Welcome to Bardstown, KY: The Bourbon Capital of the World (R) Bourbon's popularity is now a global phenomenon, but you need only look at Bardstown, Kentucky, to see its remarkable and evolving impacts. This historic city of 13,500 people is booming as a result, but it's also enduring growing pains. The economic impacts from a massive influx of tourists to what is now America's bourbon epicenter are positive on many levels, but with those crowds comes pressure on infrastructure, services and accommodations. The demand for hotels, bars and restaurants is at an all-time high, and investors from across the globe are addressing those needs. Still, as a two-century-old Kentucky cultural and entertainment center long before it was discovered by bourbon drinkers ;- many locals want to ensure the traditional Bardstown experience doesn't disappear amid novel entertainment options.

The Hot Brown Sandwich is a delicious staple of culture and heritage in Louisville, Kentucky. Originally created at its namesake the Brown Hotel, the Hot Brown began as turkey on bread covered in Mornay sauce and topped with tomato wedges and two slices of bacon, and has developed into an entire industry of fries, pizza, salads, and more. Chef Albert W. A. Schmid offers a wealth of recipes for the notorious sandwich and reveals the legends and stories that surround the dish. For example, it may have had humble beginnings as a tasty way to use up kitchen scraps, or it could have been invented to ward off hangovers-scandalous since the first Hot Browns were served during the Prohibition. Schmid treats readers to an exceptional collection of recipes for the legendary sandwich and hotel cuisine scrumptious enough to whet any appetite, including the Cold Brown (served during the summer), Chicken Chow Mein (the Brown Hotel Way), and Louisville-inspired cocktails such as the Muhammad Ali Smash.