breader

4 c flour
2 T smoked paprika
2 T salt
1 T cayenne pepper

for the marinade

mix ingredients together, then add chicken to marinate. marinate for about 4 hours.

to fry chicken

mix all breader ingredients into a bowl.
remove chicken from marinade and shake of extra liquid. dredge pieces one by one, shaking excess. make sure to coat chicken well.
let rest at room temperature for 10 min while you heat your oil.
heat oil on stove top to 360 degrees.
slowly lower chicken into oil and fry for about 5-8 minutes (depending on thickness. longer if you have a chicken that has the bone in it) to reach a temp of 160-165f. breading will have a golden brown color.
season with salt.

Champagne Chess Pie

ingredients

1 9 in pie crust (rolled, crimped, and chilled in refrigerator)
2 1/4 c sugar
1/2 t kosher salt
1 1/3 T yellow corn meal
4 1/2 eggs beaten well
1 1/2 T champagne reduction (see below)
1/2 T white wine vinegar
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
6 oz melted butter

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 F. combine the sugar, salt, and cornmeal in a medium size bowl and mix. add your eggs, champagne, vinegar, and vanilla and whisk to combine. add the butter and whisk again. make sure everything is well mixed with no lumps. it should be kind of thick.

Pour the mixture into your pie crust.

Bake the pie for 55-60 minutes on the bottom rack of your oven. the pie should have golden brown crust and be pretty firm when done cooking. You only want a little jiggle when you give it a wiggle.

Let it cool for at least 4 hours before serving. it can be cooked the day before and kept in the fridge. bring to room temperature before serving.

For champagne reduction: reduce 1 bottle (25.4 oz) of champagne to 3/4 cup. will hold in the fridge for months.