There was delicious smoke in the air at AFT bar a couple of weeks ago when Knob Creek invited a few media friends and bloggers to try our hands at mixing drinks and tasting some fine BBQ dishes.
Beam Suntory whisky ambassador Matt Jones was on hand to lead us through a tasting of Knob Creek–including their Single Barrel Reserve, Kentucky Straight Bourbon, plus Jim Beam’s Devil’s Cut, and Basil Hayden–followed by a chance to mix our own cocktails with access to all the goodies behind the bar to make it just the way we wanted.
They were all tasty, but my favorite was the Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon, although there’s something to be said for the Basil Hayden, to be sure.
Before making our own cocktails, Matt made us his take on the classic Old Fashioned with the Knob Creek Straight Bourbon, Angostura bitters, vanilla ginger infused simple syrup, and cardamom bitters. It was a perfect treat before getting started on AFT’s delicious menu for the night. They started us off with duck breast featuring a Knob Creek orange and coriander glaze that was perfectly tender and almost sweet from the glaze, followed by a spicy treat–smoked bacon-wrapped jalapeños that were stuffed with aged cheddar.
And then, there was the main course.
AFT served us sous vide buttermilk fried chicken with peach and Basil Hayden mopped baby back ribs, some cheddar corn bread, and collard greens. It was a tremendous amount of food, and it was delicious, savory, juicy, and tender. It was so big, I ended up taking some of the ribs home with me, but I enjoyed trying to finish it off.
Finally, AFT brought us Knob Creek smoked maple and vanilla-infused pudding that was topped with candied pecans and Knob Creek Smoked Maple. That finished off the meal very nicely before we finished making out cocktails.
Duck breast with Knob Creek orange and coriander glaze
So, let’s talk about those cocktails. Everyone made something almost completely different, so there was a cool mix of drink styles, and I had a front row seat for the mixing. Garrett Tonge (Twitter) made a drink he called “Breakfast” that had Knob Creek Straight Bourbon, honey-infused simple syrup from Gold Bee, ginger-infused simple syrup, ginger beer, orange bitters, sweet vermouth, Triple Sec, and an orange peel for garnish, which I thought was a clever mix.
Chenessa Lam (Twitter), who was sitting beside me, made what she called a “Citrus Splash” that used Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, grapefruit juice, orange bitters, and then a lemon peel and a mint sprig for garnish.
As for me, my cocktail changed a bit once I got up to the bar, but Matt helped me make a cocktail I called a “Jungle Lily Pad” with Knob Creek Straight Bourbon, vanilla-infused simple syrup, pomegranate blueberry juice, chocolate bitters, and a mint sprig on top that made it look like a lily pad. Honestly, I was pretty impressed as I’ve never really made my own cocktail before, but it was fantastic.
Now that I’m home with my bottle of Knob Creek, I’ve also been trying a few things, but the simplest and tastiest right now, as the cold sets in outside, is simply a spiked apple cider. Heat up apple cider on the stove with some mulling spices (cinnamon, cloves, all spice) and then serve it with a shot of Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The bourbon adds a nice twist of caramel and oak to the cider, which complements it very nicely.
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