Bourbon Land: A Spirited Love Letter to My Old Kentucky Whiskey, with 50 recipes

by Edward Lee

In his highly anticipated follow-up to the James Beard Award–winning Buttermilk Graffiti, Edward Lee examines his favorite libation—bourbon—with recipes, essays, history, profiles, distillery tours, and more.

Knowledgeable, entertaining, and more than a little infatuated with his subject, award-winning food writer and chef Edward Lee gives us his insight into bourbon, telling us everything we should know about the mellow honey-brown treasure that’s put Kentucky on the global How bourbon is made. Its history. How to read a label. A look inside the famous distilleries, from Jack Daniel’s to Buffalo Trace. The influence of oak. Tours of Kentucky’s bourbon regions. How to taste bourbon like a professional. And, in the most delicious surprise, how to cook with bourbon, with 50 recipes from Bourbon-Glazed Chicken Wings and Blackened Salmon with Bourbon-Soy Marinade to a Bourbon and Butterscotch Pudding. Plus the best Old-Fashioned you’ll ever mix.
 

 

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Nonfiction, Cooking, History

288 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2024

About the author

Restaurants include 610 Magnolia, MilkWood and Whiskey Dry in Louisville. Succotash National Harbor and Succotash Penn Quarter in Washington DC. Author of Smoke & Pickles and Buttermilk Graffiti, both published by Artisan Book.


Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Danielle T · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 up to 5. Once again, am rating a cookbook I haven't actually made things out of and instead read cover-to-cover... one day, I will actually attempt a craft but today is not that day.

A cousin of mine got married in Lexington in 2019, and I remember her "Things to Do" guide was basically horses and bourbon. My mother isn't much of a drinker, but I encouraged my family to go to at least one distillery while we were in the area and we ended up at Buffalo Trace. This book brought memories of that trip, and the complex sense layers in different varieties as climate, wood, grain bill, and time affect the liquor within barrels that sit aging in a rickhouse.

Ed's voice is distinctive and I cannot help but read it in his voice. A variety of recipes to consider from appetizers to mains as well as desserts, along with cocktails interspersed. Bourbon Land also provides tour itinerary suggestions for different regions of Kentucky, interviews with master distillers and experts in the field, and the history of bourbon as a product and the components within.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mix of bourbon history and recipes.

[Audrey Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll read anything Edward Lee writes but this should be a must-read even if you don’t know who he is. This book is for bourbon lovers and the bourbon curious, foodies and those interested in the history of something uniquely American. Can’t recommend even!!

[Steve Sandifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for those that want a foundation of bourbon. Very well written and presented. Look forward to trying some of the recipes.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly a coffee table book, but Edward Lee is a lovely storyteller who makes the history and science of bourbon accessible and engaging. Tons of cool stories and images, and tons of recipes that look amazing—haven’t had the chance to try any yet. The sections providing various distillery tour itineraries wasn’t particularly interesting or useful to me, but the interviews, the history, and the glimpses of Lee’s own story all caught my attention. Quick to get through.

[Alan Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great back for anyone wanting a solid background into bourbon's history and where it is today. Really covers pretty much everything from its beginnings to today's bourbon trail to tasting tips and more.

I'm a vegetarian and will probably make less than a handful of the recipes inside, but still recommend it for any bourbon enthusiast, especially those new to the subject.

[Matthew Berkshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the most comprehensive book that exists on bourbon. Tasting, cooking, collecting, the process from oak farming to bottling, everything is covered. Great read for someone totally new to whisky or a 50 year drinker.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was phenomenal. I thought I had finished this and reviewed a while ago. Chef Lee has put together a great bourbon book with a little of everything. Even calls out our favorite chef in Cincinnati Chef Salazar!

[Audie Dorrough · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy a fine glass of Kentucky Bourbon occasionally or more often. You should read this book. It will make your mouth water.

[Paula Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Very well written and covers all of the aspects of the bourbon industry.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Lee is a great writer, and I may change my review to 5 stars once I make some of these recipes.

[IRA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Read.
Bourbon, it's a way of life...!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t speak to the techniques or recipes found herein, but Lee also includes some good interviews, a concise history, tasting guides, cocktail recipes, etc.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched and written love letter to Bourbon, the state of Kentucky, and Southern cooking.

I love that Chef Lee has mixed Asian influences into classic recipes, like the addition of tamarind, ginger & turmeric to BBQ sauce, or making Miso butter to top roasted sweet potatoes.

He details the history of Bourbon, explains the distillation process, and explores the flavor profiles in-depth, with suggestions for use in cocktails, cooking and baking, as well as how to enjoy this lovely libation on its own.

A pleasure to read....I can't wait to try out some of these recipes!