Graeter's, the Cincinnati-based ice cream maker, has a new seasonal mystery flavor that is certainly no mystery to Kentucky: Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip. President and CEO Rich Graeter is a bourbon fan but wasn't too sure he'd like this flavor. "I generally hate nuts in ice cream, and I'm not too crazy about chocolate," Graeter said. "But I love this new bourbon pecan chocolate chip. Together, it's like a little miracle...

close friend of mine returned home from vacation to discover his house sitter -- his brother-in-law -- had downed an entire bottle Pappy Van Winkle 20 year bourbon. A tragedy, really. However, if an alcohol tech duo in Europe has its way, keeping tabs on your stash while you're away could become much easier.

Let's have a quick chat about bourbon. The weather is chilly (for now) and that means reaching for the bourbon. Thankfully bourbon has outgrown its image as the drink of choice just for Grandpa. And you would be hard pressed to find a bar in town that does not have a shelf full of America's finest. Ranging from refreshing to deeper flavor, you are bound to find a bourbon cocktail you’ll love in this town. Here are 4 to start...

Peggy Noe Stevens, founder of the Bourbon Women Association, is the world’s first female Bourbon Master. Peggy has worked in the beverage industry for 25+ years and was the first female Master Bourbon Taster in the World. Her catalyst to do something for women came as the result of her tastings audiences makeup of predominately men. There may have been a few women in the back of the room, but they only came up with questions...

Here's a cocktail in honor of St. Patrick's Day. But you're going to have to cut me some slack. Why? Because I know what you're expecting. Any cocktail for this holiday should include either Guinness beer or Irish whiskey, right? Logically, that makes sense. But my whiskey of choice is always bourbon, so I tend to gravitate to cocktails built on that. The good news is that if you want to stay true to the spirit of the holiday...

If you pour me a glass of bourbon, you might as well serve me straight cough syrup because that is the flavor equivalent of pure bourbon for me. Bourbon is steadily becoming the spirit of choice at bars and package stores across Athens, but not everyone can stomach the harshness of just bourbon. Newly concocted bourbon and whiskey cocktails are popping up left and right, giving thirsty patrons a wide range of options....

Scrawled on a sign near the bar at Saint Lawrence Gridiron are the words: "Pray for bourbon." On Monday, March 9, those boozy prayers will be answered. "The plan from the time we conceived of the restaurant was to have liquor, specifically bourbons and American brown liquors—bourbons, ryes, whiskeys and all that good stuff," said owner Brian Garrett. "It's just taken us a long time to find a license to purchase or lease."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tourism is booming along with production at Kentucky's bourbon distilleries. Along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail — featuring such venerable brands as Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Four Roses and Maker's Mark among its nine participating distilleries — tourists made a record 627,032 visits in 2014, up 10 percent from the prior year, the Kentucky Distillers' Association said Thursday.

In Louisville we elevate our chefs, mixologists, and bourbon industry folks to the level of rock stars. No single event in bourbon country celebrates this phenomenon better than the Bourbon Classic. This is THE bourbon event for everybody, from the bourbon connoisseur to the non-drinking foodie. There truly is something for everyone at The Bourbon Classic.

Forget Delray Beach's Garlic Fest. Now that it's come and gone, all we can think of -- and salivate over -- is the city's next food-focused event: the inaugural Bacon & Bourbon Fest.

WASHINGTON — At 80, Jimmy Russell finds his knees are not quite what they used to be. So he enjoys a comfortable chair where his admirers — millennial mixologists, their arms covered in tattoos; moneyed moms who have jettisoned their cosmopolitans for manhattans; and random professionals toting rare bottles of Wild Turkey — may approach to greet him.

When it comes to making a name for a brand, the words companies use to describe their products are chosen very carefully for maximum appeal. But the thing is, those words have to be true. Jim Beam is the latest liquor maker to face challenges over its claims that its bourbon is actually “handcrafted.” The lawsuit against Jim Beam was filed as a potential class action in U.S. District Court in California, reports the Lexington...

Maker's Mark is reaching into the past for its next commemorative bottle: This spring's Wildcat bottle will feature legendary basketball coach Adolph Rupp. The bottle will be the first in a five-year campaign to raise $4 million for the University of Kentucky's Center for Academic and Tutorial Services, a support program for student athletes. The existing center is to be expanded, with an additional site in the new football...

