An Education

When I first started my blog, my friend Wilson told me I should do a post on how to taste bourbon. Lord knows I drink bourbon like it's my job. You'd think I'd be an expert, but in truth, I didn't know the first thing about the formalities of tasting it. But like the good student that I am, at least in the subjects that deeply interest me (sorry Mr. Arcand), I decided I needed to get an education on my favorite libation.

Because my father is also a great student of bourbon, I suggested we spend his birthday on the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky. So I finagled a business trip to Louisville, met up with my parents, and spent the weekend gaining an advanced bourbon degree. All I can say is sign me up for the PhD program!

Central Kentucky is an idyllic setting, with rolling green meadows studded with pristine white fences holding back stunning thoroughbreds, trickling limestone-filtered streams, and white oak forests. It also happens to provide the perfect conditions for producing the honey-colored drink I love so much. The Bourbon Trail is a route connecting Louisville, Bardstown, Lexington and Frankfort and offering up a number of different distilleries and a peek at some pockets of rich southern history.

We began our journey in Louisville, with a chilly morning at the tracks (I could have used a nip at that point!) and then headed south with my mom at the wheel, our official designated driver since she does not share the same love of "America's official native spirit."

If you've ever seen the movie Sideways, you know that Santa Barbara is located in one of the most beloved, and highly rated, wine regions in California. As such, I've spent a fair amount of time wine tasting. Let me just say the pours can be quite generous! You can get pretty schnockered after just a few wineries. If you're really interested, a few of the bigger labels may have a formal tour, but you usually just show up, they pull out a proper wine glass for you and start pouring. Usually you're tasting no less than 5 different wines per winery, but often you end up wanting to buy a bottle so you may go back and forth between a few — with some extra tastes to help make the decision. As a bourbon tasting virgin, I expected bourbon tasting to go kind of the same way (hence my mom as the designated driver). I couldn't have been more wrong.

The official Bourbon Trail is comprised of 6 distilleries: Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Makers Mark, Woodford, Four Roses, and Wild Turkey. We had 2 days to hit these, which seemed like a piece of cake. Little did we know. . . . Firstly you have to take a tour (I believe by law) of the distillery to actually get to taste any bourbon. Then the taste is miniscule. When they say it's a "tasting," they're not lying! You're getting like a 1/4 of an ounce of one bourbon if you're lucky! And some even serve them in plastic cups! This photo is the tasting before I actually tasted it.

Each tour is approximately an hour so each stop on the tour is a time commitment. Then you have to drive a good ways to the next distillery. And I cannot stress this enough: you must have a GPS with you. And even then pray you see some nice locals along the way to confirm your route because you find yourself alone on these unmarked, deserted country roads and even having to cross streams in some instances!

The GPS failed to acknowledge this but thankfully there were several pick-up trucks embedded in said stream with high school boys who were kind enough to pause from setting off firecrackers to confirm that we were indeed heading in the right direction.

If you can knock out three distilleries in a day you're doing well. I must say the tours are incredibly interesting and all have their own spin as a result of their unique heritage. You get a real appreciation for the history behind bourbon, as well as the craft.

Firstly, let's talk about what is bourbon, because I learned all bourbon is whiskey, but all whiskey is not bourbon. To earn this classification, a distilled spirit must have these attributes:

• It must have been distilled and aged in the US (not just Kentucky) for two years
• It must be made with at least 51% corn (rye, wheat or barley malt may also be used)
• It cannot be blended with coloring, flavoring or neutral spirits (water doesn't count)
• It may not be distilled higher than 160 proof
• It must be aged in new, charred American white oak barrels at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at no less than 80 proof.

Some tours are better than others and some bourbons are better than others, but you learn something and appreciate something at each stop. At some you get to see (and even taste) the sour mash barrels. . . .

You learn about the Angel's Share, which is the term used to describe the percent of the barrel that is lost to evaporation during the aging process. The belief is that guardian angels watch over the barrels as they age, and the evaporated portion is their payment. Smart angels.

You learn about the process of producing the charred barrels which give off that wonderfully caramelized flavor and will be amazed by the stories of barrels sitting around aging. Imagine a stadium filled with bourbon barrels. . . .

I'd grown up on stories about bootleggers who were always running from the law. I often wondered how the authorities tracked down these "entrepreneurs." I was fascinated to learn that in humid climates the loss of ethanol (the Angel's Share) leads to the growth of a black fungus that covers everything in the vicinity. Walls, trees, you name it. There is no way to avoid it and therefore the distillers had to have a mobile operation as they knew at some point the black markings would give them away. Thankfully that changed after Prohibition ended, but it was amazing to see the indelible markings of bourbon production.

