Busch Gardens’ All-New Bourbon & BBQ Event Kicks off July 19

Busch Gardens is introducing a brand-new event this month. Bourbon & BBQ will kick off July 19 and run though September 2 and will feature an unforgettable celebration of smoky flavors and smooth spirits accompanied by live music.

The event will be included in general admission and food and beverage will available at an additional cost. Keep reading to find out how you can indulge in the perfect pairing of bourbon and BBQ this summer.

What’s on the menu at Bourbon & BBQ

Bourbon & BBQ will feature an array of food and drinks with hearty flavors that bring together the smoky richness of BBQ with the complex, oaky flavors of bourbon. Whether you’re a fan of sweet or smoky, there’s something for everyone to indulge in.

What’s unique about this event is that each category of food and drink will be broken up by bourbon style.

Single Barrel

Food:

• Glazed Pulled Turkey: Slow-smoked turkey served with sweet potatoes roasted in a brown sugar-butter glaze and BBQ sauce infused with Cherry Coke® and black cherry hot sauce.
• Smoked Pork Ribs: Fall-off-the-bone smoked pork ribs smothered in a sweet & tangy Coca-Cola® BBQ sauce with a side of lima beans and corn-roasted red pepper succotash.

Drinks:

• Three Daughters Bleach Blonde
• Keel Farm Watermelon Cider
• Hidden Springs Orange Crush
• Magnanimous Juice Lord

Wood Barrel

Food:

• Lamb Ribs: Bourbon-brined lamb ribs slow-smoked with a side of sweet cream cornbread and mustard BBQ sauce.
• Smoked Heirloom Tomato Salad: Local heirloom tomatoes that are cold smoked and placed on a bed of mixed greens then finished with an aged balsamic glaze.

Drinks:

• Whiskey Sour
• Watermelon Smash
• Yuengling
• Michelob Ultra

Whiskey Rye

Food:

• Apple Smoked Pork: Apple Brined Pulled Pork topped with a sweet & spicy bourbon BBQ sauce and served with brown sugar baked beans.
• Slow Smoked Beef Chuck: Dry Rubbed Beef Chuck that’s slow cooked and tossed in a Florida-style BBQ sauce and served with a peach-infused cole slaw.
• Pecan Pie: Good old fashioned pecan pie like Grandma used to make.

Drinks:

• Watermelon Smash
• The Tea
• Blackberry Whiskey Mule

Cask & Barrel

Food:

• Beef Brisket: Chopped Brisket tossed in a key lime ketchup BBQ sauce with a hint of habanero and laid on top of creamy mac and cheese.
• Smoked Chicken: Dry Rubbed Chicken Thighs glazed in a mustard BBQ sauce and served with a creamy house-made potato salad.

Drinks:

• Whiskey Smash
• Blue Moon
• Keel Farms Creamsicle
• Southern Belle

Full Proof

Food:

• Lamb Shank: Tender lamb shank that has been slow-cooked with maple wood and placed on top of buttery red mashed potatoes then finished with a rich dark molasses BBQ sauce.
• Smoked Salmon: House-smoked salmon over a bed of jasmine rice topped with Bulgogi BBQ sauce and sriracha honey drizzle.

Drinks:

• Gold Rush
• Whiskey Sour
• Coppertail Free Drive
• Golden Road Mango Cart

The Bourbon Barn

Drinks:

• Signature Flight: 4 handcrafted cocktails presented by Buffalo Trace Distillery
• Blackberry Smash: Tasty blackberry puree combined with Buffalo Trace Bourbon – 7oz / 12 oz
• Traveller Lemonade: Delicious, sweetened lemonade with Traveller Whiskey – 7oz / 12 oz
• Corazon Margarita: Corazon Tequila aged specifically for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in only single Blanton’s Bourbon Barrels
• Hibiscus Vodka Mule: Fresh Hibiscus with Wheatley Vodka 
• Yuengling
• Heineken
• Michelob Ultra

The Springs Taproom will also have a special Smoked Chicken Sandwich (Pulled Smoked Chicken topped with peach habanero BBQ sauce on a potato roll with Ms. Vicky’s Jalapeno Potato Chips).

You can also upgrade your day with the Treetop Bourbon Tasting for $80 – a curated bourbon tasting guided by an expert in the art of making bourbon. Held on Saturdays presented by Buffalo Trace Distillery and on Sundays by Jack Daniel’s Distillery.

St. Augustine Distillery will also be there with tasting of four different spirits or a single neat pour. You can purchase by the tasting, glass, or bottle.

Entertainment and Bourbon & BBQ

Head to the Coke Canopy throughout the event for live music from:

• Luna and the Warriors
• K-Luv & The United Funk Foundation
• Brady Lee
• The Rundown
• Stella Beat
• Crossfire Creek Band

Visit the site for exact dates and showtimes.

Stick around for Scary to Merry on July 25

Check out this immersive Scary to Merry experience that combines the frights of a haunted house with the joy of the holiday season. Will you dare choose a frightful tour of The Stranglewood Estate or an early opportunity to meet Santa?

From 12 pm – 4 pm, take a tour of The Stranglewood Estate from their fall Howl-O-Scream event or meet Santa on the 3rd floor of Serengeti Overlook. Included with park admission.

Details:

Bourbon & BBQ will take place from July 19-September 2 during park hours.

Scary to Merry will take place July 25 from 12 pm-4 pm.

10165 McKinley Dr., Tampa, FL 33612