National Bourbon Heritage Month

Bourbon is in a class all its own. It’s America’s only designated “native spirit,” the result of a 1964 Act of Congress that declares bourbon can be produced only in the United States. So it’s fitting that the US Senate followed up in 2007 (what took them so long?) by declaring National Bourbon Heritage Month be held each September.

Of course, you could celebrate at home or a cocktail bar by raising a glass or two with friends. Or, you could head to Kentucky, which produces 95% of the world’s bourbon and has some 70 distilleries across the state.

One of the most popular ways to experience bourbon and distilleries is by traveling the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which links 16 distilleries spread between Louisville and Lexington.

For more information on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, see my article:

Or, if you really want to know everything there is about bourbon, head to Bardstown, which calls itself the Bourbon Capital of the World and holds the Kentucky Bourbon Festival every year during National Bourbon Heritage Month, this year from September 18 to 22.

And in case you want to celebrate by making one of bourbon’s most iconic drinks, here’s a recipe for an Old Fashioned.

Celebrate National Bourbon Heritage Month with an Old Fashioned

• 1.25 oz. bourbon
• 2 bar spoons simple syrup
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 orange peel
• Add two bar spoons of simple syrup, three dashes of bitters and bourbon to a large rocks glass. Add ice. Stir gently until the level of the ice and liquid equalize. Zest an orange peel over the glass then add the peel to the drink as a garnish.

For more on bourbon and Kentucky, see my other articles: Everything you want to know about Kentucky Bourbon published by 10Best.com/USA Today and my blog In Kentucky It’s all about Horses and Bourbon.