It's looking like a whiskey and chili weekend for me and I couldn't be more excited to indulge. Here are two events I plan to attend this weekend and I think you should consider going, too.
"Winter Spirits" dinner at Great Lakes Distillery
This Saturday, Jan. 28, Great Lakes Distillery teams up with Kasana Concierge Gourmet and will host a pop-up, six-course dinner infused with spirits in the midst of the distillery's operations, 616 W. Virginia St. Great Lake's Jason Neu will complement each course with a crafted cocktail. (I thought pop-up was just for books, so I look forward to experiencing my first dinner of this kind.)
Plus, documentary filmmaker Janet Fitsch will be a special dinner guest and musician and composer Allen Cote will perform during the reception.
The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and costs $55 per person or $100 per couple. Tickets are still available through today, Thursday, Jan. 26. I'll be the one trying to down lots of water in between cocktails so I don't say or do anything overtly inappropriate.
The 6th Annual Milwaukee Chili Cook-Off
More than 30 local restaurants will compete for the "golden ladle award" this Sunday, Jan. 29, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There will be more than 60 types of chili to sample.
In the past, the event was held at the Harley Museum, but because of its growing popularity, it required a larger venue this year and will therefore take over Potawatomi Bingo Casino's new Expo Center.
The event is held every year between the championships and the Super Bowl to assure football fans can make it because we all know 96 percent of all chili consumption is done by fans of the NFL. (This statistic may have been made up).
The cost is $15 at the door or $12 in advance. Kids under 7 are free. Anyone attending under 18 must get registered online prior to the event because the event is in a casino which normally does not allow children.
Each ticket includes admission and eight 3-ounce chili samples which will range from traditional to seafood to sweet potato to bratwurst chili. I know I'll be stuffing my bean hole, but I hope my picky kids will at least try some of these wacky chilis. At least they can load up on complimentary bread sticks from Sciortino's Bakery, if need be.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
