The Pitch‘s Bacon & Bourbon 2017 crowns its Whiskey Wars winner

As honorifics go, “Lord of the Whiskey Wars” is pretty badass. So it’s no surprise that Sean Sobel isn’t ready to cede — or even share — that title anytime soon. For the second time in the event’s two-year history, the MO Brew manager and bartender took first prize at Bacon & Bourbon’s cocktail competition, this time with an elaborate concoction called the Devil’s Pie. The drink itself was amazing enough, with Granny Smith apples (pressed by MO Brew’s neighbor Just Juice) and cinnamon sticks infused for a week in Crown Royal Vanilla, but the savory-sweet dust around the rim (hickory-smoked bacon blended with raw sugar) proved winningly addictive.

After trying all seven Whiskey Wars entries (uniformly excellent), we started mixing/matching them with other samples. For example, a shot of 118-proof Holladay White Dog moonshine fit nicely into the fruity Royal Bayou, a blend of Crown Royal Vanilla, amaretto, cranberry juice and pineapple juice offered by the Pleasant Valley bar Mustang Sally’s. This combo was colorful, flavorful and highly efficient, if not quite the elegant alchemy on display from, say, Grunauer’s Esther Wetzel and Julep’s David Fleming.

Technically, the restaurants at Bacon & Bourbon weren’t competing with one another, but there were still plenty of winners in terms of word of mouth. Rosso’s pulled-pork taco (“Wrapped with bacon, stuffed with bacon,” came the siren’s call from its table) dominated conversation, as did the Homesteader Café’s BLT Mac and Cheese (bacon, spinach, tomato, aged white cheddar), the kind of hearty, filling treat that can be a real stomach-saver at liquor-tasting events.

Late in the evening, festivalgoers started gravitating toward Blip Coffee and dessert items from Blue Bird Bistro and Trago. “It’s a bacon-bourbon jam, on a puff pastry, with icing like a toaster strudel,” explained Trago chef-owner Kandi Kerns. “So simple, but so terrible — like, a million calories in a single bite!” Clearly this is one of those cases when terrible meant delicious.

Besides, there’s no need to count calories at Bacon & Bourbon: It’s dietitian-approved! Heidi Phillips, former Frogpond singer and ‘90s local-rock icon turned nutrition expert, gave the event a thumbs up when we talked to her near the Crane Brewing table. “Everything in moderation,” she said, beer in hand.