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.

La Samanna Beach, St. Maarten, West Indies

The differences between being a tourist and a traveller are nuanced.  We have found a big deciding factor in that is in the planning of a vacation.  Whether it is multiple weeks on the beach, travelling to another continent to sightsee, a weekend away with the girls, or a romantic getaway for two, having some details in place for your getaway sets up the trip for huge success rather than leaving it all to chance.

The planning can become challenging if you don't know what to see or where the best places are to eat or even which hotels offer the best packages for your interests.  It becomes even more challenging if you truly want to experience a place and have no idea where to start.  This is when it is great to have a travel ally; someone who knows the ins and outs of the city and can help you navigate the perfect vacation for you.   More than simply a travel agent, we are curators of experiences and want our clients not to just see the sights, but truly experience the best of all that the local culture of a place has to offer.

Everyone's perfect vacation is different and we are committed to helping you find out what makes your trip exactly right for you.  From action packed sailing vacations, to Derby week packages that include backside access, fantastic parties, and millionaire row seats, to spa weekend getaways that indulge and pamper, to a fall festival weekend with amazing food, distillery tours, and rare bourbons, to art filled mountain vacations, we will plan every detail for you so that all you need to do is show up and be whisked away to the vacation of a lifetime.

Backside in the Horse Barns at Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY

The Barn restaurant at Blackberry Farms, Great Smoky Mountains, TN

Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY

The Paddock, Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY

The Bascom Art Center, Highlands, NC

West Baden Hotel and Spa, French Lick, IN 

Stone walls on the way to Frankfort, KY

The Bourbon Festival, Bardstown, KY

Let us help plan your next getaway and you will wonder how you ever managed to simply be a tourist when there is so much more to experience as a traveller.  

We love our downtown weddings here at JBE!  This one was especially beautiful with a bride and groom that could've been on a magazine cover they were so gorgeous!  The event took place at the Marcus Lindsey in Downtown Louisville and was such a fun day!

The ceremony took place outside in the courtyard.

Sugar Woods magical confection creation.

We are fortunate enough to work with amazing vendors and this day was no exception.  Louisville's own Don't Forget the Flowers provided stunning arrangements for the wedding day both on the tables and pergola. 

 Porcelain bells handmade by the groom's mother were placed at every place setting and rang out beautifully throughout the night after toasts, dances, and kisses.

 The rehearsal dinner was at a great downtown spot as well in the Bourbon Barrel Lounge of the BBC.  The evening was full of friends and family, great food and cocktails.

Rehearsal Dinner Flowers by Jennifer Brian Events

The Boys

Lounge area seating.

Bourbon Barrel Lounge, BBC, Louisville, KY

The Girls with the Happy Couple
 

Wishing all of the new brides and grooms from this summer years of happiness and laughter together!!  

Ah, bourbon, that sublime nectar of the gods.  We at JBE love bourbon any way you want to serve it.  But for Derby week?  We need a bourbon cocktail recipe that can be made ahead and serve a house full of guests.  Punch is making a big comeback in the cocktail and entertaining world for this very reason.  Dump all of the ingredients in a big bowl and the mixing is finished!  This bourbon punch is sure to be on your list of favorites!

Bourbon Punch

by Jennifer Brian Cheek

2 cups Bourbon

1/3 cup Ruby Port

1/3 cup Cointreau

1 3/4 cups Sherry

1 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice

3 bottles sparkling wine, cava, or prosecco

1/2 cup simple syrup

Orange and lemon slices for garnish

Into a freezer safe, lidded container, pour one bottle of sparkling wine.  Add orange and lemon slices and freeze for at least 24 hours or until solid.  To assemble the punch, in a large punch bowl, add all ingredients and stir.  Turn out frozen sparkling wine ice block into the bowl to keep punch chilled.

More Derby Week fun is coming up in our next post!  Stay tuned for our Oak's Day festivities that include a great brunch and backside track access!

With Easter Brunch this weekend, we have the perfect champagne cocktails to pair with any menu!  We take a fresh look at three standard champagne cocktails and dress them up for brunch. 

In our Lavender Peach Bellini, our culinary lavender tincture sends this Bellini to the next level.  The subtle flavor of the herb balances out the sweet, making this your new favorite brunch cocktail.  

Lavender Peach Bellini

makes four drinks

1/2 cup peach puree 

1 Tbs culinary lavender (available at specialty spice stores)

2 Tbs boiling water 

Prosecco

Steep lavender in 2Tbs boiling water for 30-45 min. Strain lavender essence into peach puree and stir to combine.  Divide puree among 4 champagne flutes.  Top with Prosecco.

