On Thursday, Sept. 16, chef Jonathan Lundy will present a five-course dining event celebrating the bourbons of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery and Shiraz Southern Belle, a new wine that is aged in Van Winkle bourbon barrels. Both Julian Van Winkle and Dan Philips, founder of Grateful Palate, will be special guests at the event and will make brief presentations and answer questions about these storied beverages. The dinner begins with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m., and seating begins at 7 p.m. The price is $85 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call the restaurant at (859) 252-4949.

Cuisine by chef Jonathan Lundy will be paired with a variety of Old Rip Van Winkle bourbons at the dinner, including Van Winkle Special Reserve (12 year), Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye (13 year), Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve (15 year), Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve (20 year) and Pappy Van Winkles Family Reserve (23 year). The Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery is four generations strong and is home to the highest rated whiskeys in the world. In a blind taste test of international whiskey labels, The Beverage Tasting Institute in Chicago gave the 20-year old Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve a 99 out of 100 rating-the highest mark ever awarded. All of the Van Winkle bourbons are made with corn, wheat, and, barley instead of corn, rye and barley. This “wheated” recipe gives the bourbon a soft, smooth taste and it also allows the whiskey to age gracefully.

A unique addition to the beverage pairings is the Shiraz Southern Belle, a 2008 Shiraz sourced from the McLaren Vale, south of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. The wine, which was just introduced to the market in 2009, is aged in used bourbon barrels sourced from the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery. Shiraz Southern Belle is the brainchild of wine aficionado Dan Philips, who convinced the winemakers to give the unconventional method a try. Philips is the founder of Grateful Palate, which imports Australian wine and sells mail-order edibles, including the Bacon of the Month Club.

As a Kentucky native who grew up in Midway, Lundy is a culinary ambassador for the Bluegrass. He sources the best regional ingredients and applies creative techniques to heirloom recipes in order to provide a modern, yet authentic dining experience. He and his wife Cara opened Jonathan at Gratz Park in the historic Gratz Park Inn in1998. The restaurant has been featured in such publications as Southern Living, Cooking Light, Garden and Gun, the Chicago Tribune and the Lexington Herald-Leader, and Lundy’s recipes have been published in Plate, Santé and Sizzle magazines. In 2010 Lundy was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Southeast award. Jonathan at Gratz Park is located at 120 W. 2nd St. in Lexington, Ky. For more information, visit www.jagp.info.