A Bourbon Date Night

One evening I planned a date night around the Urban Bourbon Trail with my then girlfriend. We decided to have a progressive meal at several of the places on the trail. We parked in the garage at the Brown Hotel and then walked down to the Maker’s Mark Lounge for a Bourbon and an appetizer. We then went to the Seelbach for a Seelbach cocktail. Next it was on to Marketplace for a Bourbon, salad and dinner. We ended up at the Brown Hotel for dessert and a Bourbon. It was a very enjoyable night. We met some friends at the Brown and while talking with them Al Young and his wife Gretchen came in making it a very enjoyable ending to a great evening.

The Urban Bourbon Trail lends itself to other such evenings. What we planned is just one of many enjoyable excursions that could be planned. Another such progressive dinner might start at the Galt House Hotel at Jockey silks. The Down One Bourbon Bar is just a short walk from the hotel. Then you have several other options in one block as Manny and Merle, Doc Crows, O’Sheas, The Side Bar and the Troll Pub are all in the same area between 2^nd and 1rst Streets. If you get a room at the Galt House you can hit them all and walk back to your room. You can also go west on Main and Market from Jockey Silks in the Galt House and go to Dish on Market, The Bristol on Main and Proof. There are other stops in the area that could be added to or substituted for other bars in any of these date nights downtown. Sway, Bistro 301, Blu, and Vincenzo’s Italian are all in the area so there are many combinations that you could do starting either at the Galt House or the Brown Hotel.

The NuLu area also can lend itself to a date night. Start for drinks at Haymarket, then to Harvest and end at Rye. This might be one of the easier ones to do if you are looking for an afternoon/evening date. You can then check out some of the shopping on Market. I highly recommend a stop at Joe Ley’s Antiques. Muth’s Candies is always a great way to get something sweet for dessert. I love their chocolate covered pretzels. You can also pick up a bottle at Taste Fine Wines and Spirits.

Frankfort Avenue is a great date night if you want to do a bit more walking. You can start at Volare and then across the street to Bourbon’s Bistro. The next stop would be Varanese and then to the Silver Dollar and end at the North End Café. This is about a mile walk and you will have to return to your vehicle when done so this one takes some time and effort. Still these are some of my favorite restaurants and Bourbon Bars. It would be well worth the effort. Just wear comfortable shoes.

Bardstown Road has its own segment of the Urban Bourbon Trail that could be done as a date night. Lilly’s, Bristol in the Highlands, Seviche and Asiatique are all along Bardstown Road but once again be prepared to either walk some distance to do this as a progressive dinner date. It is about a mile or so of walking between Lilly’s and Asiatique. There would be plenty of place to shop along the way so once again this could be a great late afternoon early evening date. I personally would stop at J. Shepherd Cigars along the way and Old Town Wine and Spirits has one of the city’s best Bourbon Selections.

Unfortunately for this article two of my favorite places to eat and get a Bourbon, Buck’s and Charr’d are a bit away from other Urban Bourbon Bar locations, but they are both places of great Bourbon and food, worth a date night in themselves.

The Urban Bourbon Trail has a lot to offer not only out of town visitors, but locals who just love Bourbon and want to make a fun evening out on the town.