Moonshine Madness at Bourbon House and Beyond

Moonshine Madness at Bourbon House and Beyond

Steve Schul and Paul Zablocki (Cocktail Buzz) ply their love for cocktails, mixology, and food pairings on their Web site, Cocktail Buzz and their blog "Buzzings" with videos that offer demonstrations of cocktail/appetizer pairings, recipes for meals to follow your cocktail, as well as a reviews of cocktail bars and restaurants in NYC and other cities.

Piedmont Distillers, the producer of the hand-crafted Catdaddy and Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon Carolina Moonshines, has paired up with Dickie Brennan's world-famous Bourbon House to bring you a spirited lunch. Yes, a spirited lunch at which you can celebrate all your happinesses (or drown all your sorrows) in a beguiling batch of 'shine cocktails while chomping on a little of delectable Southern cuisine.

catdaddyjunior-johnsons-midnight-moon1
Marrying Moonshine and Southern Cuisine

Joe Michalek, Founder of Piedmont Distillers, give s the raison d'etre for the marriage: "Catdaddy and Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon both have a rich history founded in America's moonshine past. But, they are two high-quality, ultra-smooth spirits. Hosting a Spirited Lunch at Tales seemed like a great way to share your story and give people a chance to experience how far moonshine has come in the last several years."

Piedmont Distillers Copper Column Still
Piedmont Distillers Copper Column Still

Last year at Tales, we stumbled into the Piedmont Distiller's Tasting Room, and tried many Midnight Moon kissed with a drop of water (it is indeed smooth, and as we later discovered, complete for infusing your favorite fruits, herbs, and spices), followed by a chaser of Catdaddy peach tea. Instantly drawn to the uniqueness of the Catdaddy (it tastes like no other flavored spirit, some likening it to cake frosting, bubble gum, and custard), we were eager to make some cocktails with it. That's where Sarah Leroy, Piedmont Distiller's Director of Marketing, comes into the picture, providing serendipity.

Sarah invited us to create three cocktails for the Bourbon House luncheon that's focusing on Southern food traditions, e.g. three of our favorites: catfish, pork, and cornbread. Add to the mix the two moonshines, and you'll find yourself fe^ted with a panoply of reimagined southern trimmings in what Piedmont Distillers and Bourbon House are calling "From Down-Home to Downtown: A Lunch Celebrating the Evolution of Southern Traditions." Says Sarah, "We're so excited to partner with Bourbon House. Chef Darin and the rest of the Bourbon House team have done an amazing job bringing to life the 'down-home to downtown' theme. The menu Chef Darin has created reinterprets southern food mainstays and compliments the flavors of Catdaddy and Midnight. I believe the menu will even include a couple of sauces and marinades made from Catdaddy and Midnight. I think we're all in for a real treat and I expect the lunch to be a fun afternoon filled with delicious food and tasty cocktails."

The Adam, to be served with corn-crusted riverside catfish, at the Bourbon House--Piedmont Distillers Luncheon.
The Adam, to be served with corn-crusted riverside catfish, at the Bourbon House--Piedmont Distillers Luncheon.

What's for Lunch?

And what a menu: The first course, corn-crusted riverside catfish fried and served with lima bean succotash and Catdaddy tartar, will be paired with a tempting variation of the bloody mary we call Adam, made with seasoned tomato water and Midnight Moon. The second course, a pork confit hash (cane syrup and Junior Johnson's Moonshine-glazed pork confit, served over hash with smoked hominy), will find itself paired with a sweet-and sour-cocktail made with Catdaddy and bourbon dubbed the Kitty Carlisle (named, of course, after the famed New Orleans native). And if that is not enough, for dessert Chef will prepare a molasses and cornmeal custard with Creole cream cheese ice cream. We're pairing this mouthful of love with The Maltese, a concoction of Catdaddy and creamy molasses.

The Kitty Carlisle, to be served with moonshine-glazed pork confit.
The Kitty Carlisle, to be served with moonshine-glazed pork confit.

Says Chef Darin, "Our menu was inspired by the roots of the moonshine business-corn and rural Southern food laid the foundation. We're incorporating foods that are associated with Appalachian cooking, and applying our own New Orleans twist . . . using the confit technique on pork, incorporating Louisiana cane syrup and creating a Creole cream cheese ice cream for the molasses and cornmeal custard. The flavor profiles of these dishes will be enhanced by Paul and Steve's moonshine cocktails."

When presented with Chef Darin's menu, we had two targets in mind. The first was obvious: the drinks had to pair well with the food. Our second goal, however, allowed us to be poetical: we wanted each cocktail to be a part of a progression of flavor sensations. So we'll begin with savory, move on to sweet and sour, and culminate with bittersweet.
Piedmont Distillers Tasting Room

The Kitty Hawk Cocktail, to be served at the Piedmont Distillers Tasting Room.
The Kitty Hawk Cocktail, to be served at the Piedmont Distillers Tasting Room.

And if you do not make it to the luncheon, but want to try some old-school alchemy applied to these new-world 'shines, then stop by the Tasting Room on Friday and we'll craft you some icy cold cocktails. You'll have four early libations to sample, some inspired by such classics as the Aviation (with cre`me de violette), Moscow Mule, and the Sidecar, and one that celebrates National Blueberry Month. Blueberries are at their peak in July, so we honor that by giving you a drink that'll honor these lovely berries bursting with their sweet, tart juice. We may even throw in another for good measure.