🍸 Hartford Restaurant Reopens!

Good Morning, Hartford County!

Did your survive the heatwave?

It was absolutely brutal last week, but honestly I tried NOT to even leave the house unless I had to.

But does like we had yesterday really makes me appreciate the good weather we can have in Connecticut. The sun was out, air was warm, but it wasn’t overbearing or too humid.

I hope you got a chance to soak up some of this good weather (because in 3 months, it will be the complete opposite)

BTW, how long have you lived in Connecticut? I’ve been here for nearly 14 years.

In today’s edition of The Hartford Pour, we’ll get into:

— Chris M.
Local Whiskey Nerd, Husband, Dad, Entrepreneur (Fun fact: I own almost 75 bottle of whiskey)

P.S. : We are looking for sponsors for The Hartford Pour. If you are interested (or know someone that is) please forward this email or let me know and I can reach out.

We are growing at a breakneck pace and would love to help promote some local businesses!

(Fun tip you won’t find anywhere else)

There was a time where I didn’t appreciate bourbon. I was more of a tequila, Hendricks, Crown Royal kind of guy

Until I tried Old Forester 1920. After that, life changed and I had a violent shove into premium bourbons and whiskies and I’ve become a bit of a connoisseur ever since.

Today, I have a massive whiskey collection, but there is still something in hitting up a happy hour and getting a wonderfully crafted mixed drink.

I ran by Republic in Bloomfield last week and was completely floored by their amazing bourbon collection. We are talking Weller, Stagg Jr, Booker, EH Taylor, Michters… Just amazingness.

I had the bartender make me this Old Fashioned (pictured above) using Knob Creek 9 year.

The hack for this week regarding Republic is that they have a Rewards program. This can afford you free food and money toward one of the rare pours we just listed.

Tell them The Hartford Pour sent you! #notsponsoredyet

If you drink, what is your favorite bourbon or whiskey?

Classic Restaurant

Artisanal Burger Co in Manchester (also known as ABC) is one of my favorite spots in Manchester.

As you can see from the picture, the bar is one big reason for that. However, the food lives up to the billing as well.

I do regret to inform you that my favorite burger there, the Chorizo Burger, is no longer available. That was my go to for years and a big disappointment when I found out.

However, the Smokehouse Burger made me forgive them. (Check out the rest of their menu)

Not many people know about this, but ABC’s best fries are their sweet potato fries and they serve them with no additional markup.

The whiskey selection is decent, but not as good as Republic’s.

Have you ever been to ABC?

Distilled by: Maker’s Mark
Mashbill: 51% Soft Red Winter Wheat | 27% Malted Wheat | 22% Malted Barley
Age: 7 to 8 years
Proof: 114
Findability in Hartford: 3 out of 10
MSRP: $100

The 78% of wheat in the mash bill makes this soft and inviting. But better than your quintessential Makers Mark. Unexpectedly, I get superb woody cola notes like I’m drinking a Stagg. And at 7 or so years, I get sweet, sweet, oak! It’s phenomenal

Spank me… this is an amazing whiskey. It’s sweet, soft, marshmallow-y, full-bodied, rich… WOW.

Not super oily on the backend like I’d like, but not drying either. I get tobacco and leather and really hits all the spots.

It’s very, very good. There is a smoothness that comes with all the wheat in this bottle that makes it amazing. I get the Kentucky hug and warming. It’s a medium-to-long finish and I’m upset when it’s done.

I found this from my guy Vinny at Signature Wine and Spirits in Simsbury.

This bottle is hard to find, but if you want rare bottles, just create relationships and be the humans who run your local store. It’s that easy.

Store owners just want to be sure that you will drink it and not try to flip it on the secondary market.

Because of the rarity of this bottle, be careful of spending too much on a markup. The MSRP on this bottle is $100, I wouldn’t much more than that.

T8KE Rating: 8.7 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

Things to do in Hartford County

The weekend starts early TONIGHT! It’s called the Windsor CT 250. Celebrating the the 250th anniversary of the US. There will be local markets, music, food and of course… DRINKS!

This event was supposed to happen LAST week, but due to the crazy heatwave, it was postponed to today. Things kick off at 2pm and goes until 8pm on the Windsor Town Green.

There will be live music from the Savage Brothers starting at 6pm and a massive Foam Party at 230pm to 430pm.

It’s sponsored by Dewey’s Barrels and Dudleytown Brewing Co. in Windsor. (Dudleytown Brewing has a weird website, so don’t be startled if you click, lol).

Hello? Is it me you’re looking for….

If you couldn’t guess, Lionel Richie, along with Earth, Wind & Fire, will be at the PeoplesBank Arena.

That is straight up old school, but the most appropriate old school ever. I still bang their hits 40 to 50 years later. (I’m not that old… or am I?)

Afterwards, you can hit up Trumbull Kitchen, Black Eyed Sally's, or Feng Chophouse for drinks and appetizers afterwards.

BTW, when I link restaurants, would you rather me link their Instagram accounts? Websites? or the Google Reviews profile? Please reply and let me know.

If you want a more live music vibe, The Talcott Mountain Collective in Simsbury comes in clutch again with Brett Trottier. He has a nice layered, acoustic style to music that is hypnotizing.

A very underrated area is GastroPark in West Hartford. They regularly have live music and Saturday, 7/11, is no exception.

The Berkshires will be playing starting at 7pm. There will be plenty of food trucks and drinks.

It can be fun for the whole family with games and such, but there is almost always adult beverages present.

Another fun option is the Bridgerton Ball on Pratt St. in Hartford.

Pratt St rarely disappoints, but if you are ready for a Bridgerton inspired ball under the stars, then between 6pm and 10pm is where you are going to want to be.

If anything, events like that are great for people watching. You know some people will go overboard and it will be fun to see.

Since Sunday is chill day, I recommend the Paint & Sip at Ben and Jerry’s in Glastonbury.

For $28, you can get bottomless milkshakes and paint your masterpiece. You won’t have to do it alone. It’s directed and you are guided every step of the way.

The next best thing for Sunday is one of my favorite restaurants, Max Fish in Glastonbury.

They have been closed for renovations for about a week, but they reopen today, and the hustle and bustle should be settled down by Sunday evening.

Max Fish has one of the best bars in Hartford County. So get an old fashioned for me.

Do you know of a AWESOME restaurant or bar? Or something not included in this email you’d like to see?

REPLY to this email and let me know!