Oakland's Uptown on a rainy Sunday still feels hip, despite the peacefulness at Flora, the ornate art-deco bar and restaurant near the Fox Theater. The place is usually bustling, but tonight, the long, sultry-lit bar is lined with 10 setups of white ramekins filled with dried orange peel pieces, cardamom pods and allspice berries -- and a Mason jar of Everclear, the 190-proof, rocket-fuel grain alcohol. Flora bar manager Matty...

Three of the best restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip are celebrating Chinese New Year — and the Year of the Ram/Goat/Sheep —with elegant, luxurious and decadent meals: HAKKASAN Hakkasan at MGM Grand began its eight nights of Chinese New Year celebrations Thursday and Friday with the world’s top DJ Calvin Harris spinning the wheels of steel. Tiesto, Rev Run and Ruckus wrap up the partying this weekend. Michelin-starred chef Ho...

Mingling with celebrity chefs? Check. Attending grandiose events catered by top culinary talent? Check. Heading to after-parties in swank venues where food and drinks continue to flow late in to the night? Check. If these opportunities make you want more, then head to any of the nation’s top food festivals taking place throughout 2015. This year’s festival season kicked off this past weekend at the 14th South Beach Wine...

The 87th Oscars ceremony will honor the best films of 2014 this Sunday. We’ll drink to that!

Whiskey is the new king of booze. In the past two years, the sales of total spirits in the U.S. have declined with vodka sales dropping sharply. Meanwhile, whiskey sales are increasing. If you're not a whiskey connosiour, it comprises bourbon, scotch and plain whiskey. Whisky without the 'E' tends to refer to the Scottish stuff, like Glenfiddich. But sales of American whiskey are increasing globally. According to the Distilled...

Brunch somehow tastes better when there's a little splash of bourbon in your java, bubbles in your OJ or vodka in your tomato. These destinations for the leisurely weekend meal go beyond your standard-issue mimosas, teaming creative cocktails with your favorite combinations of eggs, meats, carbs and Hollandaise. Oak Haven Table & Bar

If don't find yourself at a neighborhood crawfish boil or a restaurant that specializes in slinging Big Easy cuisine Tuesday evening, celebrate Mardi Gras in your home kitchen using three recipes CL retrieved from its archive. We couldn't settle on dessert, though, so don't forget to pick up the King Cake. Gumbo with a twist A vegan-friendly take on a New Orleans classic, this lentil gumbo from former CL contributor Patrice...

When Jacob Beam distilled his first barrel of bourbon in 1795, Deerfield's first settlers were still 40 years away from arriving but today the company he started has become one of the village's corporate mainstays. Beam Suntory, the current iteration of the business Beam started 220 years ago, has made Deerfield its corporate headquarters for 27 years. During that time, Beam has transitioned from spirits to a multifaceted...

How about a bourbon flavored de-icer? Mayor Greg Fischer talks a lot about bourbonism, and the the environment, with both being important for our local economy. I've just learned of a way he might be able to merge the two. A Washington State University engineering professor, Xianming Shi, has figured out how to make a de-icing agent out of leftover barley residue from vodka distilleries as a safer alternative to road salt....

The term whiskey is derived from a term meaning “blessed water,” appropriately enough as it first was made by monks. At one time there were 180 distilleries in Ireland, but until recently the number had dwindled down to seven. Now, Irish whiskey is becoming one of the fastest-growing categories of spirits. Kennedy Spirit Drink is a blend of Celtic whiskies and malt handcrafted in West Cord, Ireland. It is infused with oak from...

Chocolate beyond the heart-shaped box When it comes to Valentine’s Day, Americans hunger for candy — so much so that they spent nearly $3 billion on the sweet stuff to mark the holiday in 2014, according to market researcher IBISWorld. And their hunger appears to be growing: Valentine’s Day candy sales are up 13% since 2010.

