A CULTURAL Quarter bar is offering up some of the finer things in life as it launches a series of themed evenings.

The Barbecue and Bourbon event will be held at Institution, based in the Treasury Building in Palmyra Square, on Thursday, March 30, and will be limited to just 20 places. Those who book a £25 place can expect an all-American barbecue and a bourbon masterclass before finishing their evening with a Havana cigar.

Sharon Johnson, general manager and chef at Institution, will be serving up baby back ribs, brisket and pulled pork. She will then make three types of barbecue sauce using bourbon to compliment the flavour of each dish.

Sharon will also be joined by a bourbon expert who will host a masterclass as guests sample Jim Beam Double Oak, Knob Creek and Makers Mark.

She said: “There are only 20 places available so it’ll be quite intimate in the vault. Bourbon is incorporated into a lot of barbecue sauces so we’re going to do three different meats – ribs, brisket and pulled pork – and then I’m going to make barbecue sauce out of three bourbons to match the flavours.”

Drawing on 25 years’ experience running restaurants in the United States, Sharon added: “There’s all different kinds of barbecue sauces depending on what region you’re from. There’s vinegar based ones, there’s mustard based ones, some of them use molasses and some of them have a kick with Cajun spices in.

“Carolina, Kansas City and Texas are the big regions for it. Texas does brisket, Carolina does pulled pork and then they fight over ribs in Kansas City. It’s