Our French 75 adds Limoncello to the traditional standard cocktail, giving it a new level of lemon.  Once you have had JBE's French 75, you won't want to go back.  

French 75

makes one cocktail

1.5 ounces Gin

1 ounce Limoncello

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Splash of simple syrup

Prosecco or Sparkling Wine

In a cocktail shaker with ice add the first four ingredients.  Shake well and strain into a champagne flute.  Top with Prosecco or sparkling wine.  Garnish with a lemon twist.

There is little here at JBE that we love more than bourbon.  This cocktail combines all of our favorite things in one glass.  We use honey syrup in place of simple syrup to give this drink a mellower sweet.

Bourbon Orange Fizz

makes one drink

1.5 ounces bourbon

5-6 dashes orange bitters (we recommend Fee Brothers or Reagans')

1/2 ounce honey syrup *

Prosecco or Sparkling Wine

In a cocktail shaker with ice add first three ingredients and stir- don't shake.  Strain into champagne flutes and top with Prosecco or sparkling wine.  Garnish with orange twist.

* To make honey syrup, mix local raw honey with boiling water in a ration of 1:4, honey to water.  Stir until honey is melted and completely combined.  Store in an airtight container and use in place of simple syrup.

If the tulips and daffodils are blooming here in Louisville, that means Derby is only a few weeks away!  There is nothing better than ushering in the long awaited warmer weather with mint juleps and fabulous hats.  

Here in Louisville, there is no wrong way to do Derby.  We love the track, but tickets to the Derby are harder to acquire than tickets to the Superbowl (and just as expensive).  Our favorite way at JBE is the true local way- throwing a fabulous house party.  Here are the things you need to make your guests swoon that first Saturday in May as you host a Derby party like a pro.

~A Great Bar~

If there is anything we are known for here in the Bluegrass in addition to horses, it is the finest bourbon in the world.  Our signature drink for Derby is the Mint Julep.  Not a fan?  How about a Bourbon Slush instead?  No matter the cocktail, the bar should be set to shine.  It will, undoubtedly, be the center of the festivities.  A variety of good bourbons- both for mixing and for sipping, should be set.  Fun julep cups and interesting containers for ice or mint syrup draw guests in, encouraging them to help themselves.  Pre-printed recipes in picture frames can help guide the way for signature event cocktails.  Fresh mint dusted in sugar peeking out of julep cups and homemade mint syrup make our juleps the envy of mixologists everywhere.  Festive buckets icing beer and wine will keep the party going.  The key to cocktails for the masses is preparing your ingredients ahead of time, having the ingredients in fun-to-use containers, and making them readily available on the bar.  

~Fabulous Food~

With eleven or more races throughout the day, guests will be between the TV, the food, and the bar.  Appetizers tend to work well for the day or some fancy grill work is also a sure thing.  Pretty serving pieces make the day feel special.  Don't want to do all of that cooking?  Caterers love to do special parties like Derby or simply carry out your favorite BBQ.

~A Way to Bet~

The races are fun, but having a wager on them makes it even more raucous as the races are run.  Racing programs (available online here and at local liquor stores) and $1 bets for a winner-take-all jackpot for each race are a fun way to keep everyone cheering.  Don't know anything about handicapping?  No problem!  Cut up a program and draw horses instead or start a "Let it Ride" jackpot where you bet the favorite every race and if it wins you "let it ride, baby".  OTB websites are also a great way for the more serious gamblers in the crowd to still be plugged in at the track while partying with friends.  Setting up online betting accounts doesn't take long and wagering can happen until a couple of minutes before post time.

~Entertainment for the Kids~

If the little ones are invited, some activities for them like stick horse races and a "decorate your own jockey silk" craft would be a great way to keep them entertained in between the races.  They love to cheer as much as the adults and the pageantry of the day isn't lost on them.  Delegate a craft idea to one of the parents coming for the day to minimize your own prep.

~Above all RELAX~

One of the keys to having any great party is about preparation.  As much do-ahead as possible keeps you out of the kitchen and with your guests.  Setting up the bar for "self serve" keeps the bourbon flowing while not shackling you as bartender.  The day can be as dressed up or down as you like.  Enjoy your guests!  That's why you hosted the party, after all!  Build a bourbon, don a hat, sing a verse of "My Old Kentucky Home" and bet a race.

Interested in having us throw your party?  Contact JBE and let us help you win, place, and show for the day!