AN EDUCATION IN BOURBON Bourbon on Main hosts class on Kentucky spirit
By Brent Schanding, the State Journal: January 14, 2016
Pencils aren’t required for this course. There’s no homework. And the tests are actually the best part. It’s the Bourbon 101 class hosted 7 p.m. Wednesdays (*No longer running*) at Bourbon on Main, 103 W. Main Street. In this hour-long class, bar staff lead students through a blind taste test of various bourbons, while teaching them little-known facts about “America’s native spirit” that would surprise even the most seasoned connoisseur. Tourists to Kentucky’s distilleries often get exaggerated pitches from big-name bourbon makers, said Audra Tackett, the bar manager for Bourbon on Main who leads the class. It’s no surprise, Tackett said, since the bourbon industry took the marketing efforts to new levels by inventing the concept of “branding.” But Tackett tries to take students behind a bourbon bottle’s story. This Wednesday, Tackett regaled students with the tale of George Remus, a Cincinnati lawyer who dodged government regulators during Prohibition. “His story is so crazy it doesn’t have to be exaggerated,” she said. The lavish multi-millionaire built an empire bootlegging bourbon in an elaborate trafficking scheme, until authorities finally captured and jailed him in 1927. His wife divorced him, his business collapsed and although he lost his livelihood, George Remus became the inspiration for the title character of The Great Gatsby. He’s now celebrated on a bottle of small-batch bourbon that shares his name. “The goal of the class is to make it more of a conversational setting instead of me lecturing,” said Tackett. “We want to become a place that’s educational — not just a place to drink.” While Tackett says Bourbon on Main gets a number of locals and visiting bourbon tourists, teaching them about the history of bourbon is the key to building its culture. “The class was better than a tour of a distillery because it’s more one-on-one,” said Joey Schwamb, who sampled bourbons Wednesday in Tackett’s class. “It’s important for all Kentuckians to know the history of bourbon.” If you bourbon, they will come Frankfort/Franklin County is already imbedded in its bourbon roots and many are working to broaden its exposure. Downtown bars stock dozens of premium bourbons, and local places like Serafini, Capital Cellars and the bar at the Capital Plaza Hotel have become hotspots for travelers along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The trail is a network of state distilleries — including Four Roses, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Town Branch, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve — that welcome professionally- and self-guided tourists. While Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort is not officially a part of the state’s Bourbon Trail, it’s still a popular stopover for tourists who make the trek. The State Journal reported this week that the Frankfort distillery ended 2015 with a record number of visitors, entertaining 145,849 guests — an increase of 18 percent over the previous year. Since the end of 2009, Buffalo Trace has seen 190 percent growth in visitation, according to reports from the distillery. “Our Visitor Center expansion was completed last spring, just in time for a very busy summer and fall,” said Meredith Moody, marketing services director. “Between the expansion, the opening of our Old Taylor House, the completion of our new technologically advanced 83,000 square foot distribution center and the additional 282 acres of land we purchased to start our own farm-to-table bourbon, we’ve had very eventful year at Buffalo Trace Distillery.” While Buffalo Trace already capitalizes from its proximity to other state distilleries, it could experience a boon from another emerging venture. The OId Taylor Distillery in Millville, about 9 miles south of Frankfort, is already in the process of a revival and is expected to draw thousands of more bourbon tourists to the Frankfort area. National Distillers shuttered the historic distillery in 1972 after it purchased the site from Jim Beam. Old Taylor’s castle-like structure and expansive grounds were abandoned for years, but is now being restored by new owners who plan to revive it as a fully operational distillery. The new owners reportedly plan to distill at least two bourbons, an American malt whiskey and four different gins. Check below to see how Bourbon on Main makes The Sazerac. |
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RED, WHITE AND REVIEW
Bourbon on Main's
Chef Anthony Peluso
spills the beans on his red beans and rice recipe

By Casey Roberts, Special to The State Journal Published: January 2, 2016 6:00AM
At Bourbon on Main, Chef Anthony Peluso produces all original recipes with a rotation of dishes highlighting seasonal favorites. He has been cooking his entire life, and after his time as a professional photographer, he decided to follow his passion for cooking and enrolled in the culinary school Johnson and Wales University. Chef Peluso prides himself in making everything from scratch, using local produce and taking advantage of Kentucky Proud products. When asked about his motivation as a chef, he said, “I like making people happy.”
