devil’s share whiskey release party at eureka!

Last month I was invited to Ballast Point’s release party for their very first whiskey called Devil’s Share! The release party took place at Eureka! in UTC.

You can totally bet that I was singing “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket” when I given this! I managed to not dance around though and sadly, there was no chocolate involved. But there was whiskey! And beer! And appetizers. Mmm.

Stacey was my cohort for the evening since when I think of whiskey, I think of Stacey (it’s true). Stacey and I shared one straight shot of the whiskey. I wish I had asked to look at the actual bottle for the Devil’s Share!

I managed a few sips without my throat catching on fire, so I consider that to be a good thing. It was smooth but still had that ever-so-slight burn that infuses through the whiskey without it actually catching down into your throat. I thought it was almost a little smoky. I’d still need to drink this with something else since I’m a wimp, but it was a damn good whiskey.

To go along with the whiskey, I also got a beer. Luckily, Stacey was driving so I could have a whole beer in addition to half a shot of whiskey. Why yes, I am a lightweight.

I got to keep the glass for this beer (woo) and the best part was the name of it: a Scottish beer called “Piper Down!”

I can’t tell you how many times I have seen this movie.

[eureka truffle fries – fries infused with truffle oil, green onions and melted havarti cheese – $7.75]

For the Ballast Point event, we were able to order any appetizers. Stacey and I made a meal of it and got a few items to share. These Truffle Fries were my favorite of the bunch since they had a nice little hint of truffle oil and the creamy melted havarti was just splendid on these paired with the truffle oil. The fries were excellent and crispy and I could not stop munching on these things! They managed to stay crispy for a long time which earned my favor.

[eureka wings – $10.50]

Stacey and I were both not really into these. They weren’t crispy and the flavor was mostly just “eh”. What a shame though since they look good and crispy. Alas, it was not to be.

[tempura blue lake green beans with salsa romesco sauce, grilled salted marcona almonds and grated parmesan cheese – $7.95]

These made me think of those green bean snacks that they have at Trader Joe’s, except these are fresh green beans and not quite as crisp. I liked the tempura batter on them, which was a light coating so you could still clearly taste the green beans. The almonds were also delicious.

[bruschetta – diced tomatoes, basil, goat cheese, lemon zest, balsamic vinaigrette dressing on toasted french baguette points – $6.95]

Stacey enjoyed this a bit more than I did and this was her favorite item of the evening (probably besides the whiskey). It has a creamy goat cheese for the base which makes it a little different than most bruschetta which usually just has Parmesan on it. I felt the bread could have been toasted a little more to make it easier to eat. The bread was on the chewy side and I had to kind of pull on it, which resulted in my tomatoes falling off.

[lollipop corn dogs – polish sausage hand-breaded in sweet corn batter with spicy porter mustard, ketchup and cheddar i.p.a. sauce – $7.50]

What I liked about these little suckers is that they use polish sausage instead of plain old hot dogs. They have a nice bite which gives the corn dogs a bit more flavor as well.

The thing I didn’t like was that after one bite, the batter pretty much just fell off. I liked the mix of sauces they give you with this dish as well.

Here I am with my cohort, looking a bit tipsy. Woo, whiskey, beer and foods!

Eureka! Burger
4353 La Jolla Village Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122
(858) 210-3444

Ballast Point

Disclaimer: I was invited to visit Eureka! Burger to attend the special Ballast Point event. Our whiskey and food was complimentary. Our beer was not. I was not paid for this review and all opinions contained here are mostly mine (with a little bit of Stacey’s opinions).