Roasted and toasted: The Pitch‘s Bacon & Bourbon returns this week
The Pitch’s Bacon & Bourbon Festival is just what it sounds like: hog heaven.
Graphic tees, bumper stickers and Arby’s commercials agree: Everyone likes bacon. Sure, there are a few exceptions — vegetarians, people who don’t eat pork for religious reasons, most pigs). And the savory American favorite finds its perfect complement in a certain brown liquor. In fact, bacon and bourbon would already be as synonymous as coffee and doughnuts, if only more people drank bourbon with breakfast or acknowledged the awesomeness of night bacon.
Instead, it’s once again up to us to put the two together at The Pitch’s Bacon & Bourbon Festival, on Thursday, April 13, at the Guild (1621 Locust).
This is the place to sample bacon strips and bourbon sips (and creative variations on both) from A Little BBQ Joint, Crazy Good Eats, Ollie’s Local, Morning Day Café, District Pour House, Pickens Sweet Treats, Urban Café, Tom’s Town, Pinckney Bend Distillery, Holladay Distillery, Homesteader Café, Wicket & Peg, Wild Turkey and Crown Royal.
Bacon and bourbon pair well with another classic combination — drinking and voting. The second annual Whiskey Wars cocktail competition pits defending champion Sean Sobol (MO Brew) against bartenders from Grunaüer, Julep, Dempsey’s, Slick Willy’s Saloon, Mustang Sally’s and Brick House.
Here is a closer look at a few of the evening’s attractions:
Urban Café (4101 Troost)
Chef Justin Clark’s daytime eatery, which opened in January, exclusively features locally sourced, organic ingredients, so feel assured that his Asian-inspired smoked pork-belly sandwich (with pickled carrots, cilantro, cabbage and sambal mayo) will be as good for you as it is ridiculously delicious. Morning Day Café (6 East Franklin Street, Liberty) Another before-noon restaurant gets to let loose with a little bacon after dark: Morning Day Café is bringing bacon-and-egg rolls with bacon-gravy dipping sauce.
Holladay Distillery (1 McCormick Lane, Weston)
Holladay’s White Dog isn’t bourbon — it’ll be a couple of years before the resurgent distillery’s barrels are ready — but what this clear spirit lacks in age, it more than makes up for in 118-proof punch. Normally, White Dog is available only on site in Weston, so this is a rare opportunity to taste it without making a day trip.
Tom’s Town Distilling Co. (1701 Main)
Also waiting for its on-site bourbon to age is Tom’s Town, which is filling the gap with small batches of the 10-year-old bourbon it purchased and branded as Pendergast’s Royal Gold. Try it straight or in a Bittersweet Caroline cocktail (with lemon juice and grapefruit-peel-infused honey syrup).
Pickens Sweet Treats (etsy.com/shop/PickensSweetTreats)
Founded in October 2015 by sisters Nanette and Natalie Pickens, this Independence confectionary spends most weekends sweetening up regional events and festivals. It’s serving maple-bacon fudge and bacon-topped toffee.
All this, plus wine: Cooper’s Hawk is featuring samples of several varietals, including Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Rhubarb. So there’s something for absolutely everyone at Bacon & Bourbon. Even you, teetotaling vegan: We’ll see you at the Blip Coffee Roasters table.
Bacon & Bourbon is sponsored by Topgolf. Tickets are $35 (GA) and $45 (VIP); doors open at 6:30 p.m. for VIP guests and 7 p.m. for GA.
