A Look At Coopers’ Craft & Di Bruno Bros’ Collaboration, Pairing Whiskey & Fondue Naturally

Coopers’ Craft is a celebration of Brown-Forman’s more than 70 years of expertise raising its own barrels at Brown-Forman Cooperage. Drawing inspiration from the craft of raising barrels and the importance of wood in bourbon-making, Coopers’ Craft uses a unique charcoal finishing process. A product of the Brown-Forman Corporation — a premier producer and marketer of fine quality beverage alcohol brands including Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve, Tequila Herradura, Korbel, Finlandia, Chambord and Sonoma-Cutrer — Coopers’ Craft is a Brown-Forman brand I have fondly-covered on multiple occasions for The Hype, thanks to its very quality-oriented spirits.

Coopers’ Craft recently partnered with the cheese-wizards over Di Bruno Bros — pioneers that have been in business since 1939 — to present a fun, virtual event titled Fireside Fondue With Coopers’ Craft. With both Coopers’ Craft Brand Ambassador Fitz Bailey and special guest Chef Ashley Thomas at the helm, attendees learned how to pair fondue with some fine bourbon. While that task may seem intimidating, Bailey and Chef Thomas actually showed how such can be done with both fun and simplicity. After all, fondue can be made in a cheese pot, on the stove top, or even over a fire pit.

The Coopers’ Cup cocktail presented by Fitz Bailey is a bourbon take on the Moscow Mule. This cocktail is easily-transportable and enjoyable for everything from backyard-hangs to weekend glamping trips. And it proved to be fairly-easy to prepare, not requiring more than a few basic ingredients:

Ingredients:
– 2 parts Coopers’ Craft 82.2
– 1 part Fresh Lime Juice
– Ginger Beer
– Glassware: Mug or Highball
– Garnish: Lime Wheel or Mint Sprig
– Ice

Method:
– Combine Coopers’ Craft 82.2 with lime juice.
– Add ginger beer and serve over ice.
– Garnish with lime wheel and/or mint sprig.
– Shake, strain, and enjoy — unless you want to add your own “personal signature” first

To add your own personal signature to the cocktail, feel free to take a muddler and a few pieces of your favorite seasonal fruit. Berries are ready to go, but make sure you skin citrus, pomes and/or stonefruit; stonefruit should also be pitted prior to use. Muddle that fruit in a shaker, then add ice to your liking, lime juice and some Coopers’ Craft.

As per the Di Bruno Bros. & Coopers’ Craft Bourbon Cheese Fondue recipe shared by Chef Ashley Thomas, also not as hard as one may have anticipated when it comes to prep:

Ingredients:
– 1/2 lb. Reading Raclette
– 1/2 lb. Seven Sisters
– 1/2 lb. Cabot Cloth Bound Cheddar
– 2 tbsp. Cornstarch
– 1 cup of Dry White Wine
– 1/2 cup Coopers’ Craft Bourbon
– Pickle Juice (a few drops)
– 1 tsp. Mustard
– Black Pepper

Method:
– In a bowl lightly coat the cornstarch into the cheeses.
– Over a medium heat add the wine, 1/2 of the bourbon and the pickle juice.
– Gradually add the cheese stirring all the time.
– Once a smooth mixture is obtained add the mustard, black pepper, and the remaining Bourbon.
– Optional: Enjoy with fresh crusty bread, crostinis, salamis, and anything else you would like to dip into the Fondue.

More information on Coopers’ Craft is online here, while Di Bruno Bros. keep an Internet home here.

SHARE ON FACEBOOK SHARE ON TWITTER

Tags: bourbon, Brown-Forman, Cheese, Chef Ashley Thomas, Coopers' Craft, Di Bruno Bros, Fitz Bailey

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."