Celebrating the best in music, bourbon, food, cigars and more with our friends from Drew Estate, Wayne Newtown and Edward Lee!
Good food, good music, good drinks, good friends, good times. It is honestly a pretty simple formula, and one that can sum up not only our overall approach to enjoying ourselves, but our overall approach to the good stuff that we have focused on since we started Pappy & Company ten years ago. It is also summarizes the intention and spirit of Bourbon & Beyond, a musical festival dedicated to those very things - good music, good food, and good bourbon, since 2017.
Participating in Bourbon & Beyond is a natural fit for us. Not only is it in our hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where the heritage of bourbon runs deep, but it celebrates all of the same things that Pappy & Company is dedicated to. This year, can you imagine the thrill when we discovered we would get to honor the intersection of bourbon, music and cigars with our dear friends and cigar partners Drew Estate, and none other than Wayne Newtown himself? Or when we found out we'd get to whip up some delicious food and drinks with our friend, famed chef and fellow Louisvillian, Edward Lee? Well, it was BEYOND a dream come true!
The connection between music and bourbon has long been established and celebrated in song for generations and generations. We loved exploring how the love of bourbon and cigars is woven throughout music and the shared narrative of joy that they provide. Sharing the history and heritage of our great grandfather, Pappy Van Winkle, and how his legacy led us to founding Pappy & Company alongside partners with a shared passion, such as Drew Estate, led Wayne to the same conclusion we have long held: "Creating the businesses that you have is all about creating happiness for all of you…and that’s the truth." Sharing that sentiment with Willy Herrera, the master blender behind the world famous Drew Estate cigars, including our very own Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Fermented cigars, Carrie remarked "it comes through in the business really and truly what we are passionate about...we couldn't do what we are doing if we weren't passionate about it and that is true for each of us on stage."
Of course, in his infinitely wise way with words and putting the heart of that passion into his lyrical prose, Wayne shared a toast with all of us, that we are so happy to subscribe to and pass along: "Lie, cheat, steal and drink. And when you lie, lie in arms of the person you love, when you swear, swear by the Almighty that you will do all you can to make the world a better place. Cheat mother nature and live as long as you can, and when you drink, drink with us and and the other people you love to show them how much you love them." Perhaps at the heart of what Bourbon & Beyond is all about, is as simple as Carrie's parting words to the audience "the joy that you (Wayne Newton) bring to your audience and the joy that a good glass of whiskey brings, and the joy that a good cigar brings to your evening is what life is all about. Wayne, whiskey and cigars...we just figured it out."
Of course, we would never forget the other major feature being honored and celebrated by Bourbon & Beyond, as it happens to be equally as important to us, and yes we are in fact talking about food! For what else goes as well with music, bourbon and cigars? We teamed up with another one of our favorite friends and partners, the inimitable Edward Lee. He is as charming, creative and talented as his food is delicious and we truly never get over the fact that we get to share a stage and an opportunity to cook and craft recipes with him using our Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrel-aged products.
We joined him on the culinary stage at Bourbon & Beyond and did our best to keep up as he effortlessly walked us through a deceptively delicious recipe of a Spiced Broccolini and Halloumi baguette with incredible depths of flavor featuring our perfectly complimentary barrel-aged delights. We have always loved Ed's innovative style and his creative take on flavors we wouldn't have thought to put together. His ability to transform simple ingredients into culinary masterpieces is a true gift - one that we never tire of getting to experience! If you haven't experienced a dining experience at his restaurant, 610 Magnolia in Louisville, you are missing out!
For our culinary panel with Edward Lee, we got to not only witness, but help him craft hot vinegar broccolini with a tangy sauce of apple cider vinegar, mustard and the subtly sweet and oaky heat of our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pepper Sauce paired with seared halloumi marinated in a bourbon reduction sauce infused with the signature flavor of our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pure Maple Syrup and a hint of our hot sauce, finished with a spiced garlic mayonnaise that perfectly accentuated the combination of flavors. Ed understands how bourbon extends beyond what you sip, and how the flavors can enhance food and shape the dishes in a variety of ways.
