Whiskey News

Fort Worth distiller issues limited release of city's first bourbon

Roll out the barrels at Firestone and Robertson.

Photo courtesy of Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co.

After over four-and-a-half years of aging, Firestone and Robertson Distilling Company has the first bourbon out of Fort Worth ready to go. Its TX Straight Bourbon is available in limited quantities at the company's Fort Worth distillery, and in select Dallas and Fort Worth stores beginning December 12.

Leonard Firestone, who co-founded Firestone and Robertson with partner Troy Robertson, says that they've impatiently endured a long wait but are proud of the result.

"The final product has certainly achieved all our goals," he says. "The bourbon has a beautiful aroma. It's smooth. It's balanced. And on the palate, it reveals classic bourbon characteristics but clearly possesses its own personality."

F&R distilled and barreled its first batch of TX Straight Bourbon in the beginning of 2012. Utilizing a yeast strain that F&R captured and cultivated from a pecan tree nut located in Glen Rose, Texas, it is the only whiskey in the world to use a wild Texas yeast strain. It gave the spirit its distinct flavors of dark fruit, sweet spice, and caramel. To add to its roots, the product is produced exclusively with corn and wheat grains farmed in Texas.

Robertson says that the company is committed to innovation, ushering in the next generation of whiskey production. "Our philosophy has always been to embrace traditional methods, while pushing the boundaries of our craft and taking risks," he says.

Firestone and Robertson founded the company in 2010. They released the first product, TX Blended Whiskey, in 2012. Its smooth profile has made it a regional favorite in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

The bourbon has a dark amber color, a result of the hot Texas climate after years of aging in oak barrels. In the glass, the bourbon's viscosity can be seen in the long, slow "legs."

The nose has aromas of oak, caramel, cinnamon, and allspice. After dilution with a few drops of water, you get dark dried fruit, coconut, toasted almonds, and more sweet spice. On the palate, there's a velvety, mouth-coating sensation that's classic with bourbon.

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Mex Mex News

El Garambullo Mexican restaurant in Hurst is the real deal

El Garambullo

Sopes plate at El Garambullo

A restaurant in Hurst is serving something that just about everybody wants: authentic Mexican food. Called El Garambullo, it’s a family-owned place located in the former Harwood Cafe space at 109 Harwood Rd., where it's serving breakfast, fajitas, and house-made horchata.

El Garambullo is owned by Lisa Rodriguez and her family, who come from San Luis Potosi in Mexico. That's where they got the inspiration for the name of the restaurant: a garambullo is a type of cactus native to northern Mexico that Rodriguez views as a connection to her family origins.

Signature dishes include enchiladas, flautas, street tacos, and the fajitas, with a choice of the usual beef, chicken, or shrimp, or a more inclusive El Piquin Grill fajita plate featuring a combination of all three meats plus sausage.

Here's where to get a molcajete, a piping hot stone bowl and mixing pestle filled with sausage, shrimp, peppers, and cheese. Plus breakfast every day, including chilaquiles, eggs & chorizo, and huevo rancheros. Prices range from $10 for breakfast plates to $40 for fajitas that can feed two.

"I would describe our style of cooking in three simple words: Traditional, authentic, and for the whole family," Rodriguez says. "Our food is what you would imagine to taste in every town in Mexico. Most of the ingredients we use are from there, and we stick to our traditional recipes."

The horchata is made with homemade rice milk and spices. One thing you won’t find at this restaurant, however, is a margarita. There’s no bar or alcohol served here, but it is a BYOB restaurant.

Rodriguez, who learned to cook as a child from her mother and grandmother, worked in several restaurants but always dreamed of having her own restaurant and she wanted to do it in her own hometown.

"Hurst is not only the place where this restaurant opened its doors, but also the place I chose to live in for me and my family," Rodriguez says. "It's a very good place, along with all of the neighbors and the community."

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