Plus, a donut hole eating contest.
 
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95º | Partly cloudy | 24% chance of rain | Sunrise 6:41 a.m. | Sunset 8:57 p.m.
 

🥃 Giddy up

Drink bourbon in a can
Presented by a LOUtoday Partner
Hand holding a four-pack of cans.
Ponyboy Slings was started by Louisville residents Janell and Mike Bass. | Photo via Ponyboy Slings
A new bourbon cocktail in a can, Ponyboy Slings, is reinventing the idea of “mix and mingle” — by eliminating the mixing in favor of more mingling — and it hits Total Wine shelves this month.

With a name like Ponyboy Slings, a wild ride to the beginning of this carbonated bourbon drink is expected.

A man with a beard and black jean jacket sitting next to a woman with long, blonde hair wearing a black shirt and hat.

Mike helped start the cocktail scene in Orlando, FL + Janell has worked as a bartender in many chef-driven restaurants and is also a voice-over actor.

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Photo by Ponyboy Slings

Shortly after meeting on Bumble during the pandemic, Janell and Mike Bass, now married, are putting their combined 50+ years of service industry experience to good use. They originally started a consulting company called Punchbowl Projects, creating cocktails for big-name bourbon brands.

“Little did we know we had already done a kind of test market,” Janell said. “We were having to make cocktails for 200 to 300 people at a time — so when we were picking what we wanted to put in a can, we basically picked our bestsellers.”

Those cocktails developed into three Ponyboy Slings flavors:
  • Bourbon Popstar — dry vermouth, strawberry juice, lemon bitters
  • Derby Cream Soda — sherry, bitters
  • My Cherry Amour — dry vermouth, sour black cherry juice, bitters
Image of three, 12-oz cans.

Each cocktail uses premium bourbon, fortified wines, real fruit juices, and bitters.

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Photo by Ponyboy Slings

The 7% ABV cocktails pride themselves on being a new way to drink whiskey.

“The brand is laid back, like ‘break off a can from the pack and toss it to my bud in the backyard’ type feeling,” Janell said. “We’re showing people you can mix bourbon just the same as you do vodka and tequila and have a delicious, balanced cocktail that doesn’t have to be so strong and spirit forward.”

The name, an accidental reference to the book “The Outsiders,” in which Janell says she’s well versed in now, is a nod to Kentucky and their dog Whiskey, who they lovingly call Whiskey Boy.

“We didn’t want to limit ourselves in the name in case further down the road we wanted to play around with different spirits,” Janell said.

Ponboy Slings will be available at Total Wine, as well as bars and restaurants around town — like High Horse Bar, Garage Bar, and PG&J’s Dog Bar.

This content is sponsored by Heine Brothers Coffee. As Louisville’s original coffee roaster since 1994, they take pride in the city just as much as the coffee. Order ahead and Drink Up.
LOUtoday thanks our sponsors. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content.
Asked

What cocktail do you want Ponyboy Slings to put in a can next?
A. Mint Julep
C. Bourbon iced tea
D. Gold Rush
Mix it up
Louisville City FC
 
Events
Tuesday, July 4
  • Paristown’s Fourth of July Celebration | Tuesday, July 4 | 11 a.m.-10 p.m. | Paristown, 720 Brent St., Louisville | $12-$45 | Bring a lawn chair and catch a performance by The Crashers, followed by a fireworks show.
Wednesday, July 5
  • Free Movie Night: “The Muppet Movie” (1979) | Wednesday, July 5 | 8:30 p.m. | Iroquois Ampitheater, 1080 Amphitheater Rd., Louisville | Free | Follow Kermit on the big screen on his cross-country trip in pursuit of a movie career.
Thursday, July 6
  • Pups on the Patio | Thursday, July 6 | 5-7 p.m. | Gravely Brewing Co., 514 Baxter Ave., Louisville | Free | Grab a cold beer while your dog enjoys treats and giveaways.
Friday, July 7
  • Racing Louisville vs. KC Current | Friday, July 7 | 8 p.m. | Lynn Family Stadium, 350 Adams St., Louisville | $17-$130 | See the ladies in purple take on this Kansas City team.
Saturday, July 8
  • A Poetry Carnival | Saturday, July 8 | 12-4 p.m. | Sarabande Books Headquarters, 735 Lampton St. Ste. 201, Louisville | Free | This local book publisher is launching its “Once a City Said: A Louisville Poets Anthology” with literary-themed carnival games, a live painting demo, and DJ Sam Sneed.
  • July Biergarten | Saturday, July 8 | 4-10 p.m. | German American Club, 1840 Lincoln Ave., Louisville | Free | Drink German-style beers in the family-friendly biergarten with German food and live music.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
Heine Brothers' Coffee
 
News Notes
Closing
  • Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse closed yesterday, but not for long. The high-end downtown restaurant will reopen mid-Aug. with an additional ~3,500 sqft, thanks to a multimillion-dollar transformation. The magic chandelier and piano stage are staying, but guests can expect a new ruby red dining room with plush curtains all around. (Louisville Business First)
Civic
  • Louisville Metro will spend $2.5 million to expand lighting and surveillance cameras in public parks + the central business district to improve public safety. The investment was first announced after the Chickasaw Park shootings in April. Did you know you can report non-functioning public lights to Metro311?
Try This
  • The first-ever Kentuckiana Donut Hole Eating Championship is happening tomorrow in Paristown. Contestants 18+ can register for $50 to enter the five-minute eating frenzy. The winner, who will be nothing short of aglazing, will take home a $1,000 prize. Get some practice in beforehand at these donut shops.
Outdoors
Fun Fact
  • You never know what’s gonna come through the door — including Rick Harrison from the History channel’s “Pawn Stars.” The owner of Gold & Silver Pawn Shop stopped by Watch Hill Proper in Norton Commons for a Mint Julep while he was in town last week.
 
Eat

“The Walking Dead” stars’ new restaurant

“The Walking Dead” stars open a new restaurant downtown
Round sign on the side of a brown building reading Nic & Norman's.
Nic & Norman’s is open Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. + Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. | Photo by LOUtoday
Nic & Norman’s is open on Whiskey Alley (the backside of Whiskey Row) at 108 W. Washington St.

It’s the fourth location for the concept created by Norman Reedus and Greg Nicotero, who both worked on AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” Reedus is known for playing Daryl Dixon in front of the camera, and Nicotero was the special effects makeup artist on the show.

Though zombies brought the duo together, the restaurant is void of any Walkers.

Instead, what you will find is movie memorabilia spanning the pair’s careers, a really good meatloaf plate, and perhaps the longest bar in Louisville. Trust us, it’s really long.
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The Wrap
 
Katie Molck in a yellow sweater

Today’s edition by:
Katie
From the editor
Grimace-mania swept the nation in June when McDonald’s released a limited-edition meal to celebrate the purple (former) milkshake thief’s 52nd birthday.

I wonder if Louisville’s biggest Mickey D’s fan got to try it.
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