Garden & Gun Magazine
45,870 Followers | @gardenandgun | Soul of the South.
Warm and Fuzzies
The freshest ways to sip and savor the South’s beloved summer peaches<p>Back when I was still in knickers, I set out one evening to collect enough fireflies to make a lantern bright enough to read by. I’m pretty sure you know the ending: a jar of sad, dying fireflies that cast about as much light as a …
PeachesPeach Infused Rum Cocktail (a.k.a. Bob from Carskadon)
Named after a bar regular who has a strong inclination toward rum, the key to this cocktail is the peach-infused liquor<p>At the bar, this cocktail is served up in a coupe. Try it yourself, and you may be amazed that such a small glass can hold so much: a taste of the Southern summer, a hint of the …
RumSwing Into Summer
A Virginia company revives two nostalgic Southern favorites<p>Whether you grew up with a tire swing that provided the perfect vehicle to splash into a swimming hole or a wooden tree swing that created its own breeze on the front lawn, swings are a mainstay of Southern summer. “It’s good, old-fashioned …
GolfCelebrating Cheerwine: A True Southern Original
Break out the bubbly—Cheerwine—as the iconic cola marks 100 years<p>No one—not even company execs—can fully account for Cheerwine’s huge spike in national popularity over the last few years. The burgundy-red, cherry-flavored soda wasn’t widely available outside Tar Heel State lines until the late …
Food40 Years of Smokey and the Bandit
The classic comedy car flick rides again with anniversary screenings across the country<p>The first <i>Star Wars</i> film might have been 1977’s big summer blockbuster, but another action movie raced into the collective imaginations of many Southerners that year, too: <b>Smokey and the Bandit.</b> The Burt …
MoviesLaguna Madre: Where The Past Rolls In with the Tide
Memories abide on a lazy stretch of Texas coast<p>Sometimes a place can be not a place, but a time. The landscape of the Laguna Madre could well be said to be the landscape of childhood, where certain experiences are given fantastic proportions while others are barely noticed; and the Laguna Madre, …
BeachesGet to Know Florida’s 30A
Meet three Panhandle beach towns with style to spare<p>When Florida aficionados hear “30A,” snow-white sand and pastel sunsets leap to mind. The scenic byway winds through sixteen seaside villages, each with distinct appeal. So where should you plant your umbrella?<p><b>AMERICAN IDYLL</b><p><b>Seaside</b><p>A stroll along …
FloridaG&G’s Summer 2017 Road Trip Playlist
Roll down the windows, crank up the tunes, and hit the highway<p>A good road trip playlist has a little bit of everything, from old favorites to must-hear new tunes. This summer, <i>G&G</i> has you covered with 28 songs that hit all the right notes. Get acquainted with Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, the …
Road TripsSynchronized Fireflies: Lighting Up Congaree
Make time between now and mid-June for one of the world’s most impressive lightning bug displays at South Carolina’s Congaree National Park<p>Love is in the air this weekend in South Carolina’s Congaree National Park, the 26,000-plus acres of old-growth bottomland forest outside of Columbia. …
National ParksThe Mountaineer History of Mother’s Day
No surprise—the holiday that honors the women who loved us first was born in the South<p>This Sunday’s celebration of motherhood has a Southern heritage, and it honors an original West Virginia “mountain mama.”<p>It all begins in the mid-1800s in what would become West Virginia, with a mother, Ann Reeves …
Mother's DayWhat My Mother Taught Me
Five Southern tastemakers share their favorite life lessons from Mom<p>The best Southern source for advice on any topic? Mothers. To celebrate that sentiment, we asked five of our favorite tastemakers to share a standout bit of wisdom they learned from their Moms.<p><b>Designer Ann Mashburn</b> <br>Southern by way …
Swiss AlpsInside Look: The Austin Motel
An offbeat Texas original gets a stylish refresh—and stays wonderfully weird<p>When news broke last year that the Dean family, who’ve owned and operated the <b>Austin Motel</b> since 1993, were selling, locals were nervous. Would developers Greenfield Partners keep the funky spirit of the South Congress motor …
TexasA Stitzel-Weller Affair
On Derby eve, <i>Garden & Gun</i> and Blade and Bow hosted the second annual Stitzel-Weller Affair at the legendary Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. More than a hundred VIPs and friends enjoyed a seated dinner by chef Ford Fry, delicious Blade and Bow cocktails, and a performance by the …
Bourbon WhiskeyStep Inside the Austin Motel
When news broke last year that the Dean family, who’ve owned and operated the <b>Austin Motel</b> since 1993, were selling, locals were nervous. Would developers Greenfield Partners keep the funky spirit of the South Congress motor court? Yes, thankfully. The group tapped the talented Texas hotelier Liz …
TexasThe Road to S-Town
Meet Brian Reed, the radio reporter behind the Alabama-set podcast everyone’s talking about<p>On the surface, the premise of <b>S-Town</b>—the record-breaking podcast from the team at <i>This American Life</i> and <b>Serial</b>—could have easily fallen prey to stereotypes about the South: New York reporter comes to …
