Moonlite to be featured at Bourbon Classic

Mutton sliders from Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn will be featured at Louisville’s Bourbon Classic on Feb. 23.

The event will also feature three chefs from season 16 of “Top Chef,” which is set in Kentucky.

A news release says, “It’s hard to match the authenticity and storied traditions of Kentucky’s beloved bourbon — unless you’re Owensboro’s Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn. The pride and joy of Western Kentucky barbecue, Moonlite Bar-B-Q has been a decadent culinary institution for over 60 years.”

It adds, “Pat Bosley, co-owner of the world-famous barbecue joint, will bring the restaurant’s legendary mutton sliders to Saturday (Feb. 23) evening, providing a cultural and culinary bucket-list experience.”

“It’s a big deal for me,” Bosley said Thursday. “It’s great to be an ambassador for Owensboro and Kentucky.”

Mutton sliders aren’t on the restaurant’s menu.

“They asked us to prepare a taste for 600 people,” Bosley said. “So, we took our classic chopped mutton sandwich and made it smaller.”

He said he’s excited about what’s happening with barbecue, bourbon and bluegrass in Owensboro.

O.Z. Tyler Distillery is now the western anchor of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum opened here in October and all the barbecue restaurants are thriving, Bosley said.

“Being there with the ‘Top Chef’ contestants is cool,” he said.

“We’re also making bourbon barbecue baked beans for the Bourbon Classic,” Bosley said.

Dave Kirk, destination management director for the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said, “This event will be full of bourbon fans and foodies from not only the commonwealth, but also across the country. We can’t say thank you enough to the Bourbon Review for putting on this one-of-a-kind experience and inviting our community to participate.”

He said, “It’s an incredible opportunity to share O.Z. Tyler Bourbon and Moonlite with people who likely have never made the trip to Owensboro before.”

Kirk said, “We believe this exposure will help attract more visitors to our community, who will spend money in our hotels, restaurants and attractions thus creating economic development for Daviess County.”

The Bourbon Classic is scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m. Feb. 23 in The Henry Clay Building, 604 S. Third St., in Louisville.

It’s described as “An exciting educational opportunity featuring moderated discussions, demos and tastings, followed by bourbon tastings from Bourbon Classic distillers and dishes from featured chefs Sara Bradley, chef/owner, Freight House, Paducah; Kelsey Barnard Clark, executive chef/owner, KBC, Dothan, Alabama; Nini Nguyen, Cook Space, Brooklyn, New York; and Bosley.

Tickets are $165.

They are available at BourbonClassic.com.

Seth Thompson, co-founder of the Bourbon Classic, said, in a news release, “Bourbon put us on the map, but Kentucky has an incredibly rich culinary history and a brilliant future ahead. Like bourbon, Kentucky cuisine is an authentic part of our culture and who we are.”

Messenger-Inquirer article written by Keith Lawrence, 270-691-7301, [email protected]