The simplicity of the ingredients proves that you don't need overly complicated recipes and fancy techniques to deliver incredible taste. Slathering a perfectly toasted baguette with a spicy mayonnaise infused with the flavor of Georgia grown ghost peppers barrel-aged in our retired Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels sets the stage for sandwich that delivers with every bite. Seared halloumi, a mild Greek cheese marinated in a sauce featuring the distinguishing flavors of bourbon and the just right combination sweet and spicy of our Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrel-aged syrup and hot sauce, adds a complexity of flavors and textures. Thick beefsteak tomato slices that need only salt and pepper to bring out their best, are complimented by a hot vinegar broccolini with fresh garlic and hot sauce. The highlight of this experience was naturally the taste test, and even our littlest Pappy & Company side-kicks didn't miss an opportunity to try it out and everyone agreed, it was a hit!
Naturally, with this being a Bourbon festival we didn't miss the opportunity to craft a creamy Maple Bourbon Sour craft cocktail to accompany the delicious bourbon inspired and infused fare. What better way to create and serve this cocktail than with our brand new Julian Jigger and Big Van Shaker from our line of Everyday Heirlooms bar collection collaboration with Thompson Traders. These heirloom inspired pieces are crafted to be modern everyday replicas of our family's heirloom pieces, designed to celebrate the legacy of Pappy Van Winkle and the shared craftsmanship of Thompson Traders, to encourage everyday celebrations.
Fresh lemon juice meets the richly infused notes of vanilla, caramel, butter and oak of our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pure Maple Syrup, with bourbon and an egg white for creamy and frothy delight. We had one more surprise up our sleeves that really upped the ante of this craft cocktail. Serving it with the gorgeously sleek ice sphere from the Monogram Forge Heated Ice Press. The only ice press of it's kind manufactured in the U.S. that creates a perfect globe of ice that promises to melt evenly to not dilute, but enhance the flavor and crisp temperature of your cocktail.
How we connect with food and the way that food brings us joy is the same thing with music and entertainment, whiskey and cigars."
Carrie Van Winkle Greener, Co-Founder
Recipe Note: If omitting the egg white, shake for 15 seconds and strain into a rocks glass and serve over ice.
1. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake vigorously until frothy.
3. Strain into a coupe glass.
4. Garnish with dehydrated lemon wheel.
Sliced Tomatoes
Hot Vinegar Broccolini (recipe below)
Seared Halloumi in Spiced Bourbon Syrup (recipe below)
Spiced Garlic Mayo:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Pappy Van Winkle Barrel-Aged Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
Dash of lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Thick Beefsteak Tomatoes:
Thick slices of beefsteak tomatoes
Season with salt, pepper and ground cumin
Hot Vinegar Broccolini:
1/2 pound broccolini
1 tablespoon Barrel-Aged Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
Salt and pepper
1 scallion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Seared Halloumi:
½ pound halloumi, sliced thin
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup bourbon
¼ cup Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon Barrel-Aged Hot Sauce
Salt and pepper
1. Toast baguette with butter
2. Mix up spicy mayo
3. Blanch 1/2 pound broccolini in salted boiling water til tender, about 3 minutes
4. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce (combine and mix hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and mustard in a bowl) then add chopped scallion and parsley
5. Add warm broccolini to the bowl, toss and let marinate for a few minutes.
6. Sear the Halloumi in olive oil on a skillet;
7. Meanwhile, in a saucepan reduce the bourbon to about 2 tablespoons
8. Mix the bourbon reduction in a bowl with hot sauce, syrup, salt and pepper
9. Pour mixture over seared cheese on a plate and let marinate
10. Assemble the sandwich: add mayo to the toasted baguette, layer tomatoes, halloumi, broccolini.
11. Close the sandwich, and enjoy!
