This is “Small Bites,” a South Florida Sun Sentinel feature with tiny tidbits on the food and beverage scene — because we know that sometimes you just don’t have room for a long article, you want a little news brief instead, an amuse bouche of information, if you will. Enjoy!
WHAT:
Your cardiologist will hate you for the naughty b-words you’re about to consume: bacon and bourbon.
That’s because the unabashedly calorific antics of the Wellington Bacon & Bourbon Festival are not for the weak-hearted, if you ask organizer Nancy Stewart. Designed with strong-willed gourmands in mind, the 10th annual festival will offer 40 rare-batch bourbons, smoked brisket grilled cheese, whiskey-themed craft beers, 60 vendors and six live-music performers.
Wellington Bacon and Bourbon Fest / Courtesy
More than 40 varieties of rare-batch bourbons and specialty cocktails will be served at the 10th annual Wellington Bacon & Bourbon Fest, returning March 23-24. (Wellington Bacon and Bourbon Fest / Courtesy)
“It’s heart attack on a plate-type stuff,” Stewart says. “This is for the lovers of bourbon, and we only bring bacon in because it pairs well. People have really come to expect the varieties of rare bourbons we have, so they can try it before they go out and buy it.”
This edition of bacon-and-bourbon revelry will seem more like its smellier sister bash, South Florida Garlic Fest, Stewart says. An experiment last year to introduce high-end bourbon-and-dinner pairings wasn’t popular, so the festival now mirrors what makes Garlic Fest so successful: plenty of live music and walk-around tastings.
“People just want lots of pop-up food and drink vendors, so we went with what we knew was a guarantee for us,” Stewart says. “We had one DJ last year and we’ve got six new bands this year.”
THE DISHES:
- Food vendors include Poblano South, KeNiya’s Kitchen, Eat Da Bone BBQ and The Purple Shrimp.
- They will serve: Bacon garlic shrimp scampi with bacon pasta; chorizo smash burgers with bacon; 14-hour brisket grilled cheese and brown butter bourbon bread pudding with ice cream
THE BUZZ:
- Along with specialty cocktails such as Garrison Brothers Dr. Pepper frozen bourbon slushies and a Bloody Mary with a bacon stick, rare bourbons include: Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Stagg Jr., Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, Peerless High Rye Kentucky Bourbon and Hooten Young American Whiskey
- New this year are bourbon-themed craft beers, including: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, Founders Bourbon Barrel-Aged Chocolate Coffee Stout and Royal Palm Brewing Company’s Madagascar Vanilla Bourbon Red Ale
Jennifer Lett / Sun Sentinel
More than 60 vendors will be on hand at the 2024 Wellington Bourbon and Bacon Festival. (Jennifer Lett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
THE BANDS:
- March 23: Adam Fine (11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.), Eric Hansen (2:30-4:30 p.m.), Tim Charron (5-6:30 p.m.) and Stryder (7-8:30 p.m.)
- March 24: Sarah Fine (1-2:30 p.m.), Rockoustic Duo (3-4:30 p.m.)
WHEN:
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, March 23, and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, March 24
WHERE:
Village of Wellington Town Center Promenade, 12150 Forest Hill Blvd.
COST:
Admission is free on both days, and food and drink purchases are individually priced. Free parking is available at Wellington Amphitheater (12100 Forest Hill Blvd.), Chancellor Corporate Center 1 (2008 S. Shore Blvd.); and at Wellington’s Village Hall (12300 Forest Hill Blvd.)
INFORMATION:
Call 561-279-0907 or go to BaconBourbonFest.com or Facebook.com/BaconBourbonFest