Woodford Reserve found a delicious way to warm everyone up from the December cold: a whiskey tasting whose proceeds benefit a very important charity.
Cocktail enthusiasts packed into The Parador Monday night to sip, swirl, and learn about this vaunted Kentucky bourbon.
The $25 entry fee to The Art of Making Whiskey provided more than a guided lesson on Woodford's distilling process; a sampling of pork belly, sausage, and sides from Roegels BBQ; and a selection of whiskey cocktails mixed by three of Houston's top bartenders. It also raised funds for Mankind, a nonprofit organization dedicated to prostate cancer research and awareness.
Older Aguilar of El Big Bad, Caleb Gutierrez of Stones Throw, and Judith Piotrowski of Weights and Measures shook up the tasty drinks, which ranged from sweet to smoky to citrus-infused. The affable bartenders were more than willing to explain their techniques, some of which looked as though they came straight from a science lab.
The learning continued as Woodford Reserve representative Greg Szajna taught the crowd how to detect different notes in two of the brand's principal whiskeys. A handy placemat reinforced the newfound knowledge — or at least made it easier to remember the next morning.
Spotted in the crowd were Shawn Bermudez, Kristina Hahn, Rachael Wright, Rex Nielsen, Courtney Giles, Ashley Ellerin, Samuel Le, Crista Faith Castro, Teresa Grim, Rachel Good and Teague Harris, along with Cheryl Gibbs, Terry Williams, Stephanie Maxwell, Nick Talamantes, Patrick Naylon, Joseph Savana and Laura Schroeder.
Caleb Gutierrez of Stone's Throw.
