Babes in KY Bourbon Land: Part Two

Are y’all ready for me to finally tell y’all what we did on part two of this trip! (LMAO) I’m back to finish recapping our journey along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail for our Valentine’s baecation.

Stop 1: Stitzel-Weller Distillery

We wanted an opportunity to try somewhere still in Louisville, but was open early so we could still make the drive to Frankfort for our other stops. We were lucky enough to nab a pair of early tickets for Stitzell-Weller Distillery (11 a.m. to be exact). Now, this was our first time on large bourbon distillery grounds and we weren’t quite prepared for how they look. We saw these tall ominous buildings that were covered in some black substance. It gave eerie asylum prison vibes, tbh. As we began the tour we learned those are actually rickhouses. This is where they store the barrels to age. So ironically, they were exactly where we wanted to be. The grounds had been around for many decades and we were able to tour the stillhouse where they tested out new mash bills (ingredient lists), walked inside the rickhouse and visited an original cooper’s shop where they used to repair the barrels. It was really neat to see a large facility that was well maintained from the early days. The tour ended with a tasting of course. We were able to try five different bourbons. The do distil Bulleit now on site, but they also feature in-house bourbons like Blade and Bow, I.W. Harper and Orphan Barrel. We even got a personalized bottle of Blade and Bow to take home!

Now, my Babe loves the gamification in whiskey drinking. He’s currently a Blanton’s top collector, and we learned that with the Blade and Bow brand they are packaged with small keys tied around the neck. Each key has a number and it ranges from 1-5. Once you collect all five and send them in, you receive a golden cup that is displayed onsite at the distillery. If anyone has a two key let us know. Seriously…

Stop 2: Buffalo Trace

For the second stop, we took a little drive further down the trail to Kentucky’s capital, Frankfort. Here there are another cluster of distillery stops. We definitely could not pack them all into one day, but we had to hit my Babe’s favorite, Buffalo Trace. Now, these grounds are massive! We weren’t able to do a tour because of COVID restrictions, but they still allowed tastings. Buffalo Trace is quite popular because they produce several fan favorites. Trying to get tickets online in advance were impossible, so we honestly took the risk of showing up to see what happens. Luckily, we were able to get a spot here as well! In the meantime we walked around the gift shop to stock up on items for friends. Here, people line up pretty early to score some of their rarer, more limited brands that are put out every morning. The fun is that you never know what it might be. It could be Blanton’s. It could be Pappy Van Winkle or W.L. Weller. Who knows? Unfortunately, Babe didn’t get to score one of his sought after rare finds, but was loving the experience all the same. Our tasting was nice. It was free and definitely was a little more limited in content discussed and options. You did get to try a good range of their products though. I got to get the boyfriend (now fiance) over to his bourbon Mecca, so it was good trip. And I had some bourbon vanilla ice cream that was to die for!!

Stop 3: Wild Turkey Distillery

Wild Turkey was our final stop before returning to the city. It was our most rural stop, and boy did it lend for some nice views. Wild Turkey has a beautiful modern gift shop and tasting roof that has large windows in the back that allows the light to pour in and you can see the waterway and railroad tracks. No tastings and tours were available, but the staff was very welcoming and eager to share information about not only Wild Turkey whiskeys, but also about the history of bourbon. Did you know Matthew McConaughey serves as their creative director and collaborated to produce the Longbranch brand? This was also the first time I got an explanation on the difference between bourbon and Tennessee whiskey. (Ask for yourself to find out.)

This stop ended our tour de bourbon and we made our way back to the Lou for dinner. I won’t name the restaurant because honestly I wasn’t impressed. They are Black-owned, and I want to maintain and uplifting space for Black businesses here. I do like to support and circulate dollars in the Black community on my travels. I wish them the best, just not the spot for me. I’m also still sad it was too busy for us to hit up SuperChefs for our departure breakfast. I can’t wait to go back and try again because that food looked AMAZING!

