Maker's Mark

The Fourth of July weekend put us in the mood to do something festive, and so we drove about 70 minutes south to learn a little bit more about Kentucky bourbon. Maker's Mark, we have told ourselves, is the final local distillery that we have any interest in touring (this statement is subject to change depending on our boredom and the weather).

The drive there was like a line out of the national anthem. More remote and less polished than the millionaire horse estates around Frankfort, undulating roads flow through farmland in the hilly Knobs region. It's the kind of area where the narrow roads are named after local families; where you have to slow down and squeeze towards the edge on the rare occasion that a tractor approaches from the other direction.

The country feeling didn't leave even as we pulled into the parking lot, into what just as well could've been a country club or a very lucky derby gambler.

Tickets are $12 per adult and are purchased in the glass-paneled greenhouse. Connected to it is homey waiting area with its air conditioning on full throttle.

The tour began with in the stillhouse, where the combination of grains (mash) is cooked and distilled. Before entering, the tour guide advised us to step outside if we couldn't take the heat. It was uncomfortable inside, sweat-bead-dripping-down-your-back kind of hot. Our guide's explanations were short, probably for our sake. She quickly showed us the column stills, shiny copper vats and let us dip our finger in to try some hours old mash.

Below, the mash was about a day's old. The fresh one we tried just tasted grainy, not yet fizzy and tangy like once it's aged a bit more.

Walking back out into the glorious 90 degree summer day was immensely refreshing. It was easier to appreciate this building's charm from outside. Maybe it's hard to tell in this photo, but in the center of each red shutter, there is a blank space in the same distinctive shape as the Maker's Mark bottle.

We peeked at their printing press which is over 80 years old. They still use it to die cut the Marker's Mark labels.

We learned a bit about Maker's Private Select, which is Maker's Mark bourbon with a customized epilogue. The bourbon is made as usual, but then the DIY part comes in. Ten oak staves are inserted into the barrel, separated to maximize contact with the bourbon. Each stave can be one of five different flavor profiles (like "Roasted French Mocha"). The bourbon is aged about ten weeks longer with these added influencers, adding a unique twist to the tongue. This is how Maker's 46 is made also (the 46th combination tried was a hit!).

Anyone can make their own Private Select, but obviously it's a bit pricey. Organizations  can also make it, so if you walk into a store of the local chain Liquor Barn, you may find bottles of Maker's Private Select created just for their stores to carry.

A newly constructed cellar houses these extra-staved barrels, built into the side of a hill. The same limestone that makes great bourbon and strong horses provides a natural (and wonderful) chill.

Below is a peek into the exclusive tasting room for Private Select creators.

Even though Maker's Mark is not our favorite bourbon, something about the brand is unique and admirable. On this tour, the most interesting thing to me was putting a name to what sets Maker's Mark apart: Margie Mattingly Samuels.






























It was Margie's husband who perfected his family's mash bill, but it was Margie who made the brand. She came up with the name and the signature red wax on each bottle. She had a keen eye for the arts and branding, and it seems like her legacy is continued through witty ads and an appreciation for modern creators. Throughout the buildings, pieces by various artists were on display, and a current exhibition by a glass sculptor features huge, intricately arranged shards of glass breaking through the grounds like some alien flora.

 One final stop which could never be forgotten: the taste testing.

To us, Maker's 46 was the highlight, more enjoyable than the Bill Jr. Private Select and the cask strength 46 also sampled. Maker's White Dog (only sold at the distillery) was surprisingly smooth for something so strong.

We exited the tasting room, picked up a bourbon ball or two and the tour wrapped up in this beautiful barrel-filled hallway. A door opened up, and miraculously we spilled out into the gift shop. The perfect exit for buzzed tourists to make impulse buys.

We made it out empty handed, but appreciated the styles and options available. One popular purchase is to buy a bottle of Maker's and dip it in the red wax yourself. There is an assortment of other wax-dipped things too - glasses, mugs, cell phone stands.

Besides the tour, the landscape of Maker's Mark is beautiful just to wander about. We saw several people walking their dogs (which are not allowed on tours), sitting in the grass beneath trees and eating lunch at the on-site restaurant.

It was a perfectly laid-back afternoon excursion, and another notch in our bourbon belt I guess.

Cramming

The first month of summer break is history. Those 30 days summarized in one word: cramming. Of facts and food.

