Sip Slowly, Then Shake Your Head

Muddy Waters most famously called for someone to “bring me champagne when I'm thirsty, bring me reefer when I want to get high.” But had ol’ Muddy extended the list of intoxicants, he might have included bourbon for when he wanted to sing the blues. There’s something about the combination of Kentucky-produced, aged grain alcohol and the mournful, gritty music born from the African-American experience that goes together divinely. The folks at Bourbon Steak at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort and Club have figured out that winning combination. Their new weekly Bourbon & Blues night is packing in crowds of music-loving gourmands.

Begin your evening with half-price signature cocktails and reduced-price appetizers at the bar from 6 to 8 p.m., a special social hour called Raise Your Spirits that takes place every weekday. Then from 7 to 10 p.m., a local blues band will present its spin on the sound most often associated with the Deep South, Chicago, and men such as John Lee Hooker, Lead Belly, and Robert Johnson. Through the end of this month, admired duo Albert Castiglia and Graham Drout will do their thing while dinner is served. And what a dinner it is: Musically inspired offerings include chicken and waffles, beer-battered grouper, barbeque pulled-pork sandwiches, crab beignets, and let’s not forget a 25 percent discount on the restaurant’s impressive bourbon and American whiskey selections. Order it neat, on the rocks, as a Manhattan, or sour with a maraschino cherry garnish. It always goes down smooth.
Wednesdays, 2009