Which Fork Should You Use for Your Bourbon?

Celebrate the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby safely from home with University Press of Kentucky’s step-by-step guide to hosting a successful bourbon-tasting party: “Which Fork Do I Use With My Bourbon?”

Complete with recipes, photos and tips for beginners and experienced aficionados alike, this book by UK College of Communication and Information alumna Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler offers a detailed guide to making Derby Day special. Many of the book’s recipes and entertaining tips can easily be adjusted to meet state and local guidelines to ensure your celebration is safe and physically distanced. 

From decorations to glassware, this one-stop resource guides readers from the day they mail invitations to the moment they welcome guests through the door. Alongside their favorite snack, entree, dessert and cocktail recipes, Stevens and Reigler offer expert tricks of the trade on how to set up a bar, arrange tables and pair recipes with specific bourbons. 

Once readers are ready, Stevens and Reigler move on to advanced pairings for the bourbon foodie and present two innovative examples of tasting parties — a bourbon cocktail soiree and, of course, the traditional Kentucky Derby party. Inspired by the hosting traditions of five Kentucky distilleries, this book will introduce casual fans to bourbon-tasting methods and expand the expertise of longtime bourbon enthusiasts.

Peggy Noe Stevens is president of Peggy Noe Stevens & Associates, founder of the Bourbon Women Association and the first female master bourbon taster in the world. A lifestyle expert, she is also a professional speaker. As an inductee to both the Bourbon and Whiskey Halls of Fame, she has planned hundreds of experiences and events globally over the last 30 years, often working with distilleries and master distillers.

Susan Reigler is a former restaurant critic for the Louisville Courier-Journal and a current correspondent for Bourbon+ and American Whiskey magazines. She has also authored or coauthored six books on bourbon, and in 2019, she was inducted into the Order of the Writ.

The University Press of Kentucky is the scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, representing a consortium that includes all of the state universities, five private colleges and two historical societies. The press’ editorial program focuses on the humanities and the social sciences. Offices for the administrative, editorial, production and marketing departments of the press are found at the University of Kentucky, which provides financial support toward the operating expenses of the publishing operation.