Extend Your Stay & Spend an Extra Night (or 2 or 3)

March 14, 2024

Make your #CFBroadtrip even more epic.

One cool thing about Kentucky’s Authentic Bourbon Road Trip is that it can be completed in just three nights, whether you visit during the week or over a weekend. You can pack a whole lotta fun into a brief visit because Covington, Frankfort, and Bardstown are loaded with genuine bourbon experiences located within short distances of one another.

 

Once you visit or start investigating trip ideas, however, you’ll discover that there is much more to see and do than can possibly be packed into a three-night stay. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution, whether you want a more leisurely pace or hope to accomplish even more during your visit: Add another night in any or all three communities. Here are some tempting ideas for doing just that.

COVINGTON

 Morning

·      Steep yourself in Kentucky bourbon culture with a bourbon-spiked coffee at Press on Monmouth in Newport. Pair it with a signature tater tot waffle breakfast bowl.

·      Grab a bourbon cream latte at The Hive Erlanger, about 10 minutes’ drive from Covington, to accompany the classic fluffy biscuits and perfectly-peppered sausage and gravy.

·      Enter a world of speakeasys and killer cocktails at Pensive Distilling in Newport—the newest addition to The B-Line—with a tour and tasting. Tours are offered at 12, 2 and 4 p.m.

·      Sip and sample at Vom Fass, a gourmet shop that’s name means “from the cask.” It stocks vinegars, oils, wines, spirits and liqueurs direct from the cask.

·      Make a pit stop at the new Painted Tree Boutiques and pick up a bag of bourbon-infused coffee beans to take home.

 

Afternoon

·      Dig into some award-winning classic Italian fare at Pompilio’s—once the site of a raid by the Feds (as Newport’s county judge-executive enjoyed a tipple) to confiscate four bottles of brandy and 100 bottles of beer.

·      Shop Le Sorelle Boutique, Grateful Threads Embroidery, and other locally-owned boutiques on Bellevue’s Historic Fairfield Avenue.

·      Drop by Three Spirits Tavern and grab a seat inside by the fireplace or outside near the firepit and sip a “Funken Old Fashioned.”

·      Browse for vintage cocktail ware at Motley Home.

·      Take a scenic drive to Augusta to see the world’s largest collection of “White Christmas” memorabilia, including dozens of costumes, at the Rosemary Clooney House.

 

Evening

·      Selfie stop with Clive the 30-foot-tall green alien who recently landed in Covington’s Central Business District. Then enjoy an art walk to see the city’s public works, several with bourbon themes.

·      Enchanted cocktails? Get a drinks recipe “spell” book at Covington’s own Diagon Alley: Hierophany and Hedge, a mystical, magical shop filled with bespoke arcana.

·      Pop the barrel bung and thieve whiskey straight from the cask on a tour at Augusta Distillery.

·      Head to the Beehive Augusta Tavern for farm-to-table dining paired with craft cocktails inside or on the second-floor porch overlooking the riverfront. Live music on Fridays and Saturdays.

·      Nightcap? Sip a Kentucky Rain, a cocktail named for former Augusta resident George Clooney and made from Clooney’s Casamigos Blanco Tequila, at the Augusta Pub.

FRANKFORT

 Morning

·      The Food Network loves B’s Bakery. One reason might be the Candied Bourbon Bacon Biscuits. Mmm.

·      Blend your own bourbon, then choose bottle, wax color, and name for your private label at the recently opened J. Mattingly 1845 bourbon blending experience.

·      Pick up a pair of bourbon-themed cufflinks, puzzle, or a bourbon and ginger scented candle from the irresistibly cozy shared space of new shops, The Linen Closet and RiverCity Provisions.

·      Check out a flight curated from over 300 favorite and hard-to-find bourbons from the Bourbon Library at the House of Commons.

·      Grab a cuppa and an ‘Egg Baby Burrito’ (hot sauce on the side) at local fave, Kentucky Coffeetree Cafe.

 

Afternoon

·      Tour the production facility at Rebecca Ruth Candy Tours and Museum and bite into a secret-recipe gourmet morsel known as a bourbon ball: created by Ruth Booey back in the 1930s.

·      Spoon up burgoo (a Kentucky Derby favorite) at The Stave Restaurant and Bourbon Bar while reveling in the view overlooking Glenn’s Creek—a preview of more good things to come.

·      Bring your questions for the distiller for the unscripted visitor experience at Glenn’s Creek Distilling. Ask questions while sampling five spirits.

·      Touch, climb on, and paint the artwork —yes, paint!—rising from 40 acres of native meadows at Josephine Sculpture Park,

·      Slide onto a red vinyl chair, punch your favorite fifties tune on the jukebox, and order a cheeseburger run through the garden at Main Street Diner.

 

Evening

·      Grab the mic and belt out your favorite tune during karaoke night at neighborhood watering hole The Brick Alley.

·      Swing by Frankfort Cemetery and pay your respects to E.H. Taylor.

·      At Limewater Bistro and Bar start with the 1815 (the house Old Fashioned), then move onto white tablecloth service set to a Motown and classic rock soundtrack.

·      Pick up a cue stick for a round of pool and cocktails at the Cooperage Bar.

·      Sink into the couch for a nightcap at the Howser Tavern, a new bourbon bar on St. Clair Street.

 

BARDSTOWN

 Morning

·      Fill up on a comfort-food breakfast at Mammy’s Kitchen.