Ingredients
Green pepper
Onion
Celery
Kidney beans
Andouille sausage
White rice
*Portions of the above ingredients are kept top-secret. Dabble with your own culinary abilities and see how closely you can replicate this dish (or how uniquely you can make your own). You can sample this for $9.95 at Bourbon on Main.
Preparation
Chef Peluso begins by sweating the green pepper, celery and onion in a sauté pan. He then adds pork stock, reduces it slightly and adds the ingredients into a pot of kidney beans. As the mixture cooks, Peluso adds Andouille sausage, some of his own Cajun spices, and allows the flavors to fuse together.
Before serving, a helping of the bean mixture is tossed in a pan with cooked white rice. The finished dish is pleasantly presented and served with slices of toasted baguette. The flavor is light yet substantial, savory and with the perfect amount of spice without being too hot. The toasted bread is perfect for soaking up the sauce.
Bourbon on Main is located at 103 W. Main St. This dish costs $9.95.
At Bourbon on Main, Chef Anthony Peluso produces all original recipes with a rotation of dishes highlighting seasonal favorites. He has been cooking his entire life, and after his time as a professional photographer, he decided to follow his passion for cooking and enrolled in the culinary school Johnson and Wales University. Chef Peluso prides himself in making everything from scratch, using local produce and taking advantage of Kentucky Proud products. When asked about his motivation as a chef, he said, “I like making people happy.”
Ingredients
Green pepper
Onion
Celery
Kidney beans
Andouille sausage
White rice
*Portions of the above ingredients are kept top-secret. Dabble with your own culinary abilities and see how closely you can replicate this dish (or how uniquely you can make your own). You can sample this for $9.95 at Bourbon on Main.
Preparation
Chef Peluso begins by sweating the green pepper, celery and onion in a sauté pan. He then adds pork stock, reduces it slightly and adds the ingredients into a pot of kidney beans. As the mixture cooks, Peluso adds Andouille sausage, some of his own Cajun spices, and allows the flavors to fuse together.
Before serving, a helping of the bean mixture is tossed in a pan with cooked white rice. The finished dish is pleasantly presented and served with slices of toasted baguette. The flavor is light yet substantial, savory and with the perfect amount of spice without being too hot. The toasted bread is perfect for soaking up the sauce.
Bourbon on Main is located at 103 W. Main St. This dish costs $9.95.
HISTORIC GRANT WINNERS ANNOUNCED
City offers funds to preliminary winners in Historic Preservation Grant Program By Seth Littrell, Published: December 28, 2015 8:20AM state journal Historic grant winners Residential: Jason Delambre – 114 Shelby St. Elizabeth Walsh – 514 Wapping St. Anna Rosen – 417 Wapping St. Diana Cassidy – 308 Ewing St. John Gillig – 120 West Todd St. Commercial: First United Methodist Church – 211 Washington St. Andrew Bernard – 332 Capital Ave. Crumbaugh Properties – 210 Broadway St. Taylor Marshall – 103 W. Main St. Scot Walters – 241-243 W. Main St. Edward Kelsey – 320 W. Main St. Robert Kirkman – 235 W. Main St. The City of Frankfort has announced the preliminary winners of grant funds for the second year of its Historic Preservation Grant Program. This year, $50,000 in grant funding was distributed to the owners of 12 residential and commercial properties in the downtown area. Qualifying applicants were selected at random Dec. 21 by city staff until grant funding ran out. Because of the random nature of the drawing one residential and one commercial project were only partially funded. The program was created to help property owners in local historic districts (where codes are stricter) restore property exteriors, according to Community Relations and Grants Manager Rebecca Hall. The city had a total of 33 qualifying applicants this year. “We have contacted owners of fully or partially funded projects and are awaiting their acceptance of grant funds,” Hall said. “If owners of funded projects reject funding or fall out of the program, staff will contact other applicants based on what order their project was drawn.” In 2014 three grants were awarded for $10,000 with a required 50/50 match for a total project cost of $20,000. All three of those projects have been completed successfully. The minimum project cost is $5,000 with a match grant of $2,000 and projects totaling $20,000 or more will qualify for the maximum $8,000 grant. Essentially, selected applicants who invest $5,000 on exterior improvements will receive a $2,000 check after the project is complete; owners who invest $10,000 will receive a $4,000 check after the project is complete, and those who invest $20,000 or more will receive an $8,000 check after the project is complete. However, the projects do have deadlines to meet in order to maintain the grants. “Permits must be issued by May 1, 2016, for each project,” Hall said. Once a permit is issued, the grant recipient has about a year to complete the project. |