The highlight for me was getting to "wax" my own bottle of Maker's Mark. Maker's is my go-to bourbon, often considered the "elegant bourbon." I usually enjoy it "neat" or in a well-made Manhattan. As a marketer, I appreciate the branding details they've cultivated to create loyalty and instant recognition. Not only do they have a different mix of key ingredients that produce a slightly sweet bite followed by a soft finish (compliments of the heavier wheat profile), but they have a uniquely shaped bottle that is dipped in regal red wax. Cracking open a new bottle feels almost ceremonial. But dipping your own bottle in wax feels positively bucket-list worthy!

You don the mitts, apron and goggles (after signing your bottle) . . .

. . . and dip away. In truth, I found it a tad stressful as I wanted to generate the perfect wax drip. Which is totally insane. I realized that now.

Alas, I was very proud of my end result.

I'm happy to report after diligent studying, I do now know how to properly taste bourbon:

1. Look it over — Pour yourself a drink and take some time to study the color. A darker color tends to mean longer storage time, higher proof or both.
2. Give it a swirl — Get a firm grip on the glass and swirl the bourbon around, a move called aerating. This allows the drink to breathe a bit, which makes for a better tasting experience.
3. Take a deep breath — Part your lips, place your nose deep into the glass, and give the liquid a sniff. By opening your mouth slightly while inhaling, you can avoid being overpowered by alcohol. The smell gives a preview to the taste.
4. Have a drink — To get a complete flavor profile, take a large sip and work it around to coat the inside of your mouth. This allows the bourbon to hit different parts of the tongue, from the sweet-sensing tip to the sour-sensing sides.
5. OK, now swallow — Pay careful attention to the flavors as it slides down your throat. You may taste coconut, butterscotch, marzipan, white chocolate, smoke, or even banana, to mention a few options. Test how long the flavors linger. For quality bourbon, the taste should hang around 15-20 seconds.
6. Water it down — Imagine the flavor of undiluted bourbon as a closed fist. Adding in a few drops of water will help customer the flavor, creating a more intense flavor than drinking it uncut.
7. On the rocks — Try pouring the bourbon over ice. As you slowly sip it, the ice will begin to melt, allowing you to slowly experience a full spectrum of flavor.

I would definitely recommend the Bourbon Trail to anyone—non-bourbon lovers included! I'm definitely planning to go back. There are numerous other distilleries in the area that are not officially on the Trail that I'd like to visit. Namely Buffalo Trace, who makes Pappy Van Winkle, my special occasion bourbon, and was named the 2010 Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year. They've also launched an intriguing initiative called Single Oak Project, the most extensive bourbon experiment ever! I was lucky enough to recently receive a bottle from this experiment from my good friend, Matt, and fellow bourbon appreciator. It's awesome, although I haven't shared it with anyone yet. Whoops. He's the same friend who turned me on to the small batch Reservoir Bourbon out of Richmond, VA this summer. I did share that one. This is the damage from the first night. And that's why I can get stingy with my good stuff. ;-)

I did mention it was my dad's birthday, right? Well, it would be no proper birthday without birthday cake. Get a load of this tower of tastiness! I'm embarrassed to say, we polished it off in a blink.

The 'Wiching Hour

It's that time of year. . . . You can't swing a witch's stick without hitting a ghost or goblin. Soon it will be the witching hour of Halloween. But for some of us (well, at least me), that hour comes every day around noon. That's when I am overcome with a wave of hunger. I cease to be able to concentrate on anything until food has been put in my stomach. With each passing moment, I become more impatient, annoyed and downright unpleasant to be around. When I worked in corporate, people would always plan to have food on hand if there was even the slightest chance the meeting I was attending would run into the witching hour. Trust me, it was for the benefit of all. And if they were asking me for approval on something, they would be doubly motivated to feed me. I was much more apt to sign off on something with a slice of pizza in my hand. I could honestly never understand how anyone could work out at the gym during their lunch hour. It's one of those great unanswered mysteries to me, along with why someone feels compelled to talk on their cell phone when they're in a public restroom.

These days the witching hour still comes right on time, but I'm less likely to be in a meeting when it occurs because I have more control over my schedule. I'd like to think that I'm a somewhat flexible eater, but I've come to realize that I get a little agro when it comes to food classifications by meal time. I know some people out there go gaga when breakfast is served for dinner. But I like my breakfast in the morning and my dinner in the evening. I think the only gray area is a burrito which I will eat at breakfast, lunch or dinner — but of course eggs are only allowed in the breakfast burrito.

I guess I'm just a traditionalist at heart. As such, it's probably no surprise that the only time you'll find me eating a sandwich is for lunch. For me you might say lunch is the 'wiching hour. [Yes, terrible pun intended.] I often wonder how people can give up carbs. I mean what on Earth are they eating for lunch if the sandwich is the official food of lunchtime? Regardless of your leniency towards meal creep, I think you might get pretty excited about these sandwiches. They're fast to whip together and super tasty. Because really, who wants to eat food that doesn't make your taste buds smile? That's almost as bad as eggs benedict for dinner!

