Happy Valentine’s Day!

For the first time in history, St. Valentine comes fluttering into our lives the morning after Super Bowl Sunday. Odd bedfellows, right? Nothing says I love you like chili nacho breath, chicken wing indigestion, and a beer hangover.

Fully aware that an average of seventeen million Americans call in sick the day after the Super Bowl, and unsure how I would react to a Bengals win, or loss, I decided to take the day off. No matter the outcome, if I can provide my loving wife a lazy morning with a little coffee in bed, we’ll both be in a better place by mid-day.

For you slackers out there who haven’t planned your Valentine’s Day as brilliantly, this week’s Virtual Frazier Magazine offers a lifeline. Here, ladies and gentlemen, is the perfect gift for the Bourbon lover in your life: introducing the Four Roses “Meet Your Perfect Match” Tasting With Master Distiller Brent Elliott, March 17, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Graphic for the Frazier’s March 17 “Four Roses “Meet Your Perfect Match” Tasting With Master Distiller Brent Elliott” program

You can also buy them our special Four Roses barrel selection chosen by our team at the Frazier, with Elliott’s guidance. Whether you attend with them or not, your Bourbon Boo will love you forever.

This week, the official starting point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® brings you Sippin’ With Stephen featuring the newly renovated Jim Beam Outpost. We’re featuring ninety nice bottles of Bourbon on the wall, a Distillery Spotlight at Bardstown Bourbon, and Rachel Platt’s interview with Mayor of Louisville candidate David Nicholson.

Then love takes hold, first with our Curator’s Corner featuring West of Ninth couples. There’s Nat Love, vinegar valentines, National Library Lovers Day, and a list of the best Valentine’s Day candy. I’m sure glad they brought candy hearts back!

I ♥ U,

This Week in the Museum

Sippin’ With Stephen: Golden Hours With Beam Suntory American Whiskey Ambassador Beth Burrows

As the official starting point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, the Frazier History Museum shares stories of the people, places, and producers of the Kentucky Bourbon industry. To learn more, visit our Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Welcome Center or tour our Spirit of Kentucky® exhibition.

This month’s Sippin With Stephen highlights my friend Beth Burrows, who is the American whiskey ambassador at Beam Suntory. Beth and I focus on the recent renovations at James B. Beam Distillery and make the Golden Hour, a delicious cocktail that utilizes Basil Hayden’s Bourbon, one of Jim Beam’s fantastic small batch Bourbons. After watching this video, I sincerely hope you’ll be inspired to check out all the fantastic renovations at James B. Beam Distillery as part of your Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experience and also sample the Golden Hour cocktail, the recipe for which is shared below.

Golden Hour

1 part Basil Hayden’s® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
¾ part Lillet® Blanc
¾ part Aperot® Aperitif
Grapefruit zest, for garnish

Curator’s Corner: Love in West Louisville, 1940s – 2010s

For today’s Valentine’s Day issue of Curator’s Corner, I want to share a love story that has really stuck with me from Walt and Shae Smith’s blog West of Ninth (one that we featured in the West of Ninth exhibition). We’ve also got a few other images from the exhibition, captured in the 1940s and ̓50s, that celebrate love in West Louisville.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

“We’ve been together for about a year and a half. It started with me getting a job at Lowe’s. When you go to Lowe’s, they give you this tour of the building. When we went back to receiving, which is where she was working, I saw her. I don’t know what it was but she caught my eye. She’s beautiful. I thought to myself to try it out. I went in and told her my name and she told me hers and after that it was goodbyes. Three weeks after that, I chased her. We met up with each other and then from that point on we went to Chick-fil-A every morning and that’s when I knew that I was going to make this woman my wife. No female out here has done for me what she’s done. We got to eat breakfast together every morning and get to know each other, instead of jumping into other things. That’s what most men do out here, is just jumping into things. If you can, get a woman that understands you and gets to know you like the back of her hand. I’m not afraid to say it because that’s what love is. It’s getting to know each other.

“I’m not gonna lie, but I took off work to spend time with her. We don’t get to spend that much quality time together. We work Monday through Friday and we work with contractors on the weekends. The feeling I get when I’m around is a sense of security. I feel protected, knowing that I have a woman who is on my level. That’s a lovely thing and that’s a team you’re not going to stop. We just have a bond and I love it.” — Nick, California

“I saw him and I was thinking that he was a very cute guy. I swear he was stalking me! I watched him follow me to receiving and that’s when we got to know each other. I just thought that he was so cute. We worked two different shifts — he worked first and I worked third. He would catch the first bus out there just to see me before I got off. He did that for three weeks. I knew that the next time that I would see him, that I would have to give him my phone number. That’s what happened and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We didn’t and won’t give up on each other.” — Shinica, California

Museum Store: Ninety Nice Bottles of Bourbon on the Wall

Did you know we have over ninety varieties of Bourbon for sale in the Museum Store? That's a lot of Bourbon! Many of these Bourbons are small craft brands or brands you might only find readily available in Kentucky. From wheated to rye, young to old, toasted to double-oaked, and sweet to spicy, we have a huge variety of flavorful Bourbon. Whether it’s for a gift or just your own personal collection, our staff will help you figure out which Bourbon best fits your needs.

