Bourbon: the Faulkner of Southern food

Ah, bourbon... there is nothing quite like it. Being the design nerd that I am, I'm always looking for attractive packaging and handsome label design - my favorites run the gamut from popular brands to the tiniest Kentucky distilleries.

"If it’s not your libation of choice, your father drank it, or your mother cooked with it, simply calling it whiskey, or your grandfather had a secret eggnog recipe calling for bourbon poured with a heavy hand." - Roy Blount Jr.

On 4 May 1964, the United States Congress recognized Bourbon Whiskey as a "distinctive product of the United States." The Federal Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits that bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn, distilled to no more than 160, aged in new, charred oak barrels, and may not be introduced to the barrel at higher than 125 proof.

"It would be a challenge to find a Southerner without a good bourbon story." - Roy Blount Jr.



“Bourbon does for me what that piece of cake did for Proust.” - Walker Percy

Any well-appointed bar includes a bottle of good bourbon for old fashioneds, mint juleps, or a simple bourbon and coke. Highball glasses are recommended for bourbon on the rocks. The debate continues on whether or not you should crush your mint leaves in a julep, I personally like them crushed.

Southern Cocktails, amazon.com. Bird cocktail shaker, Well-Appointed House. Cloth cocktail napkins, plumparty.