This originally appeared in Vol. IV of Louisville Swig, December 2015
Drink craft on draft
Westport Village’s new tapas bar, Artesano Vino Tapas y Mas, has craft cocktails on draft. These readily available drinks cut wait time for patrons and prep time for bar staff — and taste as fresh as any cocktail made on the spot. We recommend the Pamplona, a take on a gin and tonic served with a hearty sprig of rosemary.
Sip and sit in a couture booth
Le Moo owner Kevin Grangier bought vintage luggage and butchered it at the altar of aesthetic: There’s actually a booth in Le Moo made of Louis Vuitton leather. The booth comfortably seats four and must be reserved. A $500 minimum charge is applied to the tab of those treating their derrières with such decorum. Yep, we asked. Apparently at least a few people have paid for the privilege.
Drench everything in beer syrup
When Russ Meredith, “a bartender and an entrepreneur at heart,” decided to create a product line, he discovered beer syrup was his niche. He’d seen bartenders use it but had never heard of a commercially produced version. The Beer Syrup Co. recently released three flavors: mocha porter, pecan nut brown and bourbon barrel stout. Meredith likes to use the syrup on waffles, in milkshakes and cocktails, and as a glaze for meat. He hopes to soon start brewing his own beer to boil down into syrup.
Start a collection of beer cans and bottles
The art on Against the Grain Brewery’s beer cans and bottles is hilarious, drawn by local artist (and Louisville Magazine contributor) Robby Davis. Is his drawing for the Brown Note ale — with sagging, skid-marked tighty-whities front and center — the most appetizing? No, but it’s self-aware and funny, as is the label for the brewery’s Rico Sauvin IPA. It features a bearded, tattooed Dionysian tenderly touching his own nipple. Collect more as the brewery issues new releases.
Let the moonshine in
In the past, moonshine might have been associated with hillbillies, but these days it’s made in the big city. (If Louisville can be considered “the big city.”) Dip your toe into the moonshine pond with Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co.’s Lucky Kentucky Moonshine —we recommend the chocolate-pie flavor — or Rabbit Hole Distilling’s ’shine, especially the White Pepper and Derby Rose varieties.
Bathe in bourbon
Nothing masks the lingering odor of a bourbon hangover better than bourbon-scented bath products. Butchertown’s Moss Hill sells bourbon-scented soap (you can even get it in the shape of tiny barrels), candles and, best of all, a bourbon-vanilla sugar scrub. If anyone asks you why you smell like bourbon, you can blame your sugar scrub.
This originally appeared in Vol. IV of Louisville Swig, December 2015
Image: Against the Grain Brewery, "Mac Fannybaw"
