Tag Archives: The Publican

Meat and Whiskey go good! The Publican and George Dickel team up

George Dickel knows how to make whiskey. Several kinds – from un-aged No. 1 white as an aperitif to rich pre-, during- and after-dinner-style whiskies No. 8, No. 12 and Barrel Select – make great pairings with almost any type of food. In a brilliant partnership with The Publican Restaurant, 837 W. Fulton Market – a popular Chicago restaurant that really knows how to do meat – Dickel and chefs put together a fabulous dinner of meat and booze. Gotta tell ya’ I am surprised at how well these whiskies go with a multitude of dishes.

Notable items at the sample dinner included a gorgeously puffed-up, cheese-encrusted pork rind appetizer that’d knock your socks off compared to the ordinary version, and a beautifully moist and tender cut of pale-pink pork wrapped in fat, roasted and served atop a bed of crisply cooked cabbage and other vegetables. That meat was exquisite, and the vegetables perfectly cooked to bring out their best flavor. A side dish of roasted root vegetables had a nice tang but needed an extra 20 minutes in the oven. Still, the pork was an impressive dish among several others just as delicious. No. 12 and Barrel Select whiskies stood out as exceptionally smooth, flavorful and made powerfully nice accents to the meats.

It’s not easy picking out good whiskies unless you’re a connoisseur and spend a good chunk of time tasting and taking notes. I didn’t love the white version (a little harsh I thought but that’s just my taste). However, I can recommend the other hearty, Dickel made-in-America varieties for all whiskey lovers – see if there is one you might want to add to your list of faves.

English: Image of the George Dickel distillery...
English: Image of the George Dickel distillery in Cascade Hollow, Tennessee. Taken by ProhibitOnions, 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

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