Signature Spirit

This American bourbon was doing craft cocktails long before they were cool

Try an Old Forester Manhattan at your next get-together.

Photo courtesy of Old Forester

Craft cocktails are wildly popular these days, and there are quite a few bourbon aficionados out there who will tell you all about the “best” bourbon on the market — and the best way to drink it.

But none is quite like Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon. It not only helped usher in the first bourbon boom, but also has stood the test of time to take center stage in America’s current obsession with the spirit.

Old Forester has led the industry through the 20th and 21st centuries. A rich history — it is the only bourbon still available today to be distilled by its maker before, during, and after Prohibition — makes it all the more appealing to connoisseurs who appreciate the workmanship that goes into making every bottle.

Each Old Forester style is crafted in barrels that have been made exclusively for the bourbon brand. At the Brown-Forman Cooperage, coopers make barrels by hand, and the care that goes into each barrel helps create a consistency that Old Forester drinkers have come to know and love. The Brown-Forman Cooperage is the only cooperage making new barrels that is owned by a major whiskey distiller, and coopers take their job very seriously.

When you enjoy Classic Old Forester 86 Proof, you taste the difference. The bourbon has a sweet scent, with hints of tobacco leaf, vanilla, mint, and a touch of oak. On the tongue, it’s sharp at first and softens quickly, delighting the senses with spicy yet subtle vanilla and light orange notes. Finally, it finishes warm, with a gentle sweetness quite unlike any other.

Whether you enjoy Old Forester straight up, on the rocks, or in a Manhattan, Old Forester is sure to please. Here’s a Manhattan recipe from Old Forester Master Bourbon Specialist Jacquelyn Zykan:

2 ounces Old Forester Signature
0.75 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a cherry, and enjoy responsibly.

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Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky, 43-50% Alc. by Volume, Brown-Forman Distillers Company, Louisville, KY.

PLEASE SIP OLD FORESTER RESPONSIBLY.

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.

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

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