Kentucky Bourbon Distillery Spotlight: Bardstown Bourbon Company

The spirit of Bardstown Bourbon Company is forged from drawing on the rich history of the Bourbon Capital of the World — nearly 200 years’ worth — to inspire an approach that is inventive and collaborative, while honoring tried and true tradition. While we are one of the youngest distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, we’re writing our own history and this shines through in every pour.

As you pull into our 100-acre property, this spirit of ingenuity with respect for tradition comes to life. The experience is encompassing — with robust and state-of-the-art distillation, bottling and aging capabilities, a dining experience that showcases the region’s most delicious ingredients, and genuine hospitality at every turn. It’s about a lot more than just showcasing our space: It’s about creating a shared experience.

Beyond the standard tour and tasting, we’re creating experiences that foster a true appreciation for all that goes into your glass. Our Blind Tasting 101, a one-hour sensory session, is a great opportunity for both Bourbon novices and avid whiskey enthusiast alike to deepen their knowledge and appreciation for the craft, covering topics such as aromatics, aging, proof, glassware, and tannins, and how these influence the final flavor profile. In the spirit of collaboration, this experience leads to lively discussion and debate in a welcoming atmosphere.

The Fill Your Own Bottle experience is tailored to each guest, each of whom will leave with their own custom bottle. It begins in the Vintage Library, surrounded by more than 400 whiskeys dating back to 1982, where you’re greeted with a pour of one of our first releases. As we custom engrave your bottle of the Distillery Collection — our rarest and most sought-after expression — you’ll enjoy a tour of the distillery before heading to the rickhouse to thieve Bourbon directly from your barrel. Next, you’ll step inside Pete’s Place, the private bar attached to our rickhouse, for a guided tasting of our premium products before filling your very own customized bottle.

The Bardstown Bourbon Company experience would be incomplete without an experience at our Kitchen & Bar, offering elevated southern cuisine and a selection of fine craft cocktails. Influenced by the Bourbon, the landscape, and the traditions of the region, the menu pairs excellently with Bourbon — whether you opt for a neat pour or a cocktail to round out your meal.

Before you leave, be sure to visit our gift shop where you’ll find rotating selections of all of our whiskeys, including our signature Fusion Series bringing together newer and older aged stock; the Discovery Series of hand-selected blends; the Collaborative Series which celebrates the art of finished whiskey and has seen partnerships with Prisoner Red Wine, Château de Laubade, Copper & Kings, and most recently Founders Brewing, among many others; and the Distillery Collection, our rarest allocations available only at Bardstown Bourbon Company, encapsulating our approach to whiskey-making through experimental finishes to unique single barrels.

We offer many unique experiences, and they can all be booked online or by giving us a call (Wednesday through Sunday) at (502) 694-7212. We do recommend booking before your trip because tours often fill up a month or more in advance.

Logan Dunbar
Brand Education Lead, Bardstown Bourbon Company
Guest Contributor

Pop-up Camps: Leaders and Trailblazers

Monday, February 21 & Tuesday, February 22

9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Grades 1 – 6

In just one week, campers will get the chance to spend a day (or two!) with us to learn about people who paved their own way, and maybe even changed the world in the process!

Our Pop-up Camps offer an active, story-based approach to learning that keeps kids moving and socializing in a safe way. Camp sessions are taught by professional educators and offer hands-on learning, fun games, engaging crafts, and low camper-to-staff ratios. Join us for one day or both, and stay tuned for more Frazier fun!

Space is limited, so register today!

Bridging the Divide

2022 Mayor of Louisville Candidate David Nicholson on his Campaign

I am back to interviewing some of the major candidates for Louisville’s Mayoral race, and with the primary in May, I think many would agree it’s a critical time for our city as we move out of COVID and civil unrest and decide what we want and need for our city, and how these candidates hope to bridge that divide.

Last year, I interviewed two candidates — Tim Findley Jr. in April and Shameka Parrish-Wright in May — each of whom jumped into the race after the Breonna Taylor protests, saying it was time for real change.