Brunch Stop: Biscuit Belly

Now you know I was getting a local brunch in the mix. We made our way over to NULU to try Biscuit Belly. I never realized that Louisville was big on biscuit restaurants. This place popped up a few times on my searches so I thought we should check in out. (Plus, now we have a Bougie Biscuit in Nap! Saves me a drive!) It’s walk up style to order and then they bring your food out to your table. There were several different options to adorn your flaky warm biscuits. For apps we had the loaded breakfast tots and the pancake corndogs. For entrees, I had the Biscuit Bennie (love a good benedict with a twist) and he had the Go Goetta Biscuit with meat and egg added. Thoroughly enjoyed the appetizers. My bennie was good, but needed a little extra kick. Overall, I’d go again. (#theBrunchQueen👑approved) Ready to see how Bougie Biscuit compares.

And that my friends, wraps up our quick road trip. We had a great time, and I always enjoy traveling with my Babe. Glad I could plan something that centered around one of his favorite pastimes, that I too have grown a much deeper appreciation for. This was also my first complete pleasure trip to Kentucky that didn’t involve the amusement park, so I’m excited to come back and see even more.

Have you been down to Kentucky? What stops do you recommend?

Happy Trails!

Britt

Hot Girls' Guide to Early Retirement (A Black Love Post)

Trigger Warning: It’s a lovey-dovey post.

Growing up I was really back and forth on if the married and family life was for me. Like most young adults in the US, I felt the effects of high divorce rates in generations' past. Witnessing that level of dysfunction honestly had me cool on the whole concept for a while. And believe me the hook-up culture and situationship-laced reality of today by no means created a brighter outlook. So what was a young Black woman to do?

In my case, I focused on the somewhat controllable—the grind. As a teen, Jesus and reality TV was all I needed. Once I graduated high school it was mission critical to secure the degrees, secure the bag. (Boy, oh boy, that’s a gag. Post for another time.). That’s really what people around me were coaching me to do. Stay young and unattached so I can move full steam into my dreams. And that’s what I did. I did the school thing, began my career, started traveling and brunching it up. I got comfortable answering to just myself, my God and my bank account.

Now, there was some scorn and bitterness along the way. I mean, in my mind I was a reasonably successful woman. As folks who knew me would say, ”Guys should be lined up and falling at your feet.“ WRONG! They weren’t. Phone was dry; DMs deserted. I digress. And after the last ordeal of having my time wasted, I walled up and it was the best decision. I needed to work on me. Hype myself up again. Be content in being alone with myself. It wasn’t until I arrived at that contentment, I could intentionally and carefully open my heart back up. It was seeing a partner/companion as someone who adds value to my whole life, but wasn’t my whole life.

When I started dating my now Boo-Thang, my mental about it was so different than before. I was excited, but I wasn’t obsessing and stressing about every little thing like before. I didn’t overthink it because if it didn’t work out being single again didn’t feel like a failure because that life was still lit—and Hot Girl Summer was approaching. I had gotten clear about the type of things that didn’t serve me in a relationship (romantic or not), and was fine with standing on it. Thankfully, I found someone who had also become super comfortable with their authentic self and presented that to me from day one.

What’s even crazier, he was saying and doing the things that I desired from the reflections of my time alone without me ever prompting them. He was slowly ticking things off my realistic and internalized list in the required and optional categories. Also, going into this more centered allowed for the most open communication I’ve ever had in this type of relationship. That’s what self-work and healing looks like. No games, no BS. You rocking with me or nah? Are we still learning each other and growing together? For sure! The difference is it’s not forced or one-sided. It truly feels like a partnership, and that’s the core of what I want. If any of this resonated with you, here’s a few things I recommend to prepare your mind to go from “Nice for What” to “Best Part”:

