Ciao Y'all

Ciao y'all: The world's best gelato maker may be living in Austin

Austin's own Teo may be crowned best gelato in the world.

Photo courtesy of Gelato World Tour

Being the best can be exhausting. Though it's not even noon, Matthew Lee has been up since 5 am trying to get 70 pounds of pecans through Italian customs. They're currently en route to Rimini where they will (hopefully) be turned into the world's best gelato.

Lee, native Texan and founder of Teo Gelato, has sent the pecans to Italy in preparation for the Gelato World Tour Finals held in Rimini on September 5-7. The only American in the prestigious competition, Lee is getting ready to not only represent the U.S. but the great state of Texas in his bid to be crowned best.

Crafting the flavor profile to compete with the best gelato makers in the country has taken years of practice, study and cultural immersion. But ultimately it was Lee's roots that inspired his very Texas-esque entry. For the competition, Lee will create a whiskey pecan caramel gelato, a fusion between Lone Star tastes and Italian tradition.

"[Italians] love westerns and they love the Marlboro Man and John Wayne," says Lee of his creative inspiration. In fact, Lee plans on playing up the Texas theme during the day, wearing red gingham pearl snaps and playing Spaghetti Western soundtracks.

But there is one thing that Lee will not be bringing to Italy. "They don't like peanut butter," says Lee. The salty sweet combination loved by many Americans (salted caramels, chocolate covered pretzels and the like) is not well received abroad.

Though Lee has spent years studying the art of gelato and the culinary customs of Italy, final gelato approval had to come from one person: Lee's 14-year-old daughter. "I knew it was good when she started critiquing it and then she got up and got a second helping and then a third helping," he says, laughing. When the container of whiskey pecan caramel gelato was empty, he knew he had a winner.

Hopefully, the judges at the Gelato World Tour Finals will agree.

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Refill, revere, rejoice

Austin distiller refills Kentucky Bourbon bottles for $1 in UT gameday stunt

Photo courtesy of Still Austin Whiskey Co.

Still Austin is filling up empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles and adding its own label in a display of Texas dominance.

Cheap bourbon isn't usually something people line up for, but in this case they know it's good. Still Austin Whiskey Co., a favorite Austin distiller, is offering $1 refills of its own Cask Strength Bourbon on empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles on November 23.

The promotion celebrates the Texas Longhorns vs. Kentucky Wildcats football match the same day. This is a highly anticipated game because the two teams have only been matched up once, back in 1951. Kentucky coach Mike Stoops reportedly also upped the ante by saying the Longhorns have "no weaknesses."

Essentially, this is a parallel challenge by Still Austin: Replace your Kentucky Bourbon with our Texas spirit and watch the Lone Star State win again.

"Why would I ever taint your bourbon with dried up Kentucky juice[?]" asked a (frankly, terrifying) customer on Instagram.

There is a misconception that bourbon has to be made in Kentucky. The Kentucky Distillers’ Association itself points out that, "According to the 1964 Congressional Resolution, in order to have “Bourbon” on the label it must be made in the United States of America and meet all other federal “standards of identity” for Bourbon."

Still Austin CEO and co-founder Chris Seals is setting the record straight with a little snark, inviting both fans and "skeptics" to stop by to take advantage of the deal.

“We’re deeply grateful to Kentucky for inventing the stuff, but after 200 years of the same old bourbon, people want something new,” said Seals in a press release.“The idea that great bourbon can only come from Kentucky is a myth based on decades of misinformation. We’re inviting everyone still holding onto this old guard notion to ‘Kentucky Fill Up’ to experience the difference for themselves.”

The product he's chosen to represent the brand, the Cask Strength Bourbon, is described as "a deeper more 'metal' version of our beloved straight bourbon." It's 116 proof (58 percent ABV) and has won double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition twice, in 2022 and 2023.

Still Austin will only refill 500 bottles. Here are the rules: The bottles have to be 750 milliliters, clean, intact (with the original cap on hand), and they must have originally contained bourbon from a Kentucky Distillery. There are two time slots for refilling at 9 am and 11:30 am. Patrons can get tickets ahead of time at stillaustin.com.

In addition to the fill-ups, Still Austin will host a watch party starting at 2:30 pm. More Texas-Kentucky crossover will include Frozen Texas Julep cocktails, Texas fried chicken, and an armadillo derby race. There will also be exclusive merch and giveaways. Still Austin is the official corporate partner of Texas Athletics.

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Fans of Austin sports and Austin food and drinks can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm December 12 at Distribution Hall. Find out more about it here.

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