Eat, Drink (Bourbon) and Be Merry

Eat, Drink (Bourbon) and Be Merry

If there is one thing anyone should pair with a well-crafted Bourbon, it’s good food. The pleasure of matching that most delish dish with your favorite Bourbon can only be compared to another activity. (Wink!)

With each Bourbon having a unique flavor profile and no two taste palates being the same, it might be hard to nail down the perfect pairing for everyone. The ones below are meant to make one hungry to try some new food and Bourbon pairings.

Bourbon. It’s not just for dinner.

A breakfast Bourbon is a dangerous thing - if you don’t pair it with a morning meal that can handle what’s in your glass.

The Bourbon - Old Forester Classic 86 Proof - served three fingers high and neat is a perfect breakfast choice. No matter the flavor of your griddle cakes (Banana, Walnut, Blueberry, Chocolate or Hazelnut) Old Forrester’s hints of Vanilla and touches of Mint will enhance that stack of flapjacks and play nicely with maple syrup.


Add a heaping pile of bacon (or sausage) as a flavor bonus. The smoked breakfast meats will bring out the charred Oak and sweet corn notes of Old Forester. By the end of the meal, your palate will be walking on sunshine.


Also recommended - Bulleit Bourbon and Four Roses Bourbon.

A Recipe for Deliciousness

Many a working person must endure what lunch has become - a 45-minute hour of grab, gulp and go back to work. But what if there was an option better than a burger made by a King or a Clown?

Picture a medium well cooked, 12 oz. burger covered with a thick slice of Cheddar, a cold layer of onion, topped with Applewood smoked bacon, resting within a lightly toasted Brioche bun (Mayo optional). All sitting next to a steaming mound of Steak Cut French Fries.


The drink for this meal IS NOT coming out of a soda fountain.

(re)Introducing a Stork Club classic - The Cotillion Cocktail:

- 1 ½ oz. High West Whiskey
- ½ oz. Triple Sec
- ½ oz. Orange Juice
- ½ oz. Lemon Juice
- 1 dash of Don Q Rum

Add all Whiskey, OJ, Triple Sec and Lemon Juice to a shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain and pour into a pre-chilled Rocks glass. Top with Don Q. Order an Uber!

An American Prairie Bourbon for a classic American lunch. High West’s Earthy tones are more than a match for hearty fries and well cooked Beef. It’s char on char action, when burger bite meets cocktail sips.


This cocktail and meal pairing is about cooking heat, barrel char, and a zesty refreshing sweetness. Soul warming, flavorful bites washed with Citrus (and a lot of booze) makes this a meal to remember. It’s a potential food coma that should be covered by health insurance and prescribed by the HR department.

Snack Time is the Right Time

Let’s face it, Lunchables and juice boxes are for children and candy bars are best left for All Hallows Eve. True adult snacking is pronounced Charcuterie. A board of spice forward meats and funky cheeses enjoyed with a high proof Bourbon.

Picture a board filled with appetizing sausages, slices of Ham, and Apple. Next to that, funky cheeses from regions of France that only Gérard Depardieu can articulate properly.



With intense flavors comes intense Bourbons. High proof meets high sapidity with these options:

- Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon - That pop of Citrus sweetened with Caramel and Green Apple will meld nicely with smoked Ham pieces dabbed with spicy mustard.
- Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon - The soupcons of Wood forward Vanilla, traces of Black Pepper, Walnuts, and new Oak are enough to stand up to and enhance bites of slow cured sausages.


People Eat. Adults Dine.

For the meal that closes out the night, the imbibing must be something special. A Bourbon cocktail that congratulates you on surviving the workday while getting you ready for a night of well deserved sleep.

The Night Shade Royale:

- 1 ½ oz. Knob Creek
- ½ oz. Sweet Vermouth
- ½ oz. Fresh Orange Juice
- ¼ teaspoon of Yellow Chartreuse

Shake Bourbon, Vermouth, Chartreuse, and OJ well with ice. Strain over ice into a prechilled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a ½ slice of Lemon. Top with Champagne.


The NSR pairs well with Fish and Chips or salty Shrimp chips. It’s a combination not often thought of but once you have it, you will crave it more and more. There’s something about fried batter coated Sea fish, salty Earthy fries, rich Oak, and toasted Grains that speaks to your core and says, ‘You have arrived’. It’s a culinary match fit for a Khaleesi or a King.



Closing Time

That timeless phrase of ‘Eat Drink and be Merry’ has endured because it is based on the truth of sensual olfactory and oral enjoyment.

If you have a food and Bourbon pairing you’d like to share let us know. We would love to try it out. You’re always welcome at our table.



Cover image: Flickr



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