Wakey Whiskey: Coopers' Craft Kentucky Straight Bourbon

by Eric Ducote

Well Tiger fans... this season has been pretty disappointing so far, but that's not going to stop me from enjoying a #wakeywhiskey before this afternoon's game against Florida. All hate for Alabama aside, I think Florida is my overall most loathed SEC program, especially after last year's football debacle and the College World Series. So, here's to hoping Coach O gets the boys up to play and they bounce back... if not... at least I have some whiskey.

Today's selection is the Coopers' Craft Kentucky Straight Bourbon out of Louisville, Kentucky. Coopers' Craft is made by Brown-Forman, a large beverage congolmerate that owns Jack Daniels, Early Times, as well as several scotch brands, tequila brands, vodka, and even wine. This bourbon was created to honor the company's history as a cooperage, as one of Brown-Forman's early ventures was raising fresh charred oak barrels for use throughout the American bourbon industry. One thing to note, barrels are not made or built, the proper term is that they are "raised".



This bourbon is a refined toasted wood whiskey taken through a unique beech and birch finishing process for a smooth and flavorful bourbon. It's a "straight" bourbon which means that it has been aged for a minimum of two years, and it shows, as the color is an amber on the verge of a true brown rather than a lighter straw or golden color. The char on the barrels comes though pretty strong and has done its job on this one.

The nose is char with a sweet undertone of apple or caramel, maybe even some brown sugar, and the taste follows through well with some of the more characteristic vanilla and oak notes I would expect from a straight bourbon. The 82.2 proof alcohol is present and pleasant, helping round off each sip with a little burn to balance out the sweet and rich flavors. Overall, very impressive. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect from this one, but it holds it own against several of the better bourbons I've tried recently.

On that note, here's to hoping LSU can hold their own this afternoon. Cheers, and Geaux Tigers!

Wakey Whisk(e)y: Lost Distillery Company

by Eric Ducote

Good morning Tiger fans, and welcome to another game day #wakeywhisky! No "e" in the whiskey today as this one is a scotch from the Lost Distillery out of (duh) Scotland. LSU is playing Troy State out of Troy, Alabama, and I don't have any whiskeys in the cellar from Alabama or that feature the Trojans, so the playbook is wide open. The good people at The Lost Distillery Company sent Jay a bottle of one of their offerings, and he's always ready to share, so here we go.

The Lost Distillery is a unique company in that it doesn't actually create their own scotch, but they instead research distilleries that have closed for various reasons throughout history and attempt to recreate their flavors by blending modern scotches with the same characteristics. They look at 10 different factors that go into scotch production and at historic records, blend and taste until they think it's as accurate as possible.

This particular selection is from the defunct Lossit Distillery that used to exist in Ballygrant on the Island of Islay. I talked a good bit about Islay in a post a few weeks ago, so no need to go into that much depth again, but in general, expect some peat!



The pour on this one is a very bright gold, and extremely clear. The nose is just as expected, peaty and pungent. The taste is amazingly complex, with hints of peat, a touch of smoke, a bit of sweet honey coming through and floral undertones. It's only 86 proof so not coming on too strong and there's no alcohol burn to overwhelm the palate either. After each sip there's a bit of a cherry medicinal finish and a tingling left on the tongue from the spirit. It's a very pleasant sip, and made even more complex by the blend... obviously I have no idea how close this comes to recreating the original, but it definitely reminds me of other Islay scotches, so it's probably on the right track.

An interesting concept, and an interesting scotch. Now, let's all hope the Tigers come to play today and beat the Trojans of Troy State! Cheers, and happy Gameday to you all!

Avery Brewing Co. Beer Pairing Dinner at The Gregory

by Paige Johannessen

A few nights ago we were thrilled to attend a beer pairing dinner featuring Avery Brewing Co. at The Watermark in downtown Baton Rouge. I have had a couple of Avery Brewing’s beers and have always been impressed by the quality and creativity of the brewery. The Boulder, CO based brewery opened in 1993 and boasts 30 beers on tap at their brewery at any given time.

For the tasting we were seated in the private dining room adjacent to The Gregory. I know this post is all about Avery Brewing and our wonderful dinner, but I just have to say one thing: THAT ROOM! I drool every time I walk by that beautiful room and it’s floor to ceiling wine cellar display. If you haven’t walked around The Watermark and The Gregory, I highly recommend the trip downtown. The amount of detail and nods to Louisiana Trust & Savings Bank headquarters (the original owners of the building) is very impressive. There’s hand-painted ceiling murals and gorgeous marble details throughout the building. Not to mention the old bank vault replicas adorning one of their meeting spaces.

Now, about the dinner:

To start off, the tables were decorated with bowls of fried pork rinds tossed in Jay D’s Spicy and Sweet BBQ Rub. Needless to say, we loved them and ate them all and can’t wait to make our own.




The first course was a yellowtail tiradito paired with a Raspberry Sour. This delicate dish of thinly sliced raw fish in a spicy sauce was bursting with flavor. Chef made his own beer vinegar from the Avery Brewing Raspberry Sour that added a fun element to the depth of flavors.

Tiradito - yellowtail crudo, raspberry beer vinegar, ‘el gose’ aji sauce, guasaca, cancha corn

The next course was a first for me, octopus tacos! I was unsure how the flavors would mesh but the combination of octopus, peach and blue cheese was surprisingly delicious; and it’s pretty fun to say “octo taco” (don’t be ashamed, give it a try). This dish was paired with Avery Brewing’s Liliko'i Kepolo, a fun tropical island twist to the spicy traditional witbier. The aroma and notes of passionfruit were a nice compliment to this funky dish.

