Taste of the Tastemakers

Austin's tastiest food and drink celebration returns for 2017

Join us at the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards on April 19.

Courtesy photo

It's time to celebrate two of the things we love most: food and drink. April marks the return of the annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, honoring the top restaurant and bar talent in Austin and San Antonio.

Our mission is to shine a spotlight on the people making the city's restaurant scene special and honor their innovation, energy, and creativity. Here's how it works. We collaborated with a panel of experts, including previous Tastemaker winners, to determine a list of nominees in Austin and San Antonio. The panel then selected winners in every category, except Best New Restaurant, which will be determined by our savvy readers in a bracket-style competition in April.

In Austin, the categories are Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Rising Star Chef of the Year, Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year, Bar of the Year, Bartender of the Year, Wine Program of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Burger of the Year, and Brewery of the Year, plus Best New Restaurant. In San Antonio, the categories are Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year, as well as Best New Restaurant.

The best part? You get to join us April 19 from 6-9 pm at the Bullock Texas State History Museum for a swanky tasting event and awards ceremony, once again emceed by Texas celebrity chef Tim Love.

We'll celebrate all the nominees and unveil the winners, while you mix and mingle with the city's top culinary talent and fellow foodies. That will include indulging in sips and bites from participating nominees, as well as our partners, Woodford Reserve and Whole Foods Market. You can check out the scenes from last year's big event here.

Tickets to the party are on sale now; early bird general admission tickets are available for $45 through March 31. So grab your tickets, then get to know all of our Tastemaker nominees in a special editorial series coming soon. We'll see you in April.

tastemakers series568795630

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.

------

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.

whiskey university of texas longhorns