Patrick Garrett, St. Louis native and founder of the blog Bourbon & Banter, enjoys bourbon so much that he’s inviting fellow bourbon disciples to join him on a trip to bourbon country.
The weekend of October 12, Garrett will be leading bourbon brethren on the first annual Bourbon & Banter Pilgrimage to Louisville, Ky. The VIP-style trip will include dining at bourbon-happy venues; private tastings with bourbon legends like Jim Rutledge, Jimmy Russell, Rob Samuels and Bernie Lubbers; and private tours of five distilleries: Four Roses, Wild Turkey, Jim Beam, Willett and Maker’s Mark. (If you arrive on Thursday, you will get a bonus tour of Buffalo Trace.)
Registration costs $699 and includes: Tour bus transportation between the hotel and distilleries on both days; distillery tours with the opportunity to sample bourbon from each distillery; lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday; and a bourbon-centric gift bag. Registration does not include lodging or travel to and from Louisville. Bourbon & Banter has negotiated discounted room rates at the Hyatt Regency Louisville. For more details or to reserve your spot for this one-of-a-kind tour, go here. Reservations must be made by October 1.
And while you’re mulling over this chance for a bourbon getaway, why not sip on Garrett’s favorite spirit? He prefers his bourbon straight rather than in a cocktail. Pappy Van Winkle 15-year, Elijah Craig 18-year and Elmer T. Lee are his top picks. But if you would rather sip it from a straw, Garrett recommends a shake, which works best with Woodford Reserve Double Oaked bourbon.
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Chocolate Milkshake
Courtesy of Bourbon & Banter’s Patrick Garrett
1 Serving
4 scoops Breyers vanilla ice cream plus more as needed
Splash chocolate milk
Hershey’s chocolate syrup to taste
3 to 4 oz. Woodford Reserve Double Oaked bourbon
• In a blender, combine the ice cream, chocolate milk and chocolate syrup until the mixture reaches the consistency of a milkshake.
• Add the bourbon and blend again. If the shake becomes too thin, add more ice cream and blend to thicken.
This article appears in September 2012.