Featured photo: Members of the bar staff at 2Johns Steak & Seafood in Bossier City.

If you are a rare bourbon aficionado, you may want to plan a visit to 2Johns Steak & Seafood in Bossier City sometime in the very near future. The restaurant – which features a handsomely appointed, U-shaped bar that serves one of the region’s most interesting cocktail menus – will receive its annual allocation of several highly prized bourbons today (Wednesday, Nov. 30). I was politely asked not to disclose the eye-popping list of bourbons that I saw, but was told that I could disclose that there will be at least one Pappy Van Winkle product available by the pour. Pappy Van Winkle bourbons are notoriously, ridiculously hard to find due to limited production and an aftermarket that will pay extremely high prices for the sought-after bourbons. The market has gotten so out of hand that empty bottles have sold for up to $500 in online auctions.
After I overheard – completely by accident – that these bourbons would be arriving today, I spoke with 2Johns co-owner John Montelepre, Jr. and asked his permission to share the news. The national obsession with some of these bourbons, and in particular Pappy Van Winkle products, has created a situation where many restaurant owners who receive these bourbons don’t actually put them out on the shelf. I thanked “Big John” for his egalitarian approach to selling this bourbon – it is first-come, first-served. The bar at 2Johns opens at 4 p.m.
“We want to sell them,” Montelepre, Jr. said. “And I like doing it in a way where everyone’s got an equal shot at being able to enjoy these special bourbons.”
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