Lift Jackson Hole had lights custom made with Wyoming Whiskey bottles.
With all the hype surrounding the launch of Wyoming Whiskey in December, it might have gotten lost that lots of businesses are actually doing other things with the bourbon. Like eating it. And decorating with it.
So we were curious to find out about all the ways the whiskey and its bottles and barrels are being used. Found David DeFazio gave us quite a list (let us know if there are others to add).
Lots of restaurants are actually putting empty barrels and bottles to work.
Over at the Roadhouse Restaurant, they are using barrels to hold peanuts, and at Bin 22 the empty bottles are used to serve water.
The new Lift Jackson Hole had seven light sconces custom made with the empty whiskey bottles, and they’ll be making candle holders out of others. There will also be a Wyoming Whiskey barbecue sauce on the menu when the restaurant opens, served with St. Louis-style ribs.
“I had been looking around at restaurant designs, and I really liked the old Edison lights,” said owner Suzanne Marino. She found someone in California who makes lights with old bottles, and the idea struck her to use the Wyoming Whiskey bottles. “It just makes it even close to home,” she says.
Then, of course, there are Wyoming Whiskey shot skis at The Rose, Mangy Moose, The Village Cafe and The Handle Bar, DeFazio said.
One local man, Richie Billingham, is even using barrels to make furniture like rocking chairs, bar stools, tables and whiskey stands, branding them with the log, DeFazio said.
On a consumption level, Wyoming Whiskey sauces spring up on local menus from time to time.
Last month, several Wyoming brewers created the state’s second Wyoming Ale, an imperial brown ale aged in bourbon-soaked oak barrels used to age Wyoming Whiskey.
The Meteetse Chocolatier is making Wyoming Whiskey truffled chocolates and Wyoming Whiskey caramels.
“We can’t keep them in stock,” said chocolatier Tim Kellogg. “Those two items have literally paralleled the sales of the whiskey. Both items sell out immediately almost every day.”
The flavor of the whiskey is almost floral, he said, and pairs well with the chocolate.
If you’re looking to add pizazz to your grilling, the distillery sells char from its barrels for barbecuing (“It has absorbed the bourbon and imparts it to food,” DeFazio said.)
And not to be left out, spent grains from distillation are being fed to Mead cattle and other livestock in Hot Springs County.
So there you have it. More than just good enough to drink.
