It’s a busy time to be the Peg Leg Porker. In addition to operating his popular barbecue restaurant in the Gulch, Carey Bringle has some major new irons in the fire and a big trip in the works. His first announcement is the release of a new liqueur to join his innovative Peg Leg Porker Bourbon. While his first product is aimed at the bourbon lover who enjoys his or her whiskey neat or as part of a cocktail, the latest addition to the PLP lifestyle brand is decidedly and delightedly more low-brow than that.
Feever is branded as a shot, pure and simple. Designed for bar patrons looking for a change of pace from cinnamon whiskeys and Jäger bombs, this yellow liqueur is best served ice-cold in a shot glass for rapid consumption. The flavor profile comes from citrus flavoring added to neutral grain spirits to create a sippable or shootable spirit reminiscent of Tennessee favorites like Mountain Dew, Sundrop or Mello Yello. The sip I tried reminded me of a sweeter, cheaper version of limoncello, like yellowcello.
Is is a little cheesy with its pinup logo designed by Marty McEwen of Black 13 Tattoo? Sure, and you’ll probably snicker a little bit at the hidden juvenile joke when you realize that the stated ABV of 34.5% converts to 69 proof. But there are plenty of cowboys and cowgirls in downtown Nashville bars and across the country drinking “holler and swaller” shots as part of their raucous nights out.
Bringle saw that opportunity and created a new product in that segment that is ultralocal, thanks to his use of SPEAKEasy Spirits as blender and bottler, and of local distributor Best Brands to introduce Feever to the market. Bringle hopes to introduce his new spirit to retail stores in the next week and expects bars across town to start carrying it soon, although he acknowledges that earning shelf space in the Lower Broad megabars will be a task that might take a while.
A difficulty in that task is that the bottle should actually probably live in the bar's freezer, because a cold shot of it is definitely preferable to room temperature. This means that it won’t be right in front of the noses of people walking up to the bar to order a round. But I wouldn’t bet against the Peg Leg Porker and his team to get it done.
Even though Feever is rolling out locally this week, the team will have to do it without their fearless leader because he’ll be traveling Down Under to be a guest chef at two dinners in Australia as part of their “Good Food Month.” In case you were thinking of buying a last-minute ticket to one of these events (good on you, mate!) one of the two dinners is already sold out.
Both dinners are being held in Sydney at Harpoon Harry, a popular restaurant with an executive chef whose name you might recall. Morgan McGlone was the opening chef at Husk Nashville before returning back to his native Australasian region. Originally from New Zealand, McGlone has spent much of the past couple of years introducing Nashville hot chicken to Australia, while also running the kitchen at Harpoon Harry.
An organizer of Good Food Month actually reached out to Nashville musicians Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings for advice on who to invite to the festival, and they suggested Peg Leg Porker. McGlone and Bringle are old friends, and the former has already invited noted South Carolina pitmaster Rodney Scott to cook whole hogs at his restaurant twice, so he jumped at the chance to work with Bringle.
The chef duo will prepare smoked pig, chicken and fried pies for Sydneysiders as part of a big barbecue supper paired with Aussie wines at that sold-out intimate dinner. And to think we knew these two way back when ...