David Nicholson is also a Democrat running for Mayor. He comes to the table with decades of experience as the circuit court clerk for Jefferson County as well as a background in law enforcement.

He says it’s not a time for rookies, but rather those with experience, to deal with the big issues at hand — including public safety with the troubling violence and homicide rate in Louisville.

His hometown is a city in crisis, Nicholson says, and he is morally responsible to try to help fix it.

He recently said the city needs to establish a Citizens Commission on Corrections Accountability after the death of a sixth inmate at Metro Corrections in just three months.

The next mayor will need to hit the ground running, and Nicholson says he is the person to do it, for many reasons.

We talk about those reasons in our interview, and I ask him, in these polarized times, can he truly be a mayor for everyone?

History All Around Us

American Cowboy Nat Love, a.k.a. Deadwood Dick, 1854 – 1921

I’ve been wanting to write an article about Nat Love, American cowboy, for some time now — and with a name like that, Valentine’s Day seemed as good a time as any to share his story.

For many years the Frazier Museum included an area on the second floor that focused on the American West. One of the places students in field trip groups loved to to stop was a large area holding a buffalo (American bison), a saddle, wooly chaps, and a life-size image of Nat Love. That space is gone now, but when it came down our exhibits team was nice enough to bring me the large photo of Nat and he now stands outside my office in our Marshall Foundation Education Center. Thousands of students and teachers still get to hang out with him every year during their class sessions, and I get to walk past him many times a day.

Photograph of Nat Love with his family, undated. The photo originally appeared in Love’s autobiography, The Life and Adventures of Nat Love Better Known in the Cattle Country as “Deadwood Dick” by Himself; a True History of Slavery Days, Life on the Great Cattle Ranges and on the Plains of the “Wild and Woolly” West, Based on Facts and Personal Experiences of the Author, published in 1907. Credit: Documenting the American South.

I love Nat’s story, but I also love what Nat represents. Born enslaved in Davidson County, Tennessee, Nat learned skills such as roping and herding cattle when he was young. As a teenager he headed to Kansas and was soon driving cattle on the trails. He had an adventurous life, was ranked a top cattleman, and shared his story in the autobiography The Life and Adventures of Nat Love. I haven’t read it yet, but it’s on my Goodreads list, along with Paradise Sky by Joe R. Lansdale.

And what Nat represents to me is that there is always more to learn about our history. Nat Love certainly doesn’t match up with the image I had in my mind growing up of an American cowboy. Yet there he is, with a story to tell. In the Frazier Museum education department, we are constantly striving to learn about and include lesser-known figures from American history in our programming. With our updated focus on Kentucky history, Nat is no longer a part of everyday programming; but I’m glad I still get to see him and really enjoy it when a student, teacher, or chaperone asks about him. We work to honor what he represents, the lesser-known figures and stories to be discovered, in our programming — including our Virtual Field Trip Kentucky’s Hidden Histories.

Victorian-era Vinegar Valentines, c. 1840 – 80

Ah, Valentine’s Day: the holiday of romantic dinner dates, copious amounts of delicious chocolate, and sweet messages from loved ones . . .

Or is it?!

During the Victorian era (and in years following), many individuals chose to take an alternative approach to the otherwise wholesome celebration — a practice historians have dubbed vinegar valentines.

According to an article written by art and design historian Annebella Pollen, “Particularly popular in the period 1840 – 80, cheaply-printed and cheaply-sold ‘mock’ or ‘mocking’ comic valentines were the inverse of their better-known sentimental print partners. Usually featuring a crude caricature, intended to represent the recipient, and a satirical accompanying verse, such cards had a much wider network than today’s cards.”

She adds, “This coincides with the growth of valentines as a popular form of communication, assisted by the development of a range of wider phenomena, such as cheap printing and fancy paper production, technologies for the mass circulation of pictorial imagery, and the development of advanced postal systems.”

In essence, these cards were meant to insult or berate the recipient about a perceived social ill they had committed. These valentines ranged in severity — some were minor digs at the recipient, while others were incredibly cruel. For example, activists in the women’s suffrage movement were common recipients of vinegar valentines.

Despite the ill intentions and harmful consequences of vinegar valentines, the preservation of these objects in our museums gives us important insight into the cultural evolution of eras past.

(I’ll stick to my heart-shaped candy boxes, thank you very much.)

If you would like to learn more about the cultural customs of the Victorian era and beyond, accompany your honey (or single self!) to the Frazier History Museum for a romantic (and historical!) date.

Happy Valentine’s Day, lovebirds.