I am in the process of getting my teaching certificate. The biggest box on this checklist was taking a test on the four main areas of elementary teaching: English language arts, math, social studies and science. Some of the content is common knowledge or intuitive enough to figure out easily. Some of it is must-memorize teacher jargon like onsets and phonemes and IDing the various stages of writing development. A big chunk of it had to be yanked out of the corners of my mind and thoroughly cleaned (what was the seven years war all about again?). So a hefty portion of the past month was spent cramming facts in for this exam, which in the end turned out just fine.

Another chunk of time and money was spent cramming (or at least enjoying) food. If there was any doubt, my birthday at the end of last month proved that I am indeed a foodie. I didn't have any physical gifts, instead we just enjoyed lots of good food.

My friend surprised me on my actual midweek birthday with a smorgasbord of nostalgic comfort food: chickfila nuggets and homemade mac and cheese.

That weekend, Isaac and I didn't have any set plans but we ended up having an entire day's worth of tasty treats picked by me.

First, donuts at a hip shop I've been wanting to try called Hi-Five Donuts. We got the coffee donut (with biscoff crumbles) and almond joy donut.

A walk around the riverside and we worked up an appetite for tacos at one of my local favorites, Taco Luchador. Generously stuffed steak, pork and cod.

After a relaxing afternoon at home, dinnertime at another local place which I think I've mentioned before. We've only been there once and my birthday seemed like the perfect excuse to go again. Hiko-a-mon is one of the best places for Japanese style food around here, or so we think from our own experiences and the high percentage of Japanese customers in the restaurant! The place has a dash of French influence as well, which manifests through delicate sauces and surprising and comfortable contrasts. But we've mostly just gotten sushi.

I made a few new Korean dishes for the first time this past month too.

Miyeokguk, seaweed soup which is traditionally eaten on birthdays.

Janchiguksu, "banquet noodles" of fresh veggies in a refreshing broth.

Gyeranjjim, a casserole-like steamed egg side dish. It was extra delicious because I used the leftover broth from the janchiguksu.

Sadly short, "studious and savory cramming" really does sufficiently summarize these past weeks. Now summer has officially begun both literally and figuratively. I look forward to trying more new things, maybe even a few not involving food.

Fast-Forward (the end of April and May)

We have some catching up to do, which I blame on the end-of-the-school year squish time. These past weeks have been tying up, sewing in and snipping loose ends, writing last chapters, waxing and polishing - all of those concluding steps I tend to dread so much.

So here is a quick fast-forward between then and now, a few noteworthy, fun and meaningful things that happened.

Chattanooga - not the city as much as the cabin just south of it that we shared with my family for a weekend. Parents, siblings, in-laws, nephew and niece (both the two and four-legged varieties). It was our family's first grown-up reunion. One highlight for me was the deck on the back of the house - with ample rocking chairs to chat and watch the spring rains come and go.

They may be grandparents now, but this little guy seems to have reversed time because I have never seen mom and dad so eager to climb around on a playground. There was no hesitation before slipping down the slides, wiping away the leftover rain with their now-soaked bottoms, jumping up to go again or find something else fun to entertain Emmett. The weekend blew by, and everyone agreed that it felt too short for a proper catch-up. But with how busy everyone gets, any time spent together is better than no time (or awkward three-way skype calls).

The Kentucky Derby came and went too - and if it wasn't for our neighbor friend, it would have passed without us doing anything special. We went to just one derby event the Saturday before the horse race, the Ken-Ducky Derby. It's a fundraiser for a local charity that involves dumping bucket loads of rubber duckies into the Ohio River. More than 31,000 duckies plopped into the river and then drifted towards the finish line. Isaac was just along for the ride, and thought that this was a live duck race up until the moment we waited along the riverfront. He asked if the ducks were in the yellow bins, then commented that it seemed cruel to drop them into the river from that high up. He was much less excited for the ducky derby when he realized they were not made of flesh and feathers. All three of us agreed that it was a one-time kind of event. Been there, done that, probably won't go again. I did appreciate the ridiculousness of it for a moment though.

My favorite part of derby season this year was getting my free derby glass. To get into many of the derby events, you must buy a $6 pegasus pin, which features a tear-off strip you can exchange for a souvenir glass. There's also chances to win free gift cards and such, but we didn't have any luck with those. The design this year was super cute and I was excited to get my hands on two of them.























