Bourbon

On a dark and howling night I sat in a friend's home, pencil in one hand, glass in the other, and took notes on six premium bourbons.These were among the slew of better bourbons that have arrived the market recently. Sometimes called "single-barrel" or "small batch" bourbons, these are the corn whiskeys that distillers have taken extra care in producing, drawing them from selected barrels that have spent years in the middle rows of the rackhouse, the spot according to lore, where temperatures remain moderate and bourbon ages gracefully.

The Kentucky Derby, arriving seasonally as the mint is springing up, provides an excellent occasion for preparing and savoring a mint julep. So I offer you my recipe again this year. Do keep in mind that the julep is not some genteel lady's drink but a serious beverage that commands respect.  First, make sure to have decent bourbon in the house. Cheap stuff is too raw, and you probably don't want to use Booker's for this. Maker's Mark answers nicely, or Woodford Reserve if you're feeling particularly flush.  On no account use any ersatz bourbon from Tennessee.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. It sounded like a bad joke - What happens when you move the French Quarter to Jersey-only no one thought to create a punchline. I wish they had. A chuckle would have felt good last night. Instead, therewere tears during the national anthem. There were cheers throughout last night's Giants-Saints game. And there were jeers whenever the "home team" tried to make itself at home. "We hate you, Saints!" a tailgating Giants fan yelled at a pair of New Orleans' fans prior to kickoff.

NEW ORLEANS -- When the Super Bowl shows up here, stuff happens. It might have something to do with the vibe. How many cities do you know where at noontime on a weekday, someone is paid to stand outside a bar in the middle of the street and hold up a large advertising sign that says: "HUGE ... BEERS"? How many cities do you know where another person is holding up another sign outside another establishment: "WASH THE GIRL OF YOUR CHOICE"? I can only think of one. It's the city where I saw both of those things Monday.

FOR MOST imbibers, bourbon is a cool-weather beverage. In the fall, the mixed drinks, like the landscape, turn brown. But in the summer, cocktails are made with gin or vodka. Which was why one sweltering summer day I asked Frederick Booker Noe Jr., the big bubba of the bourbon world, if he ever sipped a little gin. "Gin?" He shuddered. It was no small shudder. Booker is massive in appearance and manner. His frame overflowed the sumptuous chairs in the lobby of Baltimore's Omni Hotel."Gin?"

Four snifters of pricey, artfully made bourbon sat in front of me. Then there were three, then two, then one, then none.This was a small-batch bourbon tasting, an example of America's increasing interest in bourbons that taste better and cost more than ordinary whiskeys. This was news. The ballroom in Washington's Grand Hyatt hotel was full of 200 well-dressed guests who, according to a brochure, were there to educate themselves "as to the finer points of bourbon connoisseurship."One table of sippers seemed at the top of the class.

The Rev. Francis Charles Bourbon, a Jesuit priest, former Loyola College faculty member and Baltimore City Fire Department chaplain, died Tuesday of pneumonia at Lankenau Hospital in suburban Philadelphia. He was 80. Born in Baltimore and raised on Belvieu Avenue, he was a 1944 Loyola High School graduate. He entered the Jesuit order that year and was ordained a priest June 23, 1957, by Archbishop Francis P. Keough. He joined the Loyola College faculty in 1959 and became dean of men and a theology teacher.

Yes, the bourbon surely helps, but the maraschino cherry is what gives the classic Manhattan cocktail a signature glow. Replicate that flavor, if not the mood, by cooking with bourbon. Don't worry, the alcohol burns off. Cherry juice, mixed with pomegranate, provides a fresh zip and color to this quick saute of boneless pork tenderloin finished with a shot of bourbon. Bill Daley writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis. Pork Manhattan Serves 4 -- Total time: 26 minutes 4 thin (5 ounces each)

He's a man after my own heart. Damon Lee Fowler believes a good splash of bourbon can improve just about anything. In his New Southern Kitchen (Simon & Schuster, 2002, $26), Fowler adds this magic ingredient to many of the basics of the Southern pantheon -- oysters and leeks with cream, poundcake, macerated strawberries, sauteed mushrooms -- always to good effect. With or without bourbon, however, these are appealing recipes. True, it was the pork tenderloins with bourbon-mustard glaze that spurred a cooking frenzy in my kitchen.

The camp chair went for $9.99 at Sunny's, one of these sling-back green polyester affairs that slips from a shoulder pouch and unfolds in a heartbeat, opening its arms to possibilities. Because this is America and the terrorists have not yet won, there's a cup holder at the right hand where the glass of bourbon goes. Spending so little on the chair leaves a few more dollars for a bottle worthy of the occasion, seeing as how the universe allows us in a lifetime only so many quiet summer evenings.