·      Get grounded in all things bourbon at the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History.

·      Freshly baked donuts are calling at Hadorn’s Bakery.

·      Take the ‘Production Tour + Tasting’ at Lux Row Distillers to see to see the bourbon making process from start to finish.

·      Enjoy an exclusive barrel collection tasting on Preservation Distillery’s ‘Premium Cask Overproof Whiskey Experience.’

 

Afternoon

·      Go behind the barrel for an insiders’ look at the production process on the new ‘Beam Made Bourbon Distillery Tour & Tasting’ at James B. Beam Distilling Co.

·      Hum along with tour guides belting out “My Old Kentucky Home” while touring the 19th century manse or book tickets to “Meadows in the Bloom” or other event held at the state park during the year.

·      Poke around downtown shops like the Blind Pig Bourbon Market.

·      Drop by Museum Row to see the Civil War Museum of the Western Theatre and Women of the Civil War Museum.

·      Explore Bardstown’s historic downtown on a self-guided walking tour.

 

Evening

·      At Toogie’s Table, begin with a creative cocktail—perhaps the Golden Hour showing off JW Dant Bourbon—before biting into refined classics served with regional flair, like the 14-oz. Bardstown hog schnitzel.

·      Catch theater under the stars during summertime showings of “The Stephen Foster Story.”

·      Choose from more than 400 bourbons for after-dinner drinks at the retro-cool Volstead Bourbon Lounge.

·      Take a cocktail to the rooftop for rickhouse views before trying the menu at Five Brothers Bar and Kitchen, Heaven Hill’s new restaurant (opening mid-2024).

·      Sip a nightcap at new cocktail bar, Mr. Tubs.

Savoring Bourbon: The Best Pairings and Local Culinary Delights

April 24, 2025
Foodies and bourbon enthusiasts seeking elevated dining experiences find their bourbon-infused bliss in Covington, Frankfort, and Bardstown. Many restaurants and bars in these bourbon-centric cities showcase unique takes on pairing bourbon with meals, specialize in bourbon-infused menus, and feature dishes that amplify bourbon flavors. Additionally, these three cities offer bourbon experiences that bourbon lovers aren’t likely to find anywhere else. SIGNATURE SPINS In Newport, the team at Purple Poulet Southern Bourbon Bistro , led by Chef Rick Zumwalde, loves a good splash or three of bourbon in dishes like fried chicken and waffles with maple bourbon syrup, “Swanky” Shrimp-n-Grits with bourbon-cream pan gravy, hickory-smoked beef brisket with bourbon-peach jus, a Casino-style market catch with bourbon-bacon-maple broth, and bourbon mashed sweet potatoes. Likewise, the team at Beehive Augusta Tavern shows its unbridled enthusiasm for Kentucky bourbon by incorporating it into multiple dishes: bourbon-braised short ribs, bourbon carbonara, bourbon-glazed bone-in pork chops, bourbon-glazed salmon, a bourbon bordelaise burger, and honey bourbon fried chicken. Even sides like the honey bourbon bacon brussels get a dousing. At the Kitchen & Bar at Bardstown Bourbon Company (BBCo.), Kentucky’s first distillery-based restaurant, Chef Stu Plush likes to bring out bourbon tasting notes through various dishes. For instance, the menu suggests BBCo. Origin Series Bottled-in-Bond or Prohibited Paradise for country ham carbonara and BBCo. Origin Series Rye Whiskey or Feel the Heat for its Southern fried chicken. At HOC (House of Commons): A Bourbon Library in Frankfort, Founder and Proprietor Dave Sandlin brings encyclopedic knowledge to the bourbons he stocks. Additionally, this bourbon barkeep knows how to spin a good yarn. “Everyone has a story to tell, and every bourbon has a story to tell,” said Sandlin. “Our storytelling is the framework around the more than 315 Kentucky whiskeys we have on the shelf, why we have them, why each is special, rare, or different.” Visitors to HOC won’t find food and bourbon pairings (although Sanders is happy to share restaurant recommendations); this bourbon bar is about pairing bourbon to people’s palettes. “People come in and tell us what they like, and we formulate a taste profile for them,” said Sanders.

Bourbon Basics: How to Taste, Pair, and Enjoy Like a Pro

April 23, 2025
Planning your first distillery visit or considering a journey along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®? Bourbon has a built-in mystique and culture that might give the bourbon-curious and aspiring aficionados pause in taking that first step into the world of America’s Only Native Spirit. BOURBON 101 The variety of distilleries and their unique experiences may seem daunting, and terms like “nosing” and “Kentucky chew” baffling, but part of the fun of bourbon is in the learning. Beginners can get their feet wet in Frankfort at Buffalo Trace Distillery , with an intro to the history and science of bourbon, and at Castle & Key with an interactive Cocktail Therapy class to elevate sensory awareness. The Old Pogue Experience on Northern Kentucky’s The B-Line ® in downtown Maysville offers a different perspective, combining the Bourbon History Galleries, which delve into the 1791 Whiskey Tax Act Rebellion and Prohibition, with an (optional) tasting of an original Kentucky bourbon—Old Pogue Master’s Select. In the Bourbon Capital of the World, Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown gives an insider’s view of the bourbon making process from start to finish on its Grain to Barrel Tour, followed by an educational, guided tasting experience. Here is a guide to some bourbon basics that will help you look more natural than novice when sitting down to a tasting and will soon have you pairing like a pro.
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