WHISKEY AND FOOD

Hope is on the horizon and so it’s time to plan the ultimate gathering

Peggy Noe Stevens dreams up the perfect Bourbon gathering

He was cranky with my natural early rise in the morning (around 5:30am), but my husband knew that this day was different for me, so just turned over and said, “Have fun”. It was my day to plan and execute the long-awaited Bourbon dinner party that I have missed so terribly during the Covid-19 haze of minimal, scarcity and limited. Those three words are not in my vocabulary when entertaining friends and family. Instead, the abundance for which I entertain stretches the guest experience from the very moment they pull into the driveway and then the Bourbon starts flowing from glass-to-glass.

I prepared the guest list carefully, but most certainly indulged over the 10-person maximum given constantly during the shutdown. Knowing so, I explore the whereabouts of my tables and chairs that I blanket on the patio to hold multiple guests. The guest list is the first element to decide

and the vehicle to which I create my theme. No doubt a mini Bourbon extravaganza in my own mind, but this particular party theme created said it all, “Let’s cause a stir in 2021” party suggesting the interactive moments for which we all participate in cocktail making and Bourbon tastings. Each invited guest sends me their favorite cocktail recipe and dream Bourbon to taste and if the Bourbon gods are good to me, I hunt them down along with the ingredients for each cocktail.

Receiving the myriad of suggestions is truly the fun part of their RSVP and so begins determining the décor. Bright colors and prop selections for my bar and tables is only fitting, as the bleak 2020 pales now in comparison to the future. Did I mention bars? Possibly I meant bar stations spread throughout the house containing ingredients that I sourced locally to support my community and displaying each cocktail recipe that they can create and savor during the party. Never forgetting the welcome cocktail served on my best copper platter and standing at the door as they arrive in proverbial droves, excited to be with actual humans and chat over their bodacious sips of my batch Manhattans. No more single drink making for me in 2021. It’s time to share.

With music blaring throughout the house and patio with my favorite playlists in queue, I notice a few friends already tapping their feet to the beat as if the music uplifted them into immediate party mode. After all, where was dancing for the last year?

Never to disappoint, a plethora of appetizers await them, cleverly posting them as pairings at each bar station, so the curious tasters could have a little soft adventure. The very sound of chatter and laughter filling my house is a welcome sound, one that I missed terribly when stepping into a crowded bar. There is a camaraderie with sharing a drink, a social engagement, an ultimate hospitality that once again sounds.

After much noshing and stirring of cocktail making and tastings, we meander outside to the dinner tables set with seasonal and ornamental flowers that add an additional pop of color and casual elegance. Strung lights on the patio halo the night, anticipating a very late evening because we have no boundaries, or curfews.

A welcome gift sits at each place setting adorned with ribbon tied around cellophane bags full of my favorite local candy shop’s Modjeskas (caramels with marshmallow) to savor when they depart or add to their prepared dessert ensemble. Admittedly, even though I fully prepared the appetizers, I bring in my favorite caterer to prepare dinner and continue the support that the food service industry so desperately needed during the shutdown. Pairing the three-course meal with some of the Bourbon selections, I speak to each flavor and chef creation for full appreciation and edutainment, encouraging my friends to dissect the flavors and enjoy the ride. The tasting Bourbon bottles are intertwined with the centrepiece so they may inspect the labels and learn to admire the

My dream of entertaining in my home will come to fruition and so will yours

packaging that our craft distillers labor over for consumers.

THE MENU

Welcome cocktail: Batched Manhattans

• 36 ounces Bourbon

• 12 ounces sweet vermouth

• 24 dashes Angostura bitters

• Cherries to garnish

First course: Tender Bib lettuce drizzled with citrus balsamic dressing and dark cherries with pistachio and fried goat cheese With: Hotel Tango Reserve 6 Years Old (the Hotel Tango 6-year reserve casts oral notes that are perfect for the rst course and then delves into that beautiful cherry note on the taste. Pure balance of the cherry while slight notes of anise dance alongside the depth of the balsamic spike.)

Second course: Sliced Asian beef tenderloin with a sesame sprinkle and soy dipping sauce With: Johnny Drum (Johnny Drum adds just the right caramel notes to blanket over that spike of soy and Asian in uence. It rounds out and tames the dipping sauce into a synergistic ensemble.)

ird course: Homemade granny smith apple cobbler with brown sugar crumbled topping and cinnamon whip cream

With: Blue Run (Distinct spice character wrapped with sweet caramel and brown sugar overlay. Crisp textures of warm stone fruits and candied apple. is 113 proof 13-year-old orchestrates perfectly with this dessert.)

Taking our time to visit the landscape of avors for each course we come to the grand nale of the meal. A dessert that is served on special cuts of charred barrel staves to make a statement and pay homage to the barrel, as the last selection and pairing is a barrel strength Bourbon. Top it o with a round of cigars curated by Maggie Kimberl (a true cigar a cionado) the guests complete the last course then rise and gather around a pre-lit camp re in the back yard. Freedom of choice and freedom in general is encouraged if they care to sit or walk the grounds of the yard.

Magically the tables are pushed back after plate clearing to provide the dance oor under the halo and the music turns up a notch for those that care to join me. Truly, if you can’t dance at your own party, why bother?

When the close of the evening begins and guests begin to scatter, I give my usual Southern-italian hug like never before to each guest, showing my appreciation for their time well spent in my home… together. Cheers to 2021 and let’s all cause a stir!

Unexpectedly, I hear a ringing sound that continues until my husband says, “Hey, you actually slept in for once. It’s 6:30am.” It was only then that I realized I was dreaming. Better days are most certainly ahead, and our time together will be just that, time together! My dream of entertaining in my home will come to fruition and so will yours. Anticipate and plan your next Bourbon party with unabashed gusto and, of course, plenty of Bourbon on hand.