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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Kentucky
Whiskey made with at least 51% corn and aged in new charred oak barrels. The United States Congress recognized it in 1964 as a distinctive product of the country, and Kentucky concentrates most of its production.
Traditional drink from Kentucky
Also known as: bourbon whiskey, bourbon whisky, Kentucky bourbon, uísque bourbon
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Bourbon — Kentucky, the United States
Bourbon is the quintessential American whiskey. Federal law defines it precisely: it must be made in the United States from a fermented mash containing at least 51% corn, distilled to no more than 80% alcohol, and aged in new charred oak barrels, entered into the barrel at no more than 62.5% alcohol. It may not receive added coloring or flavoring. Bourbon aged at least two years may be called straight bourbon.
On May 4, 1964, Congress passed a resolution recognizing bourbon as a distinctive product of the United States. U.S. law allows its production in any state and reserves the name bourbon for whiskey distilled and aged in the country.
The strongest link, however, is with Kentucky. Corn whiskey distillation began there as early as the 18th century, when the region was a frontier, and Kentucky’s official tourism information states the state produces about 95% of the world’s bourbon. Distillers attribute part of that history to water filtered through limestone bedrock, low in iron, and to a climate of hot summers and cold winters that makes the spirit move in and out of the barrel wood. The origin of the name is debated: some connect it to the old Bourbon County in Kentucky, others to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, where the whiskey was sold.
The state organizes distillery tour routes, such as the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, created by the distillers’ association, and Bardstown, in central Kentucky, bills itself as the bourbon capital of the world. Bourbon is drunk neat, on the rocks, or in classic American cocktails, always in moderation.
Corn (at least 51% of the mash), other grains such as rye, wheat, or malted barley, water, and yeast. Aged in new charred oak barrels.
Neat, with a few drops of water or with ice, in a lowball glass. It is also the base of classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned, the Manhattan, and the mint julep.
A year‑round drink. The mint julep, made with bourbon, is the traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby, the horse race in Louisville, in May.
Your questions
No. Under U.S. law it can be made anywhere in the United States. But Kentucky concentrates most of the production.
Bourbon has at least 51% corn in the mash and is aged in new charred oak barrels, which gives it a sweet profile with notes of vanilla and caramel.
A bourbon that has been aged at least two years and has received nothing except water to adjust the alcohol level.
Corn whiskey distillation began there in the 18th century, and distillers attribute part of the flavor to water filtered through limestone and to the state’s climate.
Flavors of the United States
Ground beef shaped into a patty, grilled or cooked on a griddle and served inside a round bun. Several American cities claim the sandwich's origin, and it became one of the foods most associated with the United States.
Rare roast beef sandwich on kummelweck roll, topped with coarse salt and caraway, with horseradish and the roll dipped in the roast jus. It’s a tavern specialty from Buffalo, older than the chicken wings.
Fried chicken wings not breaded and coated in a hot pepper and butter sauce, served with celery and blue cheese dressing. They were created in Buffalo in 1964, according to the most accepted version.
Thick date shake with vanilla ice cream, with a caramel-like flavor. It originated at roadside date shops in California’s Coachella Valley.
Pita bread with ham, salami and mortadella, salad and a tangy dressing. It originated with the city’s Arab immigrants and is often served with tabbouleh and cherry limeade.
Blue crab cooked and covered in garlic butter, served with sausage, corn, potato and egg. A variation of the Gullah Geechee–rooted seafood boil, with dozens of specialist restaurants in Jacksonville.
Key lime pie, made with the small yellow Key lime, condensed milk and egg yolks on a cookie crust. Associated with Key West since the late 19th century, it is the official pie of Florida.
Sliced roast beef sandwich on French bread, with the bread dipped in the roast’s jus. Two downtown Los Angeles establishments, opened in 1908, claim its invention.
Cuban coffee: a short, strong espresso sweetened during preparation, with a sugar foam on top. It’s the everyday coffee of Miami’s Cuban community, served in small cups at café windows.
Dense, creamy tart made with cream cheese, eggs and cream on a cookie crust, served without topping.
Large pizza with a thin, crisp yet flexible crust, thin enough to fold a slice in half. It originated among Neapolitan bakers in New York and is sold by the slice throughout the city.
Pastrami sandwich: cured, seasoned and smoked beef, hot-sliced on rye bread with mustard. It’s the sandwich of New York’s Jewish delicatessens.
Clam and potato chowder in a tomato broth, with bacon and the sweet heat of datil pepper. A family recipe from descendants of Menorcan settlers in Saint Augustine.
Carne asada burrito with French fries inside, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole. San Diego’s tourism authority presents it as a creation of the city from the 1980s.
Beef barbecue seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic and roasted over oak coals, served with pinquito beans, salsa, toasted bread and salad. The Santa Maria Valley chamber of commerce registered the menu in 1978.
Stew of fish and seafood in a tomato-and-wine broth, created in the 19th century by Italian fishermen, mostly from Genoa, on the San Francisco pier. It is served with bread for dipping into the broth.
Large burrito made with a flour tortilla, filled with meat, rice, beans, salsa and sour cream, wrapped in aluminum foil. It originated in the taquerías of the Mission neighborhood in San Francisco in the 1960s.
Cuban sandwich made with Cuban bread, roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard, pressed on a griddle. In Tampa it also includes salami. The City Council declared it the city’s signature sandwich in 2012.
Thick stew of chicken, lima beans, corn and tomato, cooked for hours in iron pots. The Virginia General Assembly points to Brunswick County as the place of origin, in a long-standing dispute with Georgia.
A sausage thicker and spicier than the hot dog, smoked and grilled, served in bread with chili, onion and mustard. Washington’s tourism agency calls it the city’s signature dish.