Podcasting2017 Garden & Gun Derby Socials
On Saturday, May 6, <i>Garden & Gun</i> and Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey hosted two Derby Socials to celebrate the 143rd Run for the Roses. <i>G&G</i> friends, readers, and area influencers gathered at San Francisco’s Wingtip Club and New York City’s Maysville for mint juleps, big hats, and …
San FranciscoSomething Sweet for Mom
A light daytime cocktail—complete with flowers<p>In the restaurant world, Mother’s Day is right up there with Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve as far as high-stress dining situations go. “We often have husbands or dads come in on Mother’s Day and have a slight panic attack because they didn’t quite …
RecipesLucy’s Signature Summer Seafood Gumbo
Summer gumbo from Gulf Coast restaurant impresario Lucy “LuLu” Buffett’s new cookbook<p>“Just about everybody who grew up on the Gulf has a story about their mother’s gumbo, or their grandmother’s,” says Lucy “LuLu” Buffett. Jimmy Buffett’s “crazy sista,” from Mobile, Alabama, is no exception. “As …
SeafoodA Golfer’s Bucket List
One of the best stories you’ve never heard about Arnold Palmer<p>When the golf writer James Dodson was a thirteen-year-old kid from Greensboro, North Carolina, and just starting to get into the game, he wrote a list of goals he hoped to achieve. Now in his sixties, Dodson recently discovered that list …
GolfSixty Years of Southern Food
An interview with writer John T. Edge about his new book, The Potlikker Papers<p><b>John T. Edge</b> has been scouring backroads and smokehouses for the stories behind Southern food since long before cast iron and country ham caught on with the rest of the country. A native of Clinton, Georgia, Edge left a …
RestaurantsVirginia is for Fashion Lovers
A new Yves Saint Laurent exhibition opens in Richmond<p>Fashion history buffs, mark your calendars. <b>Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style</b> opens Saturday, May 6, at the <b>Virginia Museum of Fine Art in Richmond,</b> featuring photos, color swatches, drawings, and more than 100 haute couture and …
FashionHigh Plains Margarita
Grilled pineapple gives this margarita from Decatur, Georgia’s Truman Tavern a sophisticated spin<p>As cocktails go, margaritas are hard to beat. Strong, sweet, sour, and simple to make, the traditional blend of tequila, orange liqueur, and citrus juice is a crowd-pleaser any time of year. But for …
PineapplePimento Cheese Nachos
Tupelo Honey Cafe takes a Southern classic even further South—and makes one heck of a Cinco de Mayo snack<p>When life hands you a perfect thing—pimento cheese—try to make as many things out of it as possible. That’s the mindset behind <b>Tupelo Honey</b>’s pimento cheese nachos. The popular restaurant chain …
BurgersGreat Southern Derby Winners
This Saturday marks the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby, the longest continually held sporting event in the United States. In that nearly century and a half of history, the Bluegrass State itself has produced a whopping 108 of the Derby’s winning Thoroughbreds. No surprise, a number of this …
Kentucky DerbyThe Spread to Beat in Louisville this Year
Benedictine, the classic Kentucky recipe, gets a dill pickle update<p>“Everybody loves cream cheese,” says Ryan Rogers, of Feast BBQ, Royals Hot Chicken, and the upcoming Bar Vetti in Louisville. Thus the timeless appeal of his hometown’s favorite spread: Benedictine, invented by caterer Jennie …
Recipes2017 Women in the Field: Ladies’ Fly Fishing Excursion
<i>Garden &</i> <i>Gun</i> readers traveled to Cashiers, North Carolina, for the 4th annual ladies’ fishing trip complete with guided fly fishing with Brookings Anglers followed by a cocktail party and private dinner at the Chattooga Club.<p>Special thanks to:<p>Brookings Anglers<p>The Chattooga Club<p>Women in the Field: …
FishingBourbon, Bourbon, Everywhere
Twenty knockout cocktail recipes to celebrate the South’s favorite spirit<p>Twenty knockout cocktail recipes to celebrate the South's favorite spirit
CocktailsMeet the Distiller: Chris Fletcher
Following in the family footsteps at Jack Daniel’s<p>Cranking the siren and banging the bell on an antique fire truck: Those were Chris Fletcher’s favorite things to do as a kid at the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. (He also remembers being terrified he’d fall through the …
FoodHit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
Six reasons (beyond the obvious: tastings!) to plan a high-spirited trip through the Bluegrass State<p>Prohibition and the rise of clear spirits in the 1960s may have briefly sidelined bourbon as America’s favorite liquor, but today there’s no questioning its popularity. Not when folks are willing to …
Maker's MarkEat Like a Local in Savannah
Cheryl and Griffith Day’s before- and after-work haunts<p>Savannah is rocketing out of its moss-draped past, as we pointed out in our recent profile of the historic port city. Long before big-name chefs were anchoring their new projects here, one shop was earning accolades from the <i>New York Times</i> and …
Restaurants