Five Kentucky-made Candies and Dessert Treats for Valentine’s Day

One tradition of Valentine’s Day is the exchange of sugary treats. So with that rite of the holiday in mind, here are five sweet confections and desserts that either originated in the Bluegrass or are manufactured here.

Modjeskas

Picture a marshmallow dipped in caramel and you have some idea of what a Modjeska [maw-jes-kah] is. But the story behind the confection is even sweeter, going back to nineteenth century Louisville. In 1883, renowned Shakespearean actress Helena Modjeska starred in the first Ibsen play ever staged in the United States — A Doll’s House — right here in Louisville.

To celebrate Modjeska’s appearance at McCauley’s theater in downtown Louisville, and perhaps to immortalize her, French immigrant and Louisvillian Anton Busath christened a newly minted confection he had created after her. After he had officially received permission to name his work after her, Busath received an autographed portrait from Helena and hung it at his shop, Busath Candies.

And, though Busath Candies is no more, shops all around Kentuckiana still sell the Modjeska as a specialty, from Bauer Candies in Lawrenceburg to Muth’s Candies in Louisville and Schimpff’s, located just across the Ohio River in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Airheads

Speaking of the Ohio River, just a few miles south of Cincinnati lies the U.S. headquarters for the global candy company Perfetti van Melle. Located in Erlanger, Kentucky, Perfetti van Melle produces Mentos, as well as the next item of this list, Airheads.

Airheads have been around for over thirty years and the ones made for the U.S. market are only made in Kentucky. Known primarily in its bar form, Airheads bars are gluten free, vegan, and Kosher. Even PETA approves of Airheads.

The bars come in four distinct flavors: blue raspberry, watermelon, cherry, and white mystery flavor. If you want to find some Airheads near you, use this trusty locator.

Dippin’ Dots

For our next selection, we go west to the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers at Paducah, Kentucky. There you will find the Dippin’ Dots ice cream factory. Since 1995, Dippin’ Dots have been produced at this plant. The dots are pellets of supercold ice cream, sold the world over (and at our museum store — hint, hint, hint!). But before the ice cream of the future took the world by storm, it was merely an idea in the head of microbiologist Curt Jones.

Jones conceived the idea while working at the lab of agribusiness AllTech in Lexington in the late 1980s. While flash freezing animal feed with liquid nitrogen at AllTech, Jones had a realization: Since flash freezing created a smaller ice crystal than traditional methods of refrigeration, smaller bits of ice cream could be formed — almost the size of a dot — with fresher, better-tasting ice cream.

Soon, a few years after the Festival Market had opened in downtown Lexington, Jones was approached by people to sell his product at the new shopping center. To that, Jones had a cryogenic freezer created within an umbrella stand to sell his product. Unfortunately, this first go at Dippin’ Dots was not without hiccups for Jones. Because the ice cream that came out of the freezer was so cold (-200 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact), he and his co-workers had to use hair dryers to thaw out the dots to a temperature fit for human consumption (around -40 degrees F). And the rest is history . . . sort of.

In 1992, Jones patented his flash freezing process; then, in 1996, Dippin’ Dots sued another ice cream maker, which had a similar process of flash freezing ice cream, for patent infringement. However, after much litigation, the U.S. Patent office ruled in favor of the competitor, whose founders, ironically, had started out as Dippin’ Dots distributors.

The funds required to pursue such litigation essentially bankrupted the company and in 2011 Dippin’ Dots filed for Chapter 11 protection at a U.S. Bankruptcy court in Paducah. The company survived and was bought by a family-owned company based out of Oklahoma. Nevertheless, Paducah remains the home of Dippin’ Dots to this day.

Art Eatables

Another Kentucky business known for its sweet and savory treats is closer to home — just down the street from the Frazier, in fact. For five years, Art Eatables has called 819 West Main Street home. The business is known primarily for its Bourbon-infused truffles, which were almost created by accident.

The story begins eleven years ago, when founder and owner Kelly Ramsey was trying to figure out a novel way to make a Bourbon-flavored chocolate treat for a party she had planned to attend. She had been asked to make Bourbon Balls; but because that treat had been made before, and made well by many famous candy companies in the state, Ramsey came up with a different approach.

Her idea was to use the chocolate truffle as a vehicle through which to infuse Bourbon directly into a candy. Unlike Bourbon balls, which traditionally has a nougat that is comprised of seventy-five percent sugar and twenty-five percent Bourbon, the proportions are inversed in Ramsey’s chocolate truffle. In her treat, the ganache — the chocolate filling of the truffle — is infused with a hearty helping of Kentucky Bourbon.

