We spent a lovely long weekend in Baltimore helping with a wedding for some dear friends.  The weekend involved gorgeous dinners with friends and family from across the country (and ocean).  

The ceremony took place at a country church just outside of Baltimore and the service held beautiful liturgy specifically chosen by one of the grooms and stunning music. 

Our grooms were dapper in their navy and gray and the reception was a full afternoon tea in hues of navy, green, and yellow.  Thier nautical theme even carried through to the cake.  

The afternoon tea fare was just right as guests enjoyed croquet on the lawn.

The weekend ended with brunch at the Museum of Art under tents as friends and family bid farewell for their travel.  A wonderful weekend celebrating love!

There is something sublime about a slushy beverage.  I have spent some serious kitchen time concocting everything I can think of to freeze and scoop into a cocktail glass.  With warmer weather upon us, it is time to pull out the ice cold glasses once again and stock your freezer with the adult version of a popsicle.  After some serious taste testing and menu crafting, these are our favorites at JBE.  Two of the three call for prosecco to top them.  Feel free to use club soda or ginger ale as a less boozy replacement.  Also slushes tend to melt quickly.  We have been known to add ice cubes to the glass first to keep the beverages as frosty as possible for as long as possible.  Feel free to experiment with your own versions.

The Blueberry Fizz

1 lb blueberries

1/4-1/3 cup maple syrup (according to taste)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

zest from 1 lemon

1 cup vodka

Prosecco

In a food processor, process the blueberries and lemon juice until they are very smooth.  Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a 2 quart plastic container with a lid.  Be sure to press on blueberry solids to extract all liquid.  Add lemon zest, maple syrup and vodka to strained juice.  Stir to combine.  Freeze until solid (approx 4-5 hours).  Scoop approximately 1/3 cup of blueberry ice into champagne glass.  Top with prosecco and stir.  Garnish with whole blueberries and a lemon twist.

Cucumber Mint Tequila Slush

3 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, roughly chopped
Juice from 5 limes, zest from 2 of them
2 Tbs fresh mint, minced
3/4 cup honey syrup*
1.5 cups Tequila

Place cucumbers, lime juice, & zest into a food processor.  Process until smooth (this may need to be done in batches).  Press puree through a fine mesh strainer, catching juice in a 2 quart plastic container with a lid.  Be sure to press on solids to extract all juice.  Add honey syrup and tequila and stir.  Freeze.  Scoop into glasses.  Garnish with mint.

*Honey syrup can be made by mixing 1/2 cup honey with 1 cup boiling water.

Bourbon Slush

4 cups brewed tea
12 ounce can frozen lemonade, thawed
6 ounce can frozen orange juice, thawed
3 cups Kentucky Bourbon
5.5 cups water
Prosecco



Mix all ingredients except prosecco and freeze in a plastic container. Fill glass ½ way with ice. Scoop frozen slush into glass and top with prosecco.  Garnish with mint.

Let us know your favorite slush recipes! Cheers! 

We love birthdays here at JBE and 40th Birthdays top that list.  40 seems to be the birthday that lends itself to new adventures and experiences.  We were able to help make a 40th unforgettable in British Columbia this February.  The long weekend included a beautiful hotel property in downtown Vancouver with old world charm and unmatched service and the most amazing food with local seafood as the center of every good thing.

Local oysters and bubbly in downtown Vancouver

A snowmobile adventure was on the agenda and the private hire two hour drive into the mountains proved as showstopping as the vistas from the summit.  

Shannon Falls, BC

Whistler, BC

Whistler, BC

Snowmobiling was a great new adventure and Blackcomb Snowmobile provided a private guide and all of the basics for an unforgettable mountain tour with breathtaking scenery around every bend.

Apres snowmobile included mountain views and cocktails at the Four Seasons, Whistler while perusing all of the gorgeous photos.

The weekend was topped off with a multiple course dinner and single malt scotch pairing that included seven scotches ranging in age and flavor profile. 

Let JBE help plan your next travel experience and we can turn your ordinary trip into the adventure of a lifetime!  

Jennifer Brian Events is thrilled to offer private, in-home bourbon tastings.  Want to expand your knowledge of bourbon and taste some amazing things in the process?  Interested in spicing up your holiday party or gathering?  Let our Executive Bourbon Stewards guide you through all of the ins and outs of what makes bourbon so special.  From beginners to experts, we will make the evening an unforgettable experience.  

Already know what you like?  Our hard-to-find and rare bourbon tastings are sure to make your event the highlight of the season.  Contact us today and let us show you what we love about Bourbon. 

We celebrated the scary with an appropriately terrifying bar for Halloween and a delicious new fall cocktail, The Root of All Evil, courtesy of thewhiskeyscout and Ben Carpenter.  Check them out for all of the lovely recipe details.  And be prepared to make them all night long.