1. Spend some time single and not dating/entangled/fill in the blank by choice.

2. Learn the vibes you need around to be your best self whether it’s romantic or not.

3. Figure out if you actually want a relationship or if it’s the pressure from around you.

4. Get out the house. Unless, you only want a boo who does food delivery (no shade).

5. Entertain in-person conversations with anyone. (So helpful to build openness and confidence.)

6. Work on what you bring. It’s hard to ask for what you don’t even have together.

7. Speak a healthy relationship over your life when you’re truly ready.

8. Set a clear intention for the value you want a partner to add.

9. Appreciate all the ways your friends already show up for you. (If they don’t, start there.)

10. Plan out what happens if the partner never comes and reach a level of self-acceptance.

Last but certainly not least, if you loved these photos all credit goes to this week’s #BrittBuysBlack spotlight, SnapsxStyles Photography! Brittany Marcus a.k.a. BSquared and I have been friends since undergrad and she’s truly honing her craft as a photographer to add to her existing media services portfolio. If you’re in the Central Indiana area, get with her swiftly!

Britt Buys Black: The Social Chef Spices Collective

What’s you favorite part about traveling? Whether it be to a new neighborhood in your city or a new country to explore, what excites you about that experience? Hands down one of my favorite elements of new adventures would be the food! Let me be clear, it’ the LOCAL food for me. If it’s got more than ten locations, then I feel some type of way. I want to go where the working folks eat on a regular or as a hometown splurge. Yeah, yeah, chic decor and ambiance is nice, but sometimes I don’t want a photo op. I want the food to do all the talking. I want to taste the local flavors, try the signature dishes and eat the homegrown/raised ingredients.

Brittany Stewart and I on our last adventure to the beaches of Tulum.

My dear friend Brittany (not speaking in third-person), shares my sentiments for adventure through cuisine. She is the mastermind behind The Social Chef. An avid traveler and foodie herself, Brittany blogs about her experiences in different locations and most importantly captures the wonderful flavors you must try while you’re there. We both lamented that we had to lighten our travel load this year due to the pandemic—although, she has still found a way to safely escape a time or two. The other way that she’s adapted to this new normal is through her other passion for cooking. In September, she launched her first product line under the brand called Social Spices Collective. In her own words this line is:

Taking the pure essence of flavors found in various countries and making them available in your own kitchen. This six-seasoning spice line was curated using spices featured in dishes from all over the world. I had the pleasure to work with chef’s and locals from Peru, Cuba, Mexico, and Ghana to bring these flavors to life in each bottle. - Brittany S., The Social Chef

Now, if you’ve been following along you know that over the last year my boyfriend and I have been throwing down more in the kitchen as a wonderful way to bond and explore our own culinary talents. In support, I ordered the two debut spices of the line, the Jardin and Sea Imports. We did a simple meal prep of grilled salmon, broccoli and wild rice using both of these spices.

Overall, we really enjoyed the flavor from these blends. Now, something that I love is that these are not just salt with some herbs in it. I’m trying to be more conscious with what I’m putting in my body and that includes salt intake. I would suggest still using a little salt in your dishes you create with these spices, but I felt relief in knowing that I could combine these with other seasonings or add salt to taste without the concern of going overboard or overpowering these spice blends.

Jardin: This is the veggie seasoning, and boy does it pack in a flavor! We used this on the broccoli we steamed and it was quite zesty and delicious. It gave a bold taste that reminded me of summer. We added the seasonings to the butter and water before we put in the veggies and then sprinkled more on top before steaming.

Seafood Imports: This is a really nice blend, the grilling kind of took control so I know to use more the next time or make sure I extend my marinating, but you really don’t need to add anything else to this. My boyfriend prefers a more salty profile for meats so you may want to toss in a little more, but it was perfect for me. I used it again for shrimp alfredo and we were both pleased with how it came out.

Now you are in luck because this month she’s just announced the third spice blend of the collection, the Inca. It’s inspired by the flavors of Peru, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a bottle. I haven’t had too many Peruvian dishes so I’m excited to explore through the first dish I make with it. Grab your bottles today! Sign up for her email list to get 10 percent off your first order. She’ll also keep you updated on sales, pop-up events using her spices and neat travel tips!

Follow The Social Chef on social media as well to stay up to date with Brittany’s blog, product releases and travel inspiration!