Bourbon Bars Back in Style

High-end Bourbon bars are scattered around the city

By BRIAN RIES

Updated 11:34 AM EST, Fri, Nov 7, 2008

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Bourbon, a distilled spirit made primarily from corn, is arguably the most classically American drink. According to Wikipedia, its been around in its present form since the late 19th century when Scottish, Irish, and German immigrants began distilling in the early 19th century in Kentucky.

Today, Bourbon is alive and well, and aside from your local liquor store, can best be found in a number of high-end Bourbon bars scattered around the city. The Post calls it Bourbon Renewal, but since I don't think Bourbon ever really left, it should be called Bourbon Enhancement - and you can find these bars in just about every borough. The post focused on five bars - two in Brooklyn and three in Manhattan.

They are Char No. 4 (Brooklyn), Blue Smoke (Manhattan), Fette Sau (Williamsburg), Mason Dixon (Manhattan), and The Pig Bourbon & Beer Bar (Manhattan). Fette Sau got the best rating (natch), while Blue Smoke got the worst. Aside from having the best Bourbon selection around town, Fette Sau also has the best Bar-B-Que, landing a head nod from Zagat's just two months ago.

So forget the beer, bypass the Vodka, drop the Gin, and grab yourself an American Bourbon tonight. It's just another reason to be "proud to be an American", if you ever needed that assurance in the first place.