This was a big deal. My loyal steed, my '98 mustang convertible, has moved on to greener pastures. The car dad so zealously maintained and brought back to life so many times that her nickname "bunny" transformed into "frankenbun" is now gone. I had the chance to clean her up thoroughly, saying thank you and goodbye to every inch as I wiped and polished. When I called dad to tell him the news and what the buyer's mechanic had said, he automatically started searching online for car parts and prices for a new air compressor. He was estimating how much it would cost to replace, when I said, "You know what? You don't have to worry about it anymore."

I'm an incredibly sentimental person, and I know I get it honestly from both sides, but it feels good to simplify life sometimes. I know my dad expressed his love for me through caring and maintaining my mustang. But I choose to hold onto memories in the heart and not always with my hands.

And so now that we are caught up, I press play, ready to resume the normal pace of life. I'm writing now from the edge of summer break, having just finished my last working day for the next two months. A few decisions hang overhead, clouding up the next warm weeks, but I'm confident that the summer sun will burn through them, or at least distract me well enough until they resolve themselves.

Cincinnati and Easter Specials

We finally got out of the 'Ville. We visited Cincinnati for the day, our agenda clear save for our usual aspirations - eat something yummy and walk somewhere pretty. Both were easily accomplished on our first trip together to this surprisingly charming city.

I laughed as we drove down the last stretch of highway into the city because it struck me that this city looks like the flip-flop of Louisville. Both are on the banks of the Ohio River. Louisville is all on the Kentucky side, the northern side of the river in Indiana looking oddly peaceful and empty. Cincinnati and all of its tall buildings are on the Ohio side, the southern Kentucky side looking green and rural by comparison.

We squeezed between skyscrapers and zipped through the CBD making a bee line towards the more hip and charming Over-The-Rhine neighborhood. It's here that I had scouted out a park and lunch destination for us on the drive up.

We parked in a pristine garage located beneath Washington Park - a picturesque green spread next to the historic Cincinnati Music Hall.

Bordered by beautiful brick buildings and perfectly manicured for spring, filled with lunch-breaking businessmen and happy families, this park offered a great first impression of the city.

 

But we passed through the park quickly, our stomachs reminding us that our destination awaited us. It's the building on the right, with the yellow crown sign - A Taste of Belgium.

Atmosphere, tastes, style - this place aces all three.

And something happened that is a rarity for whenever we eat out - Isaac and I ordered the same thing! Spicy chicken and belgian waffles, served alongside a sophisticated tangy salad to cut through the grease and sugar, and to make you feel a little less guilty.

We called it brunch and went all out with drinks too - a fancy Belgian beer for him and a candied orange peel and dark chocolate iced coffee for me.

After our hearty and perfect brunch, we walked around Over-The-Rhine a bit and window shopped. It's full of striking old buildings, now housing unique restaurants and cute independent stores stuffed with locally made goods.

We waited at a street corner for the light to change for me to get this shot. At first I was annoyed at this guy crossing the street, but then I realized he's the perfect local to be strolling along in this scene. He's wearing an OH/KY shirt - a Cincy-inspired logo I saw on a few items in the shops around here.

Above is another shot of that same cute stretch of buildings, below is an old Kroger just further north at the edge of what seems to be OTR's gentrified and polished-up stretch.

We had such a fun day away in Cincinnati, and it made me remember how mentally recharging it is to do this kind of thing. To intentionally plan a time of fun, a day out of the ordinary devoted just to relaxation. With summer quickly approaching, I am feeling inspired.

I also want to share a few quick glimpses of the food highlights from our Easter weekend. We didn't have a huge spread, with it being just the two of us, but I did try to make the weekend special with two interesting dishes.

The first is spaghetti medici - a simple tomato sauce with anchovies that we fell in love with in the Tuscan countryside of Italy. The recipe I found took canned anchovies, red wine and a long time, but was totally worth it in the end. The cooking process was fascinating for my nose - smelling the changes in flavor and complexity as the cooking went along.

 Anchovies don't get enough appreciation for the tastiness they add to many dishes. I'm so happy that a container of this sauce awaits us in the freezer for the next time we want to pretend to be fancy on our balcony.

I also made my first carrot cake from scratch. Shredding three cups of carrots on my handheld grater was no small feat, but was again worth every ounce of trouble. There was plenty for coffee breaks and tea times and enough to share with friends and family too! I just decided to try and make this an Easter tradition. Partly because it's festive and I love carrot cake, but also because I don't think I have the mental or physical strength to grate carrots more than once a year.

One of the many things I learned from my mom is that a holiday isn't done well unless it leaves your kitchen looking like the apocalypse. I proudly took the picture below before taking a deep breath in and putting on those dish-washing gloves.