Good times, good friends and good bourbon all rolled into the 2nd annual New Orleans Bourbon Festival. This 3-day event not only gives you an excuse to drink bourbon all day, but to learn all you ever wanted about the history, tasting, pairings, women in bourbon and more with the help of seminars and keynote speakers.
Their mission: “To provide our attendees with an opportunity to enjoy exceptional bourbon and cuisine surrounded by the charm and culture of New Orleans.”
This is the opportunity to explore the wonders of New Orleans as some events are spread throughout the city. The official headquarters will be stationed at Le Meridan Hotel with excursions to different restaurants or the Contemporary Art Center. Make sure to keep a tight leash on where each session is.
Now, we know that bourbon can be unpredictable so we decided to break down the 3-day festival, so you know what to expect before the all-day tastings begin.
Day one, skip the happy hour and head over to one of their bourbon dinners. The dinners are hosted at individual restaurants with menus that pair with your favorite bourbon for a true bourbon and New Orleans cuisine experience. Later in the night, there will be bourbon & burlesque with Trixie Minx at their VIP Welcome Party at the Le Meridan Hotel.
*The restaurants included are:
Bulleit & M Bistro at the Ritz-Carlton
Presented by The Whiskey Chicks
Jim Beam & Cochon
Presented by Fred Booker Noe III & Freddie Noe.
Tickets are $150
Maker’s Mark & Palace Cafe
Presented by Rob Samuels
Heaven Hill & Cavan
Presented by Denny Potter & Bernie Lubbers
Tickets are $100
Four Roses & Kenton’s
Presented by Master Distillery Brent Elliot
Wild Turkey & Calcasieu Ball Room
Presented by Eddie & Bruce Russell
From 7:15-10:15 p.m.
Bulleit & Desi Vega’s Steakhouse
Presented by Bulleit Bourbon
Sazerac & Toups South
Presented by Kris Comstock
*The dinners are on March 8th, starting at 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted, and cost $130, unless otherwise stated.
The second day starts at 10 a.m., a perfectly ok time to start tasting bourbon, after all, it is just a taste. The day kicks off with general and tasting seminars, with the last one at 3 p.m. Some of these seminar feature bourbon mixology, the boundaries of bourbon, the discovery of bourbon Pompeii at Buffalo Trace, uncut bourbons, and more. After you’ve learned a thing or two about bourbon, and tasted a thing or two, you can head over to listen to keynote speaks from Jim Beam, then go to the grand tastings for the final sip of the night.
Hopefully, you didn’t drink too much the day before, because the final day’s events begin at 10 a.m. with a seminar on the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, a keynote speaker from Maker’s Mark and a tasting seminar about bitters, infusions, syrups, and shrubs. After the first event, the day is jammed back with tasting seminars featuring bourbon & cigar pairings, a high-proof sampling of bourbon, bourbon & food pairings and more. Finish off the night with a keynote speaker from Wild Turkey and a final grand tasting.
After all this, we understand if you need all of Sunday to cure your hangover, may we suggest a mimosa or bloody mary to help ease the pain. Now that we broke the festival down, it’s time to get scheduling and purchase those tickets because spots are limited and they’re filling up fast. neworleansbourbonfestival.com
