MAY 25 2022
DRINKWELL - AUSTIN
On May 25th, 2022 the first Texas Walker’s Table took place in Austin. Among the diverse guest list, we had food writers such as Hayden Walker of Austin Food Magazine (10.4k following) and Veronica Meews (6.7 following) a freelance food and drink critic. We also had a local Austin fitness influencer, Serena “Gypsy” Beatty, who attended (10.6k following) and a local Austin musician who has been described as a rising star, Angelica Rahe, and her husband Joah Spearman (15k following total) who is running for Austin City Council this year. Joah is beloved among the hospitality industry for his passion and ideas surrounding the service industry and the changes he strives to make so that our cities workers can make a better living doing what they love. We also had guests from our distributor partners, trade, business owners and a female distiller present. Our combination of personalities and walks of life made for great conversation among the group and there was never a quiet moment at the table. The evening began with cocktail hour on the patio and a “High Street Highball”, a Johnnie Walker High Rye melon infused highball featuring our local blend of High Rye Inspired tea in a house made soda and a flamed orange. For the tea I worked with a locally based lose tea company and we created a blend of the same types of tea John Walker sold at his store combined with tea varietals that would add rich vanilla notes and hints of spice for the rye influence, or smoke and green apple to balance the traditional Johnnie Walker Black notes in the High Rye. This tea was also packaged and given as a take home gift. Afterwards, a 5 course and cocktail pairing dinner that will not soon be forgotten. Some of the noteworthy dishes included crab fingers with curry leaf leche de tigre and chili oil which paired with the Moray Coast Clipper; a coconut, passionfruit, slightly spicy and perfectly tangy Johnnie Walker Black up drink that worked perfectly with the chili oil. Another big hit was the boucherie with andouille, tasso, pork belly and dirty rice dish. This final dish paired with the “Fourth Regiment”, an easy to make at home take on a Rob Roy with celery bitters. Before dessert we paused and I walked the group through some brand history and a tasting of the High Rye, Black, Gold and Blue. We ended the evening with a group toast and after dinner drinks back on the patio where guests were able to relax before departure. I have received an abundance of positive and glowing feedback from the staff and guests, everyone is looking forward to what we do next!
GUEST COUNT: 16
GUEST SOCIAL MEDIA REACH : 82K
ABOUT THE LOCATION: Our venue for this wonderful evening was Drinkwell, a female owned and operated long standing neighborhood cocktail bar in north Austin. The owner, operators and staff at Drinkwell are true champions of Johnnie Walker and have a deep passion for the brand. You can try the “Johnnie Tsunami” right now in fact, a booze froward Johnnie Walker Black cocktail on their new menu launched just this season which was also a highlight at the pairing dinner. The private event space we utilized at their partner restaurant, Petit Maison at Lenoir, utilized only locally sourced or house made products from farmers and ranchers in Texas and are known for their seasonally curated menus and spicy flavor combinations. These two well established and original Austin hospitality businesses collaborated to create the perfect experience for our guests and to curate a one-of-a-kind experience not available anywhere other than with us at Johnnie Walker.
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