Herbed Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon

2 Tbsp mayo

3 Tbsp Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp kosher salt

2 cups chopped, skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast

1/4 cup minced sweet onion

8 bread slices (this is delicious on rye but I love it on wheat too)

Lettuce leaves (red, arugula, whatever you have on hand)

Directions

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in chicken and onion until mixed well. Slather between two slices of bread along with some lettuce.

Grilled Tuna Sandwich with Asian Mayo

Ingredients

4 ahi tuna steaks (approximately 3 oz each)

6 Tbsp - 1/3 cup mayo

1-3 tsp sesame oil

Arugula leaves

8 slices bread (wheat or ciabatta rolls)

Directions

Preheat a grill pan to high. Dry ahi steaks and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When grill pan is ready, quickly sear the steaks on each side, approximately 2-3 minutes depending on the thickness of the steaks. You want the tuna still pink in the center and it will keep cooking when you remove it from the pan. Mix the mayo and sesame oil together. Adjust ratio to your liking, but it should taste like sesame-spiked mayo not mayo-spiked sesame oil. Slather it on both sides of the bread, pile on the ahi steak and some arugula leaves.

QR Code Caper

Birthdays are occasions not to be minimized (even if we want to minimize our age). My mom taught me that. She always made "events" out of birthdays. They weren't shrinking violet days. Oh no, they were big, boisterous days that started with a bang, full of singing, breakfast in bed, champagne, or whatever else you wanted . . . except for excessive sleeping because she abhors the concept of "sleeping your life away," even on birthdays. She went out of her way to make birthdays special, memorable and personal. So when my friend Karen's birthday rolled around in late July, we were looking for a way to celebrate that embodied my mom's approach.

We thought it would be fun to do Santa Barbara's Urban Wine Trail, but wanted to kick it up a notch. We devised a sort of scavenger hunt on bikes [drinking and biking, oh my!] with clues for each stop. But Meredith had the brilliant idea to use Quick Response (QR) Codes to direct Karen to each spot. What's a QR code, you might ask?

It's these little guys you see popping up more and more on ads, posters, and displays. You scan the barcode with a smart phone and it provides information, coupons, maps, URLs, etc.

Karen is a massive Beatles fan, so we themed the celebration Karen's Magical Birthday Tour and Meredith designed this "updated" album cover with our faces as the "new" Beatles to set the tone.

Each clue was provided on the CD label, along with the critical QR code which revealed the next destination.

Some clues were pretty easy, but some clues did stump Karen so the QR code was really helpful in getting us to the next stop in the Tour. I took video of Karen opening up each clue and some (OK, 418 to be exact) photos at each place. The plan was to load them on the appropriate CD as a memento, which I still have yet to do.

We picked up our transportation for the day (little Samantha was very disappointed she couldn't join the big girls on the outing) . . . .

. . . and then headed out to get some food to fuel our tour.

Once we had our provisions in hand, we formally began the Urban Wine Trail at La Tour, a very unique, hidden spot (which has since moved to bigger digs but still has Graham at the helm so life is good). We gave Karen a celebratory wine glass to use all day and kicked things off with a lovely rosé champagne.

We really challenged Graham by asking him to find a wine pairing for my BBQ potato chips, but he rocked it.

Next we stopped off at Carr and Kunin to soak up the sunshine and samples. It was a blast.

Then we landed at Oreana where we had cupcakes waiting for us. It wouldn't be a birthday without a vehicle to blow out a candle!

As the afternoon started fading into evening (and the cupcakes were gone), we decided it was time for some more food! We deferred to the birthday girl for her choice of cuisine. She surprised us all by asking to make a tour stop for burgers with a side trip to the batting cage! So we biked along the waterfront . . .

. . . and made our way here, and then grabbed a beer and a bat and started swinging. It was a hilarious sight to behold, no doubt. And this time, Samantha was able to join us.

Taking the queue from the setting sun, we figured it was time for us to bike back home and bring the QR Code Caper to a close.

Away

I've been away from here for a while.

You see I actually got very sick quite unexpectedly. Sick as in your day starts out completely unremarkable (breakfast, exercise, client conference call . . .) and then a few hours later you're in the ICU! Anyway, the point is I haven't really been up to the task of blogging, or really much else, for most of August. But I was completely humbled by the graciousness and thoughtfulness of so many who visited me in the hospital, stayed with me when I got out, sent me good things to read and beautiful things to look at, and made nourishing, delicious things for me to eat. It certainly makes me appreciate what a blessing good health is — and good friends!

So not a whole lot of cookin' has been going on in my kitchen of late. Seriously, I don't even know when I last made a home-cooked meal or what it was. This is what I "made" for breakfast this morning. I know, it looks like something a college student would eat.

In the wake of the mysterious illness (which is yet to be named but the doctors assure me I'll make a full recovery from), I also felt like I needed to get away and kind of regroup. So I stole away this week. While there will be no food pictures, I thought perhaps you might still enjoy these shots.

I do miss cooking and promise to get back to it soon, as well as blogging. Warm wishes to all for a wonderful Labor Day holiday ahead!