School of Bourbon

Dallas swillers go to school to master bourbon pairings

A sold-out crowd of bourbon-swilling Dallasites descended on the historical Venue at 400 North Ervay on November 14, for Woodford Reserve’s School of Bourbon class, hosted by CultureMap.

Upon arrival into the grand old lobby of the former downtown post office, guests were ushered onto an elevator and whisked to the third floor where a world of whiskey awaited. Prior to the class, guests were treated to a sampling of Woodford Reserve cocktails crafted by bartenders Austin Shuffield and Fernanda Rossano.

Shuffield’s specialty of the evening was the Fall Break, a fruity, herb-filled concoction made with Woodford Reserve, orgeat, fresh lemon juice, apple bitters, and sage leaves. Rossano, meanwhile, was shaking up a spicy, cinnamony sipper called Some Like it Hot, made with Woodford Rye, chili syrup, bitters (aromatic and citrus), and lemon-lime peel.

Between drinks, guests — including Kate Eom, Chris Roclevitch, Praya Persaud, Stephen Long, Brenda and Byron Lawrence, Kate Luthuy, Ken Bardsley, Casi Cleavelin, and Kristi Miller — sampled tasty bites like warm brie en croute with port-poached figs and pulled pork quesadilla with avocado crema from Food Glorious Food, before finally settling into their seats for the tasting.

After a quick video showing the Woodford Reserve distilling process, Tamara Piontkowsky began the class. The interactive tasting included samples of Woodford Reserve, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, and Woodford Reserve Rye, paired with everything from aged cheese, toasted nuts and citrus, to dark chocolate, dried cranberries, and sorghum as a way to train your palate to identify the flavors in every sip. Given that Woodford Reserve has more than 200 flavors, that’s no easy feat.

In between tastings, participants also learned about the distilling process itself, as well as the history of Woodford Reserve, which was founded by Elijah Pepper in 1812 and is one of Kentucky’s oldest and smallest distilleries.

While sipping bourbon is fun and all, the night was made even better knowing that all proceeds from the evening benefited Mankind, a Dallas-based nonprofit that promises to help save lives and end suffering from prostate cancer by encouraging men to receive annual tests and help research scientists find a cure for prostate cancer. That is something we can all raise our glasses to.

Michael Garcia, Bob Ryan, Stan Garcia

Photo by WJNPHOTO

Michael Garcia, Bob Ryan, Stan Garcia

charity drinks fundraisers

Cocktail Time

Where to drink in Dallas: 7 holiday drink specials for December

Courtesy photo

Festive drinking at the Miracle Bar.

Dallas in December is brimming with holiday festivities, and that includes cocktails: from over-the-top pop-up bars to extravagantly priced cocktails to drinks with a festive Christmas theme.

We're covering all that and more in this edition of Where to Drink, our monthly column recommending the best places to have to drink in Dallas:

The Charlotte
American bistro and bar recently opened on Henderson Avenue has three specialty holiday cocktails starting at $14. There's a butterscotch espresso martini with Revel Stoke Butterscotch, Baileys Espresso Cream, and espresso; cranberry paloma, with Don Julio tequila, grapefruit, cranberry, and a splash of Squirt; and a twist on hot chocolate. Called The Charlotte's hot chocolate, it features house-made cocoa with red wine and Mozart Dark Chocolate liqueur. The space has also been decorated with red hanging ornaments and wreaths and bows on the walls to enhance the holiday vibe.

The Mansion Bar
Don't come to this swanky bar inside the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek if you're looking for a happy hour. For holiday high-rollers they have a crazy special “Elf on the Top Shelf” menu of four cocktails priced at $75 each — not kidding. There's the Evergreen Elixir with Macklowe Gold Whiskey, L.N.Mattei Cap Corse Rouge Quinquina, and Fot-Li Vermut; the Midwinter Manhattan with High West A Midwinter Night's Dram Rye Whiskey, Alessio Vermouth di Torino Rosso, and Angostura Bitters; the Golden Hearth with Casa Del Sol Angel’s Reserve Añejo Tequila, prickly pear cordial, lime, orange bitters; and the Shiver & Shine with Belvedere 10 Organic Vodka, Mulassano Vermouth di Torino Bianco, and orange bitters.

Miracle at Aussie Grind
Australian-inspired cafe in Frisco has transformed into a “Miracle” pop up bar with a variety of specialty cocktails including the Christmasaurus, a tropical drink with pineapple rum, mezcal, apricot liquor, coconut milk, and coffee; Rudolph’s Replacement, with vodka, coffee liqueur, orange curacao, chai syrup, almond milk, and aromatic bitters; and hot buttered rum. True to form for a Miracle bar, the drinks come in collector cups like Santa pants and boots that can be purchased. The drinks range from $16-$18.

Omni PGA Frisco
Resort and PGA District has holiday-themed cocktails at six of its dining outlets through December. Trick Rider has a Pecan Manhattan with Brown Butter Woodford Reserve, Carpano Antica, pecan bitter and candied pecan. The Ice House has Bourbon & Bells with Bourbon, apple, cinnamon, and torched rosemary; Lounge By Topgolf has Down the Chimney, with Jameson Irish Whiskey, Baileys Original Irish Cream, vanilla ice cream, and Oreo. The Lookout has a Sugar Plum Sparkler featuring an edible shimmer, Gingerbread Old Fashioned, and Milk & Cookies, with espresso martini mix and Baileys Irish Cream.

Red Lobster
Seafood chain is cutting us a break with a newly launched weekday Happy Hour from 3-6 pm featuring $5 drink specials and $2 off select starters. Drink specials include margarita, Long Island iced tea, Tito's Twisted Strawberry Lemonade, 14-ounce Blue Moon draft, 14-ounce Bud Light draft, 6-ounce Mark West pinot noir, and six-ounce Ecco Domani pinot grigio. Discounted starters include lobster flatbread, seafood-stuffed mushrooms, crab queso, lobster dip, and mozzarella cheese sticks.

Sanjh
Indian restaurant in Irving has four holiday drinks with wonderfully exotic flavors: The Autumn Old Fashioned has Bulleit bourbon, amaretto, maple syrup, and almond flakes; Golden Glow has turmeric-infused Ketel One vodka, velvet falernum, and orange bitters; Harvest Spritz has Tanqueray gin, spiced cranberry syrup, lime, and cranberry dust; and the Negroni Royal has jasmine tea-infused Tanqueray, saffron-infused Campari and rose petal-kissed sweet vermouth. Cocktails are $16.

Very Merry Village at The Village Dallas
Mixed-use community in East Dallas is hosting a pop-up on the second floor of The Village Country Club Wednesday-Sunday until December 29, all decked out with Christmas trees. The menu has seven festive cocktails, including Mrs. Claus’ cranberry spritz, with La Marca Prosecco, cranberry juice, and ginger beer; Santarita, with Patron Reposado, Raspberry Liqueur, Cointreau, Agave, Lime; and a salted caramel espresso martini. There’s also a selection of draft and canned beers, wine, and champagne. Drinks range from $12-$14. Entry is free.

cocktails holidays where-drink