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“Maybe we’re at a new pop-up at Swine tonight? Quack?” someone at our table quipped.
Indeed, last evening’s special bourbon dinner at Swine Southern Table & Bar was more duck-centric than the usual porcine-based menu at the Coral Gables restaurant. The dinner was co-hosted by ChatChow TV and Bulleit Bourbon to celebrate national Bourbon month and Short Order was invited to join the party.
See also: Miami’s Best Eats and Drinks This Week: Beer, Bourbon, and Chicken
That’s not to say that there was no pork or beef on the menu. But, along with the bourbon cocktails, the emphasis was on duck — particularly foie gras. Before the dinner started, chef Phillip Bryant said his inspiration for the dinner was the fact that given the opportunity, wouldn’t you drink bourbon and eat foie gras morning, noon, and night?
And so we did, starting with a foie-foamed cafecito, breakfast, lunch, and dinner was fast-tracked into a two-hour window, with each course paired with a Bulleit cocktail by Swine’s Robert Ferrara.
If you’re going to eat foie and drink bourbon, you’re going to need a little “gas in the tank” for a long evening ahead. A double espresso with foie gras espuma was accompamied by a celery root macaron and cayenne swizzle stick.
Breakfast for dinner? Johnny cakes are topped with duck ham, seared foie gras, and duck egg, then drizzled with bourbon maple.
Where’s the bacon? In the cocktail! The Swine Old Fashioned features bacon fat-washed Bulleit bourbon.
See also: Best Bartender – Robert Ferrara
Foie gras and smoked pork belly tart is served with micro greens.
A deconstructed beef Wellington features wild mushrooms, bone marrow, and (of course) foie gras.
The Full Clip, made with Bulleit bourbon, sherry, Benedictine, Apple Jack, orange bitters, and lemon zest, was one of our favorite cocktails of the evening.
Foie gras in your ice cream float? Why yes, thank you! The Bite the Bulliet is made with Bulleit 10 year, Left Hand Milk Stout, a whole egg, and foie gras ice cream. Served with a bendy straw.
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