Think Kentucky, think fried chicken? Think again. In the southern state’s forward-thinking city of Louisville, a hot-as-hot-sauce bar and restaurant scene is redefining the typical stereotypes of the food and drink offerings in the USA’s southern states.

Sure, fried chicken still reigns supreme (this city is the home of the Colonel, after all), and sure, there are still barrel-fulls of bourbon around. But Louisville has a knack – picked up from its whiskey-making skills – of expertly blending old-school flavours with progressive new ideas, and its edible experiences are a stand-out example.

Case in point? It’s not just bourbon they're making in those barrels. Hop on over to Bourbon Barrel Foods and you’ll find all sorts of kitchen ingredients that utilise those flavourful wooden vessels. The barrel-aged soy sauce is a smoky delight, packed with oaky moments and a little bourbon sweetness – perfect for adding some heft to a rich ramen broth when you get back home.

Southern cuisine rules the roost in the city, but like all of Louisville, the restaurant scene is ever-evolving, and ever-inventive. Take a walk to the beautiful boulevards of Nulu (New Louisville), the old city market district, to find the city’s food furnace.

A give-it-a-go attitude has put coffee shops, craft breweries, cocktail bars and modern bistros on its Brooklyn-like streets (think ample street art, a love of a raw brick wall, and the spiritual home of the city’s creative crowd). Top tables include French bistro La Coop, and the much-lauded Proof On Main, but for a relaxed evening, we’d head over to Garage Bar for some seriously good cocktails, before noshing down one of the city’s best burgers at Grind Burger Kitchen. Still got room? The Taco Punk food truck is legendary.

Farm-to-table feasting is a red-hot trend, too. Slide through the canary yellow door of 610 Magnolia, and you’ll find a menu that offers a modern approach to the Southern Table. Ingredients are seasonal, and regional, with dishes like locally raised duck breast beside charred okra. 

Even the city’s famous horses are getting involved: Barn8 on Heritage Farm is Louisville’s hottest booking right now, a restaurant housed in a heritage stable. Grab a red-painted picnic bench on a sunny day to chow down salads packed with heirloom vegetables, tongue-tingling fried cauliflower and cast iron-made cornbread. (If you need any inspiration for whipping up some Southern cuisine when you get home, check out these sun-soaked recipes).

And, hey, we haven’t even started on the local brew scene; Louisville’s other boozy export is exploding. Atrium Brewing, Akasha Brewing Company, Apocalypse Brew Works and Against the Grain Brewing – that’s just the start of a very long, alphabetically ordered list of the city’s breweries. Don’t leave without trying some Falls City Beer, a perfect example of Louisville’s balancing act between old and new. The oldest city brewery, which shut shop in 1978, has been newly revived for the 21st-century.

Want to know more? Head down to St Pancras Renaissance Hotel’s Gothic Bar on 13 October to join in a themed bourbon bash with the Louisville Tourism team, and the southern city’s hottest independent bourbon brand, Angel’s Envy.

You’ll be able to get a taste of the city’s spirit and start planning a trip to the city. Can’t wait until then? Louisville Tourism is running an incredible competition to win a holiday to the Kentucky town. Here’s hoping we win.

For more information, visit bourboncity.co.uk.