dropping the hammer

Houston distillery pairs with Chris Shepherd for new charity-minded bourbon

Hammer Down is available now at Underbelly Hospitality concepts and 8th Wonder Distillery.

Photo by Morgan Rosenbaum

A Houston distillery has teamed up with one of the city's top chefs to create a new bourbon with a charitable mission. 8th Wonder has introduced Hammer Down, a new bourbon created in consultation with James Beard Award winner Chris Shepherd and the Underbelly Hospitality team.

Created by 8th Wonder co-founder and distiller Aaron Corsi from a five-year old Kentucky bourbon and a blend sourced from Indiana, Hammer Down has notes of caramel, vanilla, honey, and toasted butterscotch, according to a press release. Bourbon drinkers will find the spirit available for purchase at Spec's in Midtown, select Total Wine locations, and other area liquor stores. It will also be poured at Underbelly Hospitality concepts and other establishments in the Houston area.

Two dollars of every bottle sold will be donated to the Southern Smoke Foundation, the non-profit organization Shepherd founded that provides cash assistance to hospitality workers in crisis situations. Since 2015, Southern Smoke has distributed over $9.5 million to individuals and organizations that assist people in the food and beverage industry, including more than $6 million between March 2020 and March 2021.

“By ordering or buying Hammer Down, you’re maintaining the support system and safety net that Southern Smoke is nationwide," Shepherd said. "We hope this bourbon can be a long-term, sustainable revenue source for Southern Smoke to ensure we can continue to take care of our own — anyone in the food and beverage industry around the country who is in crisis. That’s what we’re here for.”

Hammer Down is Southern Smoke's second charity collaboration beverage. Karbach Brewing contributes $0.25 per case equivalent of Horseshoe Pilsner sold to the organization.

"Create a tasty bourbon that supports the hospitality industry by way of Southern Smoke? For all of us at 8th Wonder, it was a no brainer," 8th Wonder co-founder and president Ryan Soroka added. "We drank a lot of bourbon, and we had a lot of laughs. We can’t wait for everyone else to experience Hammer Down.”

charity cocktails fundraisers

truffle masters recap

Street corn shines at Houston's truffle-powered chef competition

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Marcus Benedict, Daniella Johner, and chef Luis Roger of MAD and BCN.

One of Houston’s top Mexican restaurants took the top prize at this year’s Truffle Masters competition. Victoria Elizondo, chef-owner of Cochinita & Co., bested 24 other Houston chefs with Elotitos, corn brushed with chiltepin aioli, dusted with seven chile spice, and finished with shaved truffles and Parmesan.

“The team killed it last night,” Elizondo wrote on Instagram. “We won 1st place at @thetrufflemasters all while having fun and cooking with love! Food doesn’t need to be fancy, it just needs to be made with corazón!”

The attention couldn’t have come at a better time. As CultureMap reported last month, Cochinita & Co. is currently in the process of opening a second location in Lindale Park. Customers can invest in the project via the NuMarket platform in exchange for credits at the restaurant.

Second prize went to Camaraderie in the Heights for its black sesame and black truffle gelato, while Cocody, a French restaurant in River Oaks, took third place for its truffle-shaped Lollys Persillade Escargot Cromesquis, essentially an escargot lollypop with with black truffle and quail egg in the middle.

Montrose sushi restaurant Soto won People’s Choice with its Engawa fin muscle with truffle balsamic unagi sauce, kizami, and chocolate black truffle masago arare. Aniket Bhingare, a bartender at Michelin-starred restaurant Musaafer, won the cocktail competition with his Pour Me a Slice, made with truffle and herb-infused and a clarified mix of roma tomatoes, fresh basil, oregano, basil, and truffle oil.

Other standout dishes included a Yukon Gold potato with truffle brown butter from Michelin-recognized sushi restaurant Hidden Omakase, truffle s’mores from Israeli-inspired steakhouse Doris Metropolitan, beef tartare and truffle ice cream from fine dining sushi restaurant Katami, and Credence’s truffle duck sausage with plums and truffles. Maximo, a Mexican restaurant in West U., maximized (sorry) its truffle usage with a Cachetada de Barbacoa Taco, made with nixtamalized truffle tortilla, truffle-braised barbacoa, and sottocenere al tartufo cheese with black garlic-habanero salsa

More than 350 attended the sold-out affair, which took place at the Astorian events space in Sawyer Yards. The judging panel include both media members (such as this author) and hospitality pros. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the KNOWAutism Foundation.