David Chang, owner and chef of Momofuku restaurants (the name means “Lucky Peach”), recently gave a slightly inebriated bourbon tutorial on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” He noted that bourbon production is governed by several rules and regulations. “It has to be in new oak barrels; it can be corn mash… it’s not really that difficult, but I’ve already had several bourbons, so I can’t tell you exactly what the hell I’m talking about.”
His favorite bourbon? Any of the Pappy Van Winkle expressions, which are expensive but worth it. He then sampled several less-expensive brands:
Old Grand-Dad: “I wanted to talk poorly about this, but it’s not that bad.”
Elijah Craig: “I am usually double-fisting this and an American beer…. I think we should be proud of our crappy beer. You can drink a lot of it. It’s like water, and it goes well with bourbon.”
Buffalo Trace: He likes to pair this bourbon with pumpkin pie, “or any pie.”
Old Weller: “Smokier.”
“They all different, that’s the thing,” he concludes. “At the end of the day, find the bourbon you like. And if you’re going to be drinking this late at night and you’re already drunk, it doesn’t really matter what you’re drinking.”
Watch the video segment here.
