Tailgates have all the makings of the best parties: laid-back atmosphere, copious delicious food, and plenty of time to enjoy a dram or two with friends. If you need food and drink ideas for a whisky-centric tailgate, we’ve got you covered . You’ll need some equipment too—here are our picks.

Kick-off tailgating season right with these parking lot picks

Best of Times Portable Bar —$499 Pop-ups aren’t just for hipster chefs. This eye-catching bar in a bag, including four stools and umbrella, goes from flat to fabulous in minutes.

Bourbon Barrel EZ Chair —$280 This roomy chair, made from bourbon...

Angel’s Envy has plans to build a new distillery in Henry County, Kentucky, according to a report by WDRB . The premises would include both a production facility and five 59,000-square-foot, single-story rackhouses spread across 350 acres located about an hour’s drive northeast from Louisville. It would also potentially include a visitors center, likely to be added as a stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail .

Founded by legendary master distiller Lincoln Henderson and his son, Wes, in 2006, Angel’s Envy has sourced the whiskey for its bourbon and rye from undisclosed distilleries since its inception, adding its own touch...

The whisky industry has long loved to immortalize names from the past: Elijah Craig, Johnnie Walker, Pappy Van Winkle. Does the average drinker of those particular brands even know who those men were? Probably not—though most people surely assume they were, at one time, critical figures in the whisky’s development.

Ironically, many of these eponymous whiskies have taken on the names of men from the past whether or not they were integral to the actual booze in the bottle. (A notable exception: Old Overholt .) Elijah Craig was a Baptist minister sometimes dubiously credited as the inventor of bourbon—but definitely...

As the football season progresses, the tailgating temperatures start to nosedive. Combat the chill with this drink created by chef Paul MacDonald, an Eagles fan, for...

Ditch the burgers and buns for a more robust, restaurant-quality cut of meat. This rib eye and polenta pairing will make a quality base for the day’s celebrations. By Patrick Feury, chef/partner of Nectar in Berwyn, Pa. and Danlu in Philadelphia — Serves 2-4.

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Ingredients

Steak

• 19 oz. high-quality rib eye steak
• 2 oz. sea salt
• 4 oz. olive oil

Nectar Bistro Butter

• 6 oz. unsalted butter
• 1 small shallot, chopped fine
• 1 clove garlic, chopped fine
• ½ tsp. tomato paste
• ½ tsp. hot curry powder
• ½ tsp. smoked paprika
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp....

No tailgate party is going to be lacking in meats. Balance out the fatty flavors with some bright vegetables, letting the vidalia onions, sweet peppers, and cucumbers hit the grill before your serving dish. By chef EJ Hodgkinson of King + Duke in Atlanta, Ga.—Serves 4-6.

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Whiskey Gastrique

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 2 cups George Dickel whisky (or other Tennessee whiskey)
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• kosher salt
• black pepper

Night Before: In small sauce pot, combine sugar and water and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture has turned golden brown. Remove from...

The slow cooker is a tailgater’s dream device. Put it to good use with these braised short ribs that will stick to your sides throughout game day. By Patrick Feury, chef/partner of Nectar in Berwyn, Pa. and Danlu in Philadelphia — Serves 4.

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Ingredients

• 4 lbs. beef short ribs
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 5 sprigs of thyme
• 3 cups of red Burgundy wine
• 3 cups of Victory Prima Pils beer or pilsner of choice
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 2...

Rather than get lost in the sauce this season, be the one who makes it. This recipe by chef Justin Gottselig of No. 246 in Decatur, Ga transforms a cocktail classic into an all-star accompaniment. Serves 4.

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Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
• ½ cup bourbon
• 2 cups ketchup
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 cup Coca-Cola
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• ½ tsp. seasoned salt
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. Tabasco sauce
• 1 tsp. grain mustard
• salt and pepper to...

A few years ago, as the Philadelphia Eagles prepared to challenge the New Orleans Saints, I witnessed a hot tub that had been retrofitted with wheels and a trailer hitch parked in the stadium lot. You see, in Philadelphia, my hometown, tailgating is raised to high art, taken every bit as seriously as cheesesteaks and Rocky. The guys in the hot tub—bravely shirtless in the sub-freezing temperature—were keeping warm with some sort of whisky cocktail.

