"BourbonHeritageMonth" news and stories

In 1964, Congress confirmed that bourbon whiskey is distinctly American, like Scotch whisky is distinctly from Scotland. Several years later on August 2, 2007, Senator Jim Bunning from Kentucky got the joy of seeing a resolution he sponsored get passed: Bourbon as "America's Native Spirit" and September declared National Bourbon Heritage Month.

Although federal regulations do not require bourbon to be made in Kentucky -- yes, 'tis true that it only has to be made in the United States -- most bourbon whiskey is produced in the Bluegrass State. The city of Bardstown, Kentucky, is hosting the Kentucky Bourbon Festival this week from September 14-19. Since 1991, the festival has been celebrating the history and art of distilling bourbon with barrel-making demonstrations, concerts, distillery tours, and classes on cooking and making cocktails with bourbon. Last year's festival attracted 55,000 people from 43 states and 13 countries.

Each year at the Bourbon Festival, Kentucky bartenders from regional restaurants, bars and distilleries compete for the honor of having their cocktail featured for the next year's festival. The following drink recipe is the winner of the official drink for this year's Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

Wouldn't this be better with bourbon? Photo: flickr, rick

A Louisville area pizzeria won't let a lack of hard-liquor license damper its Bourbon Heritage Month fun.

For the second consecutive year, Tony Boombozz pizzeria is saluting the state's leading spirit with bourbon pizza, a corn-liquor variation on the standard barbecued chicken pie.

According to the snack's rapidly evolving lore, Four Roses master distiller Jim Rutledge first nudged Tony Palmobino, who owns the four-outlet gourmet pizza chain, to create the pie at last year's Kentucky Bourbon Festival. He tinkered with a few concepts before settling on the bourbon-and-bacon concoction.

"We use hickory-grilled chicken, applewood bacon, asiago and mozzarella cheeses and then drizzle it with a bourbon barbecue sauce," explains Cindy Anderson, who manages Tony Boombozz's beer-and-wine-only Springhurst location. "It's delicious."