Octo Tacos - clementine lemongrass pulpo, peach salsa fresca, american blue cheese

For the third course, chef came out with bowls of green harissa topped with beer poached meatballs. The real show stopper of this dish was the mint chutney. The lamb sausage blend of the meatballs with the mint chutney was so satisfying and a nod to growing up with a mother who regularly cooked lamb roasts topped with a delicate mint jelly. The best. 

Merguez Meatballs - beer poached meatballs, green & red harissa, haloumi, mint chutney, grilled flatbread

This dish was paired with Avery’s Maharaja IPA. This imperial IPA is mighty, packing a 10% ABV punch. As Avery Brewing explains “The Maharaja flaunts his authority over a deranged amount of hops: tangy, vibrant and pungent along with an insane amount of malted barley – fashioning a dark amber hue and exquisite malt essence.” 

For the main course, we were brought a beautiful twist on the traditional lomo saltado. This traditional Peruvian dish combines marinated strips of sirloin with onions, tomatoes, french fries, and is typically served with rice. We were served a thick and buttery cut of seared beef over a bed of popcorn rice with purple frites as a fun compliment on the side. The main dish was paired with The White Rascal, Avery Brewing’s flagship beer. The Belgian style white ale is unfiltered and spiced with coriander and Curaçao orange peel, producing a refreshing classic ale.

Lomo Saltado - seared beef, soy aji gravy, purple frites, aji popcorn rice, charcoal roasted peppers, coriander

The dessert course was certainly the most aesthetically pleasing. The beer-misu came decorated to look like a frothy beer. It was too cute. The rich hazelnut chocolate with mascarpone cream was the perfect mate for Avery’s Vanilla Bean Stout. It was a heavy dessert but too good to put down. 

Beer-misu - espresso vanilla stout, mascarpone cream, hazelnut chocolate, cocoa nibs

Thanks to The Watermark for inviting us to this impressive beer pairing dinner. We can’t wait to see what they will come up with next. Check their Facebook for upcoming culinary events, you won’t be disappointed!

Wakey Whiskey: Kings County Distillery Bourbon Whiskey

by Eric Ducote

Hello everyone, and good morning to you all from Chicago! I know we're all still a little bummed about about the way LSU played against Mississippi State, but the season goes on, as does the #wakeywhiskey. Two years ago LSU played Syracuse and I brought out a small batch bourbon whiskey from Kings County Distillery out of Brooklyn, NY. LSU ended up winning that game 34-24, so I went back to the well and brought some Kings County Distillery Bourbon Whiskey with me up to the Windy City.

This bourbon is distilled in Brooklyn from a mash of NY corn and UK malted barley, then aged for at least two years (some barrels up to four) and bottled at 90 proof. I actually visited this distillery several years ago with my friend Jeremy Spikes, and one thing I did not know was that they used a lot of smaller barrels to expedite the aging process. The smaller barrels allow the whiskey to contact the charred oak at a greater ratio and pull out the flavors faster than in a large 55-gallon barrel. They might be using larger barrels now, but it's a good way for a newer distillery (Kings County was founded in 2010) to produce a quality spirit more quickly.



Now, to the whiskey! But, before I even get into the details, I love the packaging... just a 375ml medicine-style bottle with a small wrapped label describing the basics of the spirit in a Courier typewriter font. Simple and attractive.

The first thing I pick up on the nose is an alcohol burn followed immediately by candy corn sweetness and then vanilla notes from the charred oak. It's still young, but it's picked up a lot of color and flavor in a short amount of time. The taste is a little more mellowed out than the aroma, with less of a harsh burn and more of a caramel and molasses flavor followed by the charred notes from the oak barrel. It finishes smoothly, with a hint of spiciness at the end. Sometimes I advocate for a little water or ice to open up a whiskey, but this one tastes better neat. Adding an ice sphere (I tried both, for science) mutes some of the spicier cinnamon notes. However, if you prefer a little ice or water, I'm not going to stop you!

I hope this game against Syracuse is just what the Tigers need to get back on track. Happy #Gameday everyone and #Geauxtigers!

Tacos + Tequila: Taco 'Bout A Good Time

So, we are doing a thing. A very big thing. On a mission to bring the people of Baton Rouge a good time, Bite & Booze is teaming up with Brickyard South to throw a major party in the Capital City: TACOS + TEQUILA presented by Tequila Avion! The event will take place underneath the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge behind Brickyard South.

There are going to be ten taco vendors and at least seven tequila cocktail vendors, duking it out for the title of “The Best.” Restaurants like Magpie Cafe, The Overpass Merchant and Mestizo’s will be slinging some majorly creative tacos that we can’t wait to see. There will also be a few restaurants going the traditional route like Cocha and Mr. Taco. We are inviting judges from all over the country to see the best of the best talent here in BR. People like Rue Rusike and Cory Bahr from Food Network Star, Daniel Schumaker, the editor of Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine are all coming to the capital city this Friday.

Once the judging is over, attendees will have the chance to walk around from 7pm-10pm and sample and vote for their favorite chef-driven tacos featuring Hola Nola Foods tortillas and hand-crafted Tequila Avion cocktails while enjoying live music and other fun! That’s all the tacos you can eat and all the tequila you can drink people. Taco bout a good time!

So, what are you waiting for? Grab you tickets now and come hang out with us on Friday. We will see you there!