Smart fans. Whisky, after all, is perfect for tailgating: It’s easy to pack, makes you feel warm, can be mixed into tasty drinks, both hot...

So, you love gin. We know how you feel – we’re partial to a G&T too. Or a Negroni, or a Martini…

And for gin lovers, the last 18 months have been fantastic – never before has the UK seen such a colossal variety of carefully crafted, tasty, often boutique-made gin. There is something, indeed, to suit every palate.

But what if we’re missing a trick? What if there’s more out there than the usual botanical blends (great though they are) and fruity Beefeater infusions ? What happens if you take all your botanicals from one particularly rich and diverse...

This year’s Diageo Special Releases have been a bundle of surprises. First, they were announced months earlier than usual , popping up in april in an attempt to beat the annual internet leaks, and now we get to tell you about them a couple of weeks earlier than expected.

There is still one gap in the line-up – there are ten whiskies on the list year, but the tenth is staying a secret until 12 september, the day before they hit the street. We’ll be back then with more details of the final dram – and prices for the whole...

The label of this Port Charlotte 13 Years bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Company contains the the molecules that make up the phenolic compounds in peated whisky: Phenol, O-Cresol, M-Cresol, P-Cresol and Guaiacol.

Port Charlotte 13 yo (52,7%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company 2018, Batch #6, 1317 btl.)

Nose: the farmy kind of peat showing (subtle) sheep stables and farmyard. Burnt heather. Nougatty notes. Vague fruity hints in the background (I would say peaches and melons, plus a little guava). Moss and salty seaweed too. Light sweet herbs. Mouth: a similar fruitiness in the background, with plenty of medicinal...

I turned 40 today but we don’t have to go into that, it’s just a regular Thursday…

Instead of digging up a few whiskies with the same age, I went for a couple of legendary peated drams distilled in my birth year .

We’ll start in the lower ABV’s with the first Ardbeg released after LVMH took over the distillery, and a follow-up release. There was one more in 1999 if I’m not mistaken. Then we have a rather mineral Brora and the last of the Port Ellen Rare Malt releases.

Ardbeg 1978 (43%, OB 1997)

Nose:...

Ah Ben Nevis . Not the most highly regarded distillery, even though their standard Ben Nevis 10 Years is just cracking whisky.

Le Gus’t, the French distributor of whisky, beer and gin has already bottled a pair of Ben Nevis casks back in 2016 and now they’re doing the same with this Ben Nevis 2007 from first-fill bourbon wood and Ben Nevis 1990 from a Port Pipe.

Ben Nevis 11 yo 2007 (56,2%, Le Gus’t ‘Selection XVI’ 2018, first-fill bourbon cask #17, 228 btl.)

Nose: rather sweet and classic, not as whacky as they sometimes come by. Sweet...

This small batch release No. 270 from Wolfburn distillery was presented in mars 2018. It was matured in tiny 100-litre first-fill bourbon casks to speed up maturation. Contrary to its predecessor Batch 128 it is unpeated.

Wolfburn Batch N°270 (46%, OB 2018, 6000 btl.)

Nose: really nice nose of white nectarines, juicy pears, Cantaloup melons and orange blossoms. Donuts with vanilla glazing. Coconut cream. Really attractive. Secondary notes show leather and a subtle touch of varnish or glue, which is not out of place here. Mouth: sweet and honeyed, perhaps a little more simple now. Apples, pears, apricot...

The latest bottling from Asta Morris is this Glen Keith 1994 . Part of this cask was bottled for its Japanese partner GaiaFlow, and a small parcel was shipped to Passion for Whisky in the Netherlands.

Glen Keith 23 yo 1994 (52.5%, Asta Morris for GaiaFlow / Passion for Whisky 2018, AM114, refill bourbon, 114 + 42 btl.)

Nose: oh yes. Immediately forthcoming, with marshmallows, honeysuckle and apricots. Also hints of bananas and guava. Sponge cake. Light beehive notes (pollen and such). A bit of golden syrup. Tarte tatin with vanilla cream. Excellent. Mouth: same feeling of sweet...

Wolfburn Langskip...