The third annual Bacon and Bourbon, a celebration of two of America’s most sought after flavors, is scheduled to return to Memminger Auditorium in Charleston, South Carolina, from 6 to 11:30 p.m. on February 20. The event has become a winter festival favorite among local food and bourbon lovers alike.
“We are thrilled to have chefs from 12 local restaurants joining representatives from 25 local and national distilleries to bring original bacon and bourbon pairings to this festive event,” says Rebecca Gosnell, the creator and producer of Bacon and Bourbon. “These are chefs who are devoted to bacon debauchery, and are giving it their all to surprise and delight the taste buds of event goers throughout the evening.”
As the chefs’ menus continue to roll in for the 2016 affair, Gosnell takes us down a bacon-fueled memory lane. “We’ve seen bacon-infused cotton candy, pork belly lollypops, chili smoked duck bacon, spiced chocolate-bourbon truffles, and so many other intriguing offerings.” Gosnell notes that the small plates will be complex and substantial compared to what guests might expect.
It’s hard to say who is the star when comparing bacon to bourbon, but chefs and mixologists are working hard to upstage each other. Local and national distilleries will be serving up delicious cocktails and straight samples for the purists in the crowd. After a wild success in 2015, the rare bourbon bar (cash bar) will return with an incredible collection of rare and hard to find bourbons, including: Blood Oath, Elijah Craig 23, Old Forrester Birthday, Blowhard 26, Rhetoric 20, and Parker’s Heritage. The mad hunt for Pappy Van Winkle this year involved a nationwide search but the team secured 10 bottles, including 23 and 20. Those will be up for auction while the organizers plan to pour Pappy Van Winkle 15, 12, and 10 at the rare bourbon bar.
VIP guests will gain access to the event 90 minutes ahead of general admission ticket holders, including a $10 credit at the rare bourbon bar. All 400 VIP Preview tickets have been sold and the remaining tickets are expected to sell out prior to the event.
General admission for Bacon and Bourbon is $75. This all-inclusive ticket features unlimited bacon-centric samples from the restaurants and bourbon from all 25 distilleries, including Buffalo Trace, Bulleit, Virgil Kaine, and more. Guests will be treated to laser skeet shooting, mechanical bull rides, the Smithfield Bacon Bar, and live entertainment by Strung Like a Horse, Sunflowers & Sin, and Honeysmoke. The participating restaurants include Burwell’s, Graze, Southerly, Poogan’s Smokehouse, The Granary, Swig & Swine, Cherrywood BBQ, Barsa, Ruth’s Chris, and more.
A portion of event proceeds benefit the hunger prevention initiatives of the Junior League of Charleston.