WASHINGTON - Here's an issue Republicans and Democrats can agree on - at least if they are from Kentucky and Tennessee. Lawmakers from the two states are joining in an effort to change federal tax treatment of bourbon and other distilled spirits that are aged. Under current federal law, inventory expenses for the production of the liquor can't be deducted until the actual product is sold. But that's age discrimination, the...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The label on a bottle of Maker's Mark says “handmade,” but any reasonable consumer knows the Kentucky bourbon is not completely made by hand. That's one way Maker's Mark parent company Beam-Suntory defends itself against a pair of class-action lawsuits that allege the word “handmade” on a Maker's bottle is false and misleading because the process is, in fact, “mechanized and automated.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Producers of Kentucky bourbon and Tennessee whiskey scored another round of US sales growth in 2014, while exports topped $1 billion for the second straight year, a distilled spirits trade group said this week.

CLERMONT, KY–(Marketwired – Feb 11, 2015) – Booker’s® Bourbon is proud to unveil the inaugural batch of its limited-edition collection celebrating founding distiller Booker Noe’s legacy as the father of small batch bourbon. One of the few bourbons available today bottled straight from the barrel, Booker’s® Bourbon will now feature limited-edition labels inspired by Booker Noe’s love of bourbon, family and the spirit of...

Earlier this week, I wrote about how fast tickets to the Bourbon Affair were going. The Bourbon Affair is a second-year event, which takes place in June. But it's not the only bourbon event in town, of course. The Bourbon Classic, a third-year event, takes place next weekend at the Kentucky Center, and tickets are still available. The Bourbon Classic includes a cocktail challenge, seminars about cooking with bourbon, bourbon...

My husband and I will be celebrating our eleventh wedding anniversary this year. You know what that means?!?! I am officially old. LOL. But all joking aside, when I said "I do" I meant it. With my whole heart. Through thick and thin, sickness and in health, in times of plentiful and in times of need, when all in the world is right and when it's all crumbling down... I will be there. By his side. Love is... A choice.

The bitter liqueurs known as amari have become an increasingly popular weapon in a bartender's arsenal in the last few years, with more amaro-based drinks featuring prominently on cocktail menus. Where once you might only have found a Negroni, there's now a Boulevardier and an Old Pal.

CHICAGO, Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Smaller brands and categories are outpacing and in some cases taking share from the more well-established in the alcohol industry, according to Technomic's analysis of 2014 year-end results.

On Tuesday in Bardstown, Heaven Hill will fill its 7 millionth barrel of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. The milestone comes as the distillery, which is owned by the Shapira family, marks its 80th year in business. The company, which is well known today for its Evan Williams bourbon, almost didn't live to see the amazing renaissance that American whiskey is undergoing. But thanks to the determination of the Shapiras the...

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – On a rainy Sunday in Midtown Sacramento, people are warming up with the hottest drink on the market – barrel-aged Kentucky spirits. “I think it’s great to diversify the market so I can try more scotches and whiskies,” said Jonathan Messerschmizt-Rogers. Bourbon and whisky have never been hotter. “You do have more places like this where they have a wide variety,” Cari Messerschmizt-Rogers said.

Can bourbon bring compromise to Washington? It was an effective diplomatic tool for southern statesman Henry Clay in the early 19th century, and now a group of concerned Kentuckians are hoping to revive Clay’s “spirit of compromise” by bringing a 42-gallon barrel of bourbon to the nation’s capital. The so-called “Bourbon Barrel of Compromise” arrived Tuesday at Washington’s historic Willard Hotel, where Clay himself was once...

When it comes to sidling up to the bar, people are increasingly more likely to order a whiskey or a bourbon over a vodka or a mass-market beer. Data from the Distilled Spirits Council shows some interesting trends. For instance, sales of bourbon and whiskey increased by 7.4 percent in 2014. Compare that to the statistics for beer: Down 4 percent over the last five years, with Budweiser’s domestic sales down 28 percent in the...

Everything anyone ever wanted to know about bourbon, and probably more, will be on the agenda for Bourbon Classic 2015. The third annual bourbon-culinary experience will be at the Kentucky Center Feb. 20-21 and is expected to attract "bourbon enthusiasts and culinary adventurists from across the country," a promotional release said. "A complete cross-section of the bourbon industry will attend," including bourbon distilling...

Move over, vodka. Whiskey is having better luck with the ladies these days. Sales of vodka have dropped in the last two years after a decade of dominance, according to a Wednesday report in The Wall Street Journal. Women, long the target consumer for such brands as Smirnoff and Absolut, are abandoning vodka in favor of the brown stuff. “We’re realizing women don’t have to be ghettoized into these female cocktail options like...