This combination of dark savory chocolate with sweet Kentucky Bourbon proved to be a potent one-two punch for Ramsey and for the Bourbon industry itself — so much so, in fact, that Art Eatables now offers truffles with over fifty distinct varieties of Kentucky Bourbon, and Ramsey is recognized as the world's first Bourbon-certified chocolatier.

Art Eatables is a trusted partner of both local distillers and Museum Row neighbors alike. Old Forester has entrusted Art Eatables in making the distiller’s brand of Bourbon-infused Modjeskas. And, even we at the Frazier have partnered with our neighbor down the street for a limited time offer.

Graphic for a discount at Art Eatables. A redeemable voucher will be sent as a receipt of your membership purchase to your email. Not a current member? Well, your Valentine’s Day just got sweeter! If you become a member with us here at the Frazier for 2022, you will receive a fifteen percent-off discount on your entire purchase at Art Eatables! Sounds like a deal to grab onto fast, if you ask me. Purchase your membership online or call (502) 412-2263 to take advantage of this delicious offer. This offer ends tonight! We would hate for your Valentine’s Day to get spoiled, so click here now to unlock this sweet promotion!

Kizito Cookies

Finally, there are Kizito Cookies. Located in the Highlands neighborhood in Louisville, Kizito has been a local institution for over thirty years. Each cookie is prepared homemade at the Kizito Cookie bakery at 1398 Bardstown Road. The cookies are the brainchild of Elizabeth Kizito.

Born under a banana tree in Uganda, Elizabeth immigrated to the U.S. in 1975. Eventually, she ended up in Louisville, working as a single mother and raising her family while also waiting tables. Soon, Elizabeth began baking her own style of cookies — wide and flat, maybe four inches in diameter — and sold them around businesses downtown. Eventually, her treats caught on so well, her customers suggested she go into business for herself — which is exactly what she did.

Now, her cookies are sold all over the city — at Louisville Bats games, supermarkets, and occasionally the Frazier Museum. There is even an online shop where people can order that sweet golden goodness (Snickerdoodle is a favorite of mine). Now, that’s a sweet ending, if there ever was one.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Notable Kentuckians: Shelby County-born Librarian Dr. Eleanor Young Love

Many celebrate today as Valentine’s Day — a celebration of romance and love.

But . . .

Today is also celebrated by many literature fanatics as National Library Lovers’ Day!

One important Kentuckian came to mind when thinking of this holiday, and it coincidentally fit in with the overarching celebrated theme of love today as well.

Without further ado, let’s spend a moment celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Eleanor Young Love.

Librarian Dr. Eleanor Young Love. Credit: Kentucky Center for African American Heritage.

Dr. Love was born in Shelby County, Kentucky, on October 10, 1922. As her father was the head of the Lincoln Institute, Dr. Love spent her childhood living on campus and then later attending during her high school years. She later attended Atlanta University and received a bachelor’s in library science. Her educational path led her to also receive a master’s of education degree from the University of Louisville and a doctorate of education from the University of Illinois at Urbana.

Dr. Love later worked as a librarian back at the Lincoln Institute, Florida A&M University, and Bergen Junior College. In 1955, she became the first African American librarian at the University of Kentucky. Later, Dr. Love also became the first African American dean at the University of Louisville, where her career spanned forty years. During her days at U of L, Dr. Love provided leadership in criticizing the U of L administration for failing to recruit and support Black students and faculty.

Dr. Love’s Awards & Recognitions

Two Governor’s Appreciation Citations
Named a Kentucky Colonel (Kentucky’s highest honor) by two governors
Urban League’s Equality Award
NAACP Worthington Award (twice!)
University of Louisville Minority Affairs Award (twice!)
YMCA Black Achievers Award
Kentucky State University Outstanding Achievers Award
Chairwoman of the Human Relations Commission for Louisville and Jefferson County
A scholarship named for her at the University of Louisville, for students studying school counseling, as well as a humanitarian award sponsored by the city of Louisville

Dr. Love would have celebrated her centennial birthday this October. She passed away on July 14, 2006, at eighty-three. Her memorial can be found at Resthaven Memorial Cemetery in Louisville.

Four Roses Tasting With Brent Elliott, Love in West Louisville, 1940s – 2010s; American Cowboy Nat Love a.k.a. Deadwood Dick, and More

The Journey, Ripley-Maysville Crossing on the Underground Railroad, Dixie Highway’s Franco’s Restaurant, and More

Celebrating Ed Hamilton, Who Dey Sazerac Bengals Cocktail, Objects From Louisville Wrestler Jim “Black Panther” Mitchell, and More