Home Slyce isn't a cocktail bar by any stretch of the imagination. It focuses mostly on inexpensive and tasty food, decent beer and a relaxing atmosphere for local residents and visitors alike. (And presumably will do the same at its second location, opening at 336 N. Charles St. in the next few weeks.) But sometimes a bartender, whether through boredom or inspiration, comes up with something interesting to add to the mix in the absence of a cocktail list. Cue Ricardo Vargas and his Slyce Julep, a drop-dead simple idea combining two remarkably similar drinks - the mint julep and the mojito - to create something new. The julep's Maker's Mark bourbon substituting for the mojito's white rum adds the ABV, while the remaining ingredients from both drinks - mint, lime, simple syrup and soda - come together to create a strong, sweet and tasteful beverage.

If the julep ceremonial previously described is too fussy for you, I offer a traditional drinking game from the Commonwealth.  Two people go into a room. Each has a bottle of bourbon.* They sit at leisure, drinking and talking.  When the whiskey has been consumed, one of them stands up and walks out of the room. The other tries to guess who left.    *Please, no Tennessee whiskey. 

The nerd in me says books but rest of me wants bacon. Mmm … bacon. Luke Broadwater, reporter, The Baltimore Sun A zombified Bea Arthur would add the celebrity element an event like this cries out for. Anne Tallent, editor, b Break dancing, just because. Wesley Case, reporter, b Bed, Bath & Beyond. Shopping is always more fun with a little Bourbon on board. Pick up some barware and napkins to wipe the BBQ sauce off your fingers.

Adrian Ross-Boon, head bartender at Wit and Wisdom in Harbor East, won't make you a drink - he will build you one. The bar and restaurant, located on the ground floor of the new Four Seasons hotel, adheres to the sage-like philosophy of layering flavors to ensure a distinct, high-quality taste experience. At the bar, Ross-Boon and company take the technical aspect of serving drinks to a whole new level. "We make classic cocktails the way they should be done: fresh juices daily, we make our own syrups, bitters, and infusions ... we even use cold draft ice cubes so that your drink never waters down," said Ross-Boon.

The print on the cocktail napkins at Fells Point's newest hot spot, Bond Street Social, says it all: "Socialize". The bar and restaurant, a warm, earthy, industrial lounge, is dedicated to this simple concept. "It's all about sharing", said General Manager Shane Gerken. "We're committed to that theme: from the aesthetics and design to our menus. " While the food, described as "high-end comfort" is based around the trendy small plates concept, Bond Street's social drinks, with their 80-ounce infusion jars, brings a unique new idea to the table.

This week's bar review is on Baltimore Soundstage, the music venue that replaces Mist (formerly Iguana Cantina) in the Inner Harbor. From the review : "Service is one of Soundstage's best qualities. The crowds have so far been uneven, and the bar and kitchen still haven't become fully operational. Meanwhile, the best thing that can be said about the room is that it'd be a great place to throw a homecoming dance. " Agree or disagree with the review? How was the City Paper party?

We drank beer, smoked cigars and sipped bourbon. Despite appearances, this was not a gathering of retrogrades. Well, maybe it was, but we were retrogrades with scoring sheets and pencils. That made us connoisseurs.The occasion was a beer, bourbon and cigar bash held at Cafe Tattoo, a restaurant, and yes, adjoining tattoo parlor on the 4800 block of Belair Road in Northeast Baltimore. About 30 participants forked over $20 for tickets to the tasting. I was happy to be one of them.I have been a fan of Cafe Tattoo ever since I tasted the chili made by Elayne Catalano, who, along with her husband, Rick, presides over the establishment.

BARDSTOWN, Ky. -- As visitors to California's wine country can attest, there's nothing like driving through rolling hills of beautiful greenery, making periodic stops for complimentary sips of the homegrown beverage. Which is what my friends Jeff, Kelly and I were doing - hundreds of miles from the Pacific Coast. No wine snobs we (though, truth be told, we kind of are), our little threesome was traveling the byways of Kentucky and quaffing bourbon - a real man's drink and America's native spirit.

I've got to admit, I was a little nervous watching Neil Dundee, manager/resident cocktail connoisseur at Tapas Adela, assertively select, then chop, a full jalapeno - seeds and all - to make the restaurant's signature Hot Bourbon. Then, he threw them in the glass and crushed them - "to get the jalapeno juices out" he reassured me. "You need those juices and the seeds to bring out the sweetness of the bourbon. " Maybe it was his confident smile, maybe it was the lush bar décor, maybe it was the sultry Spanish music wafting through this Fells Point tapas spot, but something made me believe him, even for a non-bourbon drinker like me. Adela's Hot Bourbon is one smooth customer.

The death of a man at the Bourbon Street Live club early Sunday morning was sadly inevitable ("Man dead, three stabbed at club," April 3.) The toxic combination of youth and alcohol, fueled by a promotional "Ladies Night," is going to eventually result in tragic circumstances. These clubs are time bombs; it's just a matter of when or where the next fatality will occur. The Sun reported that this particular club has excellent security, with guards and cameras to canvass the dance floor.