Banter

How George Remus Kept Prohibition From Killing Bourbon

In honor of Bourbon Heritage Month I thought I would take a moment and look back on one of the darkest periods of our drinking history, the ignoble experiment known as prohibition.

Cocktails

Mississippi Punch Recipe

Falling right between International Talk Like a Pirate Day and Miniature Golf Day, it’s National Rum Punch Day! Of course this is Bourbon & Banter, not Rum & Repartee (patent pending), so we had to make sure America’s Native Spirit was in the mix.

Vintage Advertising

Schenley Bourbon Ad Circa 1950

Who better to celebrate Throwback Thursday with than Cesar Romero. And look, he’s all suited up to enjoy a glass of Schenley Bourbon in this fantastic 1950’s advertisement.

Cocktails

These Aren’t Your College Roommate’s Jello Shots

Whether you’ve been out of college a few months or a few decades, I’m sure you remember a night when you and a few Jello shots got a little too cozy, and things got out of hand. Sticky fingers, artificial colors, acrid flavors, and one hell of a hangover—sound familiar?

Cocktails

Bourbon Jam Cocktail Recipe

Several weeks ago I was contacted by a PR firm asking if Bourbon & Banter would be interested in having one of the mixologists that represented create a cocktail for Bourbon & Banter in celebration of Bourbon Heritage Month.

Food

End of Summer Ribs with Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Labor Day is over, the kids are back in school and our attention will soon be focusing on Fall. My to-do lists are starting to contain things like “choose cocktails for the Halloween party” or “plan liquor store searches for the fall bourbon allocations” or “start researching turkey recipes”.

Events

Filson Bourbon Academy Comes To St. Louis

It’s with great excitement that Bourbon & Banter announces that author and historian, Mike Veach, will be bringing his Bourbon Academy seminar to St. Louis, MO on November 9, 2013. Ever since we learned that Mike Veach was taking his Bourbon Academy on the road we wanted to get him to town. We’re pl

Banter

Friday The 13th – Don’t Drink Alone

Cocktails

Bourbon Cocktails In 1964

1964 was an interesting year for Americans. Lyndon B. Johnson was the president, millions of people attended the mid-century marvel, the New York Worlds Fair, and Bourbon was legally declared “a distinctive product of the United States”.

Food

Boozy Bourbon Cupcakes

Though I enjoy drinking Bourbon on all occasions – even when there isn’t quite an occasion to drink for – to me, Bourbon holds a special celebratory quality.

Vintage Advertising

W.L. Weller Reserve Bourbon Ad Circa 1978

Today I present to you a W.L. Weller Special Reserve bourbon ad from the groovy year of 1978. I hope people were able to decipher this one and know they were supposed to add water to their bourbon – not drink it in the rain. Don’t laugh folks. It was the 1970’s remember?

Bars

Bourbon Across America Visits Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar

Bourbon and I are old friends. We first got to know each other back in my 20′s and we’ve been enjoying each other’s company ever since. Sure, at first I thought bourbon was a little out of my league.

Banter

A Primer For Bourbon Rookies

Unless you were born a prodigy that was a natural expert at everything, you’ve been a rookie at something before.  And, as bourbon gains popularity, more people are finding themselves wanting to try bourbon but aren’t sure where to start.

Food Stuff Reviews

Thank God for Bourbon, Chocolate & Art Eatables

Long-time readers of Bourbon & Banter may recall a post I did months ago singing the praises of Art Eatables’ bourbon truffles. They were, and still are, the best bourbon chocolates I’ve ever eaten.

Banter

#BOURBON: A Toast to America’s Native Spirit

We’d like to propose a toast. An epic toast. A toast that will spread the bourbon gospel far and wide and reach those who have yet to try bourbon and fall in love. That’s right folks. I’m proposing the world’s largest Twitter toast in celebration of National Bourbon Heritage Month. Are you with me?

Vintage Advertising

Old Forester Bourbon Ad Circa 1950

What better ad to celebrate Bourbon Heritage Month with than this classic 1950’s Old Forester ad featuring the venerable Mint Julep. Whether you like Mint Juleps or not, they’re part of bourbon culture and everyone has their favorite recipe. What’s your bourbon of choice when making a Mint Julep?

Banter

When It Comes To Bourbon, Never Assume

We’ve all heard the saying, “You know what happens when you assume….”; I doubt I need to complete that statement. I recently took my girlfriend out to dinner at a very nice restaurant. Not “black tie nice”, but not somewhere you’d feel comfortable wearing a muscle shirt and board shorts.

Banter

September Bourbon Wallpaper

Since we’re celebrating National Bourbon Heritage Month in September we decided to create a special bourbon wallpaper featuring some of our favorite bourbons.

Banter

Bourbon Heritage Month Celebration

Welcome to the most amazing month of the year – National Bourbon Heritage Month. I know many folks think that Bourbon Heritage Month is one of those made-up holidays like National French Fry Day or International Hula Hoop Day but it’s not.

Banter

Meet The Bourbon & Banter Team

A little over 2 months ago I wrote a blog post entitled “Help Wanted: Seeking Bourbon Evangelists” and posted it here on Bourbon & Banter. I was looking for fellow bourbon lovers to help me write content for the blog and help spread the bourbon gospel over social media.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Big House Bourbon Review

Big House Bourbon – Whisky for those on the inside. Wow, what a great name and tagline. As a marketing professional, I have to admit that I was immediately impressed with the branding of Big House bourbon and the quality of their materials.

Banter

Kentucky Tavern Bourbon Ad Circa 1950

For some people change doesn’t come easy. If you’re one of those folks I’d like to offer my apologies. As of today, we’re going to shift our schedule for posting vintage bourbon advertisements. Instead of posting them on Friday, we’re moving to Thursdays.

Events

Great American Whiskey Fair

If you live in the Columbia, SC area or plan on traveling through the area on October 17th you need to add this event to your schedule.

Banter

All Bourbon, All The time

Do you know what’s special about September? September is National Bourbon Heritage Month. That’s right folks. An entire month dedicated to celebrating America’s “Native Spirit”.

Banter

National Whiskey Sour Day 2013

Believe it or not some people require a good reason to have a drink on a Sunday. Today’s post is for those people. Tomorrow, Sunday, August 25th is National Whiskey Sour Day.