Elijah Craig Bourbon Presents the Third Annual Cocktail Event in Support of the Southern Smoke Foundation, October 14-23, 2022
Elijah Craig Bourbon is pleased to announce its third annual Old Fashioned Week, a ten-day celebration taking place from October 14-23 that invites discerning imbibers to raise a glass to a New Era of the classic cocktail, while also raising money for an invaluable cause. This year, Elijah Craig has pledged to donate $100,000 to the Southern Smoke Foundation, a national nonprofit organization that’s dedicated to providing emergency support and relief to those in the hospitality industry. Additionally, Elijah Craig’s parent company, Heaven Hill Brands, has committed an added $15,000 to Southern Smoke that will directly assist Hurricane Ian relief efforts.
Elijah Craig first launched Old Fashioned Week in 2020 as a means to uplift the hospitality community during a time of need. Now in its third year, Elijah Craig is proud to continue hosting Old Fashioned Week, donating a lifetime total of $315,000 to nonprofits which directly impact individuals in the food and beverage community.
“Old Fashioned Week was created in 2020 with two goals: support the hospitality industry at a critical moment of need and create ways for our community to remain connected at a time when we simply couldn’t meet for a drink,” said Max Stefka, Group Product Director at Heaven Hill. “Now, approaching year three, the goals haven’t changed but the sum of the parts has. Old Fashioned Week has truly become a nationwide movement with over three-thousand participating bars from every pocket of the country and every facet of the industry. We are grateful to everyone who has supported it and every patron who has raised an Old Fashioned to a great cause.”
Rallying conscientious cocktailers across the United States, participants are invited to join the celebration, toast their favorite Elijah Craig Old Fashioned, and enjoy signature programming that highlights the quality and expert craftsmanship of the award-winning bourbon.
Celebrating Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week
This October 14-23, 2022, participants are invited to join in the celebration and toast to Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week. As a commitment to partnering with the Southern Smoke Foundation, Elijah Craig pledges to:
Additionally, during Old Fashioned Week, more than 3,000 bars across the country will be offering a riff (or two or three…) of the Elijah Craig Old Fashioned, showing their support for the celebration. Guests are invited to use Old Fashioned Week’s “Find A Bar” tool [www.oldfashionedweek.com/find-bars] to locate participating bars in their neck of the woods and partake in the festivities. Thousands of nationally acclaimed establishments have committed to participating in this year’s event, including Broken Shaker in Chicago and Miami, Cure in New Orleans, Death & Co. in Denver, Julep in Houston, Leyenda in New York City, R&D in Philadelphia, Silver Lyan in Washington, DC, and many more.
Old Fashioned Week and Southern Smoke Foundation
Long-time fans of Southern Smoke and Founding Director and Chef Chris Shepherd, the Elijah Craig team is thrilled to name the organization as its 2022 Old Fashioned Week beneficiary. Realizing a natural alignment in the brands’ collective missions of supporting the hospitality industry, the partnership transpired organically.
“I can’t think of a better partnership than Southern Smoke and Old Fashioned Week,” said Chris Shepherd, founding director of Southern Smoke Foundation. “Anyone who knows me knows how much I love bourbon, so it’s fitting that a week celebrating one of my favorite cocktails is also benefiting my favorite foundation. We are so grateful to our friends at Elijah Craig for selecting Southern Smoke as Old Fashioned Week’s beneficiary. It’s a reminder that Southern Smoke’s Emergency Relief fund is available to anyone in the industry—including distillers, bartenders, and beverage professionals—nationwide in crisis. So enjoy Old Fashioned Week and know your cocktail is helping take care of the food and beverage industry.”
Elijah Craig Bourbon and The Old Fashioned
A match made in heaven, Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Bourbon strikes the perfect note of rich flavor and full body that expertly balances the spirit-forward Old Fashioned. Its signature warm spice and subtle smoke flavor complement the sweetness and spiciness of the cocktail’s accompanying ingredients.
“I’m inspired by the breadth and depth of bartenders participating in this year’s Old Fashioned Week,” shared Lynn House, National Heaven Hill Portfolio Mixologist and Old Fashioned Week Host. “From beloved neighborhood dives to the most renowned bars across the globe, these bars are serving Old Fashioned cocktails that honor the history and legacy of the classic alongside innovative riffs that push the bounds of the category.”
Credited as being the first distiller to age his wares in charred oak barrels, the Reverend Elijah Craig is considered the Father of Bourbon and in c.1789 transformed the clear, unaged corn liquor into the bold amber liquid with a distinctively smooth flavor that is known and loved today. Produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, the nation’s largest independent, family-owned distillery and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon, the Elijah Craig lineup features a variety of award-winning products to appeal to all connoisseurs.
And with a cocktail program helmed by acclaimed bartender and National Heaven Hill Portfolio Mixologist Lynn House, there’s a tipple for everyone. For House as well as many bartenders, whiskey connoisseurs, and cocktail fans, the Old Fashioned is merely a jumping off point: a blank canvas that invites experimentation and challenges perceptions of what the cocktail is—and what it could be. Old Fashioned Week participants are invited to try their hand with one of Elijah Craig’s suggested recipes or by getting creative with their own concoctions.
Creole Old Fashioned by Lynn House:
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube and garnish with lemon peel.
To enjoy an Old Fashioned in its purest form, begin with:
Instructions
In a mixing glass, add bitters, simple syrup, Elijah Craig Small Batch, and ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain the cocktail over a large ice cube in a double old fashioned glass. Garnish with an orange peel and an optional brandied cherry. Enjoy or share with a friend using #OldFashionedWeek!
For more information on Elijah Craig, Heaven Hill Distillery, and Old Fashioned Week, please visit https://elijahcraig.com/, https://heavenhilldistillery.com/, and follow along on Instagram @elijahcraig.
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ABOUT ELIJAH CRAIG BOURBON
Elijah Craig Bourbon bears the name of the Reverend Elijah Craig, known as “The Father of Bourbon,” who established his distillery in 1789 on the banks of Elkhorn Creek in modern-day Georgetown, Kentucky. He is credited with being the first distiller to age his wares in charred oak barrels. The clear, unaged corn liquor became transformed into a bold amber liquid with a distinctively smooth flavor that makes Bourbon what it is today. Today, Elijah Craig’s community impact continues through Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week, providing annual donations of up to $100,000 to organizations supporting the hospitality industry. Produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and operated distillery and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon, the Elijah Craig lineup includes: Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Elijah Craig Straight Rye Whiskey, Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Elijah Craig’s accolades have included Whisky Advocate’s Whisky of the Year, Best Small Batch Bourbon and Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and Excellent Highly Recommended honors at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. For more information, please visit www.elijahcraig.com. Heaven Hill reminds you to “Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.”
ABOUT SOUTHERN SMOKE FOUNDATION
Created in 2015 by Chef Chris Shepherd, Southern Smoke supports members of the food and beverage industry nationwide through emergency relief funding and access to mental health care. Since its founding, the 501c3 nonprofit established within the food and beverage industry has distributed more than $10 million to people in need across America. Simply put, we “take care of our own.” To learn more, please visit https://southernsmoke.org.