The problem with hosting an Oscars viewing party is that the bar is set impossibly high. How does a mere mortal offer food and drink on par with all that conspicuous glamour and celebrity? Actually, it’s pretty easy. Start by reminding yourself that minus the loaned jewelry, gowns and professional primping, most celebrities don’t look or live all that differently than the rest of us. Or at least we can tell ourselves that....

WASHINGTON — The bourbon was flowing and, at least in one Washington ballroom, a spirit of bipartisanship broke out Tuesday night, courtesy of Kentucky’s distillers. A 42-gallon oak barrel filled with a mix of some the state’s best bourbon made a 545-mile trek from Lexington to a politically gridlocked Washington by bus on a mission to foster bipartisanship by the glass, rekindling a strategy used by Henry Clay, Congress’...

American whiskey is taking over the world. Popularity of American bourbon and Tennessee whiskey overseas led to a 10% jump in overall supplier sales to $2.7 billion. A good $1 billion of that came from exports, according to the Distilled Spirits Council, the U.S. industry group for hard liquor. Both bourbon and Tennessee whiskey are "recognized as distinctive products of the U.S.," which sets them apart from other liquor such...

Is the millennial generation forsaking Budweiser for Jim Beam? That’s the question many liquor industry insiders and experts are asking as bourbon sales continue to grow. A new report, released today by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), shows that sales of bourbon and Tennessee whiskey soared by 7.4% in 2014 to 19 million 9-liter cases, outpacing such categories as single-malt Scotch (6.4%), tequila...

With a flourish of vintage fanfare Monday, Kentucky's bourbon distillers and political minds sent a barrel of good will to Washington. Lt. Gov. Crit Luallen said she and Gov. Steve Beshear hoped that the "Bourbon Barrel of Compromise" encouraged the "spirit of statesmanship" that Henry Clay represents.

Mmmm... bacon. Need we say more? What you'll need: 1 pizza dough; proofed 1/4-1/2 cup sauce; more if desired 1/2 lb bacon; diced 1 bulb fennel; julienned 3 cloves garlic; minced 2 shallots; shaved thin 1/4 cup bourbon 6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese 2 oz shredded cheddar cheese 2 oz shredded parmesan cheese 1 apple; cut into thin half moons

Women of Wine Charities (WOW), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, today announced its first event of 2015, “Bubbles, Boots & Bourbon.” The walk-around tasting of Champagnes, sparkling wines, and Texas Bourbons is scheduled for February 9th at Pinto Ranch, at 1717 Post Oak Boulevard in Houston. The event will benefit The Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC).

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, so that means you need to think of some way to celebrate. Sure, you could make reservations for White Castle (yes, it’s a thing, people) but why not celebrate with a fancy dinner and a distillery tour? Buffalo Trace excels in putting on events for every occasion, and Valentine’s Day is no exception.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Tourism is booming along with production at Kentucky's bourbon distilleries. Along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail — featuring such venerable brands as Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Four Roses and Maker's Mark among its nine participating distilleries — tourists made a record 627,032 visits in 2014, up 10 percent from the prior year, the Kentucky Distillers' Association said Thursday.

A pop quiz for you tonight: what's brown, kept from the public eye for years and still manages to draw hundreds of thousands of people to Kentucky each year? The answer is bourbon. "As we kind of just look around in here,” said tour guide Tyler Horn, as the last tour of the evening Thursday followed him into a warehouse at Town Branch.

Vodka distillers who sought to win customers with flavours from marshmallow to cupcake saw the experiment backfire as consumers tired of the tastes. That hasn’t stopped whiskey producers from trying the same trick. After the success of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, the creation of ever-more obscure whiskey flavours such as Diageo’s dessert-themed Piehole echoes vodka, where unusual varieties including fresh-cut grass...

Philadelphia merchants, in the spirit of "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade," tried to turn snow into snow cones Monday and Tuesday, making up for revenue lost in the storm-that-wasn't. Ten years ago, that money would have been gone, buried in the blizzard. But these days, social media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, e-mail blasts, listservs - has made it possible for merchants to pull off spur-of-the-moment marketing...