The hosts for this Halloween spectacular live on THE HALLOWEEN STREET in Louisville.  Their house theme is all things Voodoo and Bayou.  From witches around cauldrons to frogs and toads and snakes adorning the railings and fence, we needed to carry the theme throughout the house.  What better way than with a potion and poison bar?

Skull bourbon bottle courtesy of Steven G Cheek Ceramics

Antique apothecary jars courtesy of Crescent Hill Trading Co.

Dry ice smoked and fell throughout the evening in cold fog curtains and the sound of the ice "boiling" added to the effect. 

We made batch after batch of the cocktail and it was the perfect balance of bourbon and fall spice while we watched the thousands of trick or treaters line the street.  We can safely say even though the costumes are put away for another year, that cocktail isn't going anywhere for some time.  Cheers to autumn, friends!  

Every year when September rolls around, casks of aged, amber deliciousness are emptied, bottled and released to the eagerly awaiting public.  Bourbon Heritage month isn't just a name, it's a culture (damn near religion) here in the great state of Kentucky.   We spend the entire month visiting all of the area liquor stores, chatting up our favorite proprietors about what lovely bottles are coming in and what it will cost us to get our hands on the most coveted bottles.  

WHAT SHOULD I BE DRINKING?

Granted, Pappy VanWinkle is the holy grail of bourbon, but accessibility is much of the game this month and, quite frankly, there are so many delicious bottles for much less money.  If you will only have one bottle of bourbon on your bar for the rest of time, that 20 year old would be the one.  But if you want some variety and would like a few bottles on the bar, leave the Pappy to the winds of fate and experiment with all of the great bottles coming out every year that are much more accessible.

Knowing what you like in a whiskey will guide your purchases.  Like your bourbon hotter on the front end?  Like a longer finish?  Living for the vanilla-caramel-butterscotch flavor?  Like a leather or tobacco nose to it?  Taste as often and as many as you can until you know what you love.  Bourbon bars are a great way to do that.  Our local bourbon bar scene is an ideal place to have a flight and experiment.  Or call on us at JBE to come and do some in home tasting parties.  We recommend staying within a budget while you figure out what needs permanent places on your bar.  There are dozens of delicious bourbons for well under $60 a bottle.  Don't be afraid to experiment with the less expensive bottles.  If they aren't fit to drink neat, you have a new well bourbon for mixing cocktails. 

Here are our favorite special releases so far this month at JBE.  

OLD FORESTER BIRTHDAY BOURBON

Each year on September 2nd, in honor of their founder George Garvin Brown’s birthday, Old Forester releases a limited-edition, 12-year old vintage-dated expression.   It was the third release of this special bourbon and it has proven to be a home run each and every year of its release.  Beautiful nose of tobacco and oak, a sweet vanilla flavor, and a dry, nutty finish.  This is certainly one of our top picks of the month.   

MICHTER'S TOASTED BARREL FINISH BOURBON

This bourbon is made by taking Michter’s US 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon and then aging it for an additional period in a second custom made barrel. This second barrel is assembled from 18-month air dried wood and then toasted but not charred.  The result is a bourbon with depth and complexity to it.  Front end of cinnamon and candied fruit with a finish that is all sweetness with vanilla, caramel and even some toasted marshmallow.  A delicious first release of this bourbon.  We hope it is added to their lineup for a yearly release.

W.L. WELLER 12 YR SPECIAL RESERVE

We are big fans of Buffalo Trace Distillery here at JBE.  I haven't had one single bourbon that they produce (and their are quite a few) that I don't love.  The Weller line is no exception.  This bourbon uses wheat instead of Rye in it's mash and the result is a smooth, sultry whiskey.  This bourbon has a sweet vanilla front end with butterscotch and some smoke on the tongue.  It finishes with caramel and honeysuckle.  Don't even hesitate on anything Weller.  

Old Forester 1897

100 Proof

While this is the second Old Fo on the list, this bourbon was a big surprise for me this season and it has grown on me the more I drink it.  This 100 proof is the second release in the Old Forester Whiskey Row Series specially crafted to honor the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. After the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 to be labeled as Bottled in Bond, whisky must be the product of one distillation season, one distiller and from one distillery. This bourbon has lots of front end heat with a long butterscotch finish.  It is one of the biggest bourbons on the list and if you like a big bourbon this is certainly one for your collection.

  We love so many things about bourbon.  It is a marriage of personal taste, tradition, history, and the craft of the best master distillers in the business.  It is a great adventure to begin and a wonderful tradition to continue if you are already a fan.

Want some help navigating the world of bourbon?  Contact us and let us help you host a tasting of your own.