This is the latest Book written by Chef Edward Lee. Rosemary and I went to his book release party at the Frazier History Museum where we each received a copy of the book, and had a chance to try a couple of the recipes from the book and see him present a demonstration making the recipes. Edward Lee came to be a renowned chef in Louisville when he opened his restaurant 610 Magnolia over a decade ago. He has since opened several other restaurants in Louisville. He is a very talented chef and a really nice person. He describes this book as being his homage to Kentucky and the Bourbon whiskey that he loves. Here is my review of his book.

Bourbon Land: A Spirited Love Letter to My Old Kentucky Whiskey With 50 Recipes. Edward Lee, Artisan Books, New York, N.Y., 2024, Contents, Index, Illustrated, 287pp.

Editor’s note: Felicia Corbett, pictured above, passed away in December of 2023. She was a pillar of the Louisville bartending community. We are delighted to see her honored forever in the pages of Chef Ed Lee’s book!

Edward Lee is a James Beard Award winning author of Buttermilk Graffiti and Smoked Pickles and this book is his latest contribution to the Bourbon field. This book is filled with Bourbon information, including history, the process of making Bourbon, where to go in Kentucky to visit distilleries and cooking with Bourbon. He has several recipes for cocktails as well as many recipes from appetizers to main courses. He discusses many other subjects adding water and ice, what glass you should drink from, the flavors that come from the oak barrel and women in Bourbon. It is an easy read and the recipes are clearly written and easy to follow. 

The book is well designed and has many color photographs of, not only the food and drink, but of the subjects he is discussing in the book. It is well indexed and includes a bibliography of sorts he titled “Further Reading”. He includes a list of Kentucky distilleries with their addresses, but it would have been nice if he had included contact information as well. 

This book is a welcome addition to any Bourbon library. It has a lot of information about Kentucky Bourbon in the 21st century, as well as, history and the making of Bourbon. It is well researched and written.

Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller