Edible Tidbits: Summer, 2019
A New Twist from Ballotin
Kentucky-based Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey is introducing a new flavor, Chocolate Cherry Cream, inspired by the French confection griottes: juicy Mediterranean cherries immersed in dark chocolate and finished with a fine liqueur center. Other Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey flavors include Original Chocolate, Bourbon Ball, Chocolate Mint and Caramel Turtle. BallotinWhiskey.com
Luck Shines on New Highlands Restaurant
La Suerte (meaning “luck”) has opened in the former North End Cafe on Bardstown Road. The fresh Pan American concept is owned by North End Café owner Chris Seckman, Oscar Ortiz and executive chef Adrian Jimarez. Open for brunch, lunch and dinner, the menu features seafood and dishes popular in Mexico and South American countries. In the near future, the former North End Slice space will open as Lucky Burrito, a 20-seat carry out fast-casual concept. 2116 Bardstown Rd. Facebook: @lasuertelouisville
Multicultural Bourbon
The Kentucky Black Bourbon Guild (KBBG) honors minority involvement throughout bourbon history while embracing its future development through inclusivity, education and community building. Founded in July 2018, the purpose of the KBBG is to improve multicultural bourbon tourism in Kentucky, promote community development, networking, educational resources and build working relationships with distilleries. Activities include tastings, tours, select barrel selections for KBBG members only, speakers and monthly workshops. The group is partnering with the Stave & Thief Society to advocate for members to become Certified Bourbon Stewards. KentuckyBlackBourbonGuild.com
Chefs Standing Up for Fish
In an effort to ensure customers are served sustainable seafood, chefs around the country have formed the Portland Pact for Sustainable Seafood, a commitment to only source seafood from U.S. fisheries that promote the work of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). A primary law governing fishing in U.S. waters, MSA has become a model for fisheries management around the world, successfully rebuilding fish populations and bringing overfishing to near all-time lows. The success of the policy has enabled a wider variety of domestic seafood that meets the environmental standards of our businesses.
Local chefs committed to the effort include Mitchell Arens, Coppin’s at Hotel Covington, Covington; Bob Perry, The Lemon Tree, Lexington; Justin Dean, Madhouse Vinegar Co., Ft. Mitchell; Patrick Roney, Ashbourne Farms, LaGrange; Jonathan Sanning, The Stave, Frankfort; Stephen Williams, Bouquet Restaurant, Covington. ChefsForFish.org
New Sodas from Gents
Gents Originals is taking cocktail and mocktail creations to a new level with a line of handcrafted and small-batched handmade sodas and cocktail syrups that use raw, all-natural ingredients, no artificial flavors or preservative. This Lexington- based company takes pride in chopping their own ginger and squeezing their own lemons. Flavors include Spiced Blood Orange, Smoked Honey Grapefruit, Toasted Oak Ginger, Julep, and Mule. The Kentucky Proud product line can be found at Good Foods Co-op, Keeneland, Liquor Barn, Justin’s House of Bourbon and Chef Ouita Michel’s family of restaurants. Distillery partners include Buffalo Trace, Castle & Key, Wilderness Trail, Heaven Hill, Stitzel-Weller, Willett and MB Roland. GentsGingerAle.com
Historic Fehr’s Beer Rises Again
Fehr’s XL, a Louisville beer brand dating back to 1872, is available in cans for the first time since 1964 at Akasha Brewing Company. For the past two years, the beer has only been available on draft at the brewery. Fehr’s Beer became one Louisville’s largest breweries and the flagship Fehr XL was one of the more popular beers around the region, especially after Prohibition. The brewery closed in 1964. AkashaBrewing.com
Bourbon Women Choose New Director
Sara Barnes has been named managing director of the Bourbon Women, a nonprofit member organization whose mission is to organize events and conversations focused on the bourbon industry. Barnes served as brand ambassador for Boone County Distilling Company in Northern Kentucky and is a certified Executive Bourbon Steward and Certified Tourism Ambassador. The organization’s sixth-annual Sip-osium conference will be August 23–25 at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel in Louisville. BourbonWomen.org
Jim Beam Earns High Marks for Donation
Beam Suntory, owner of Jim Beam Bourbon, is donating $5 million to the University of Kentucky to establish the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits. The Institute will be led by the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and will support the offering of courses across engineering, chemistry, business, law, horticulture, forestry, food science, and entomology to address spirits industry needs in sustainable agriculture, research and development, and more. A collaboration between the Colleges of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Business and Economics. The university began a certificate in Distillation, Wine and Brewing Studies in 2014, and its online version is set to launch this fall. The Institute will build on this existing teaching opportunity as well as in research and outreach. UK horticulture professor Seth Debolt, pictured, will serve as director.
Midway U. Doubles Down on Bourbon
Midway University is creating a new generation of bourbon professionals with undergraduate- and graduate-level courses focused on the bourbon industry. Undergraduates can add a minor in bourbon studies and master of business administration (MBA) students can focus on a tourism and event management concentration that combines business classes with courses in bourbon tourism, hospitality, destination branding and event management.
Courses are designed to give students the ability to learn and talk about the history of the industry, the bourbon tasting experience, the role of bourbon in Kentucky’s tourism and hospitality industry and be prepared for entry-level employment in the bourbon industry or businesses supporting the tourism industry, like visitor centers, historic and adventure attractions, state parks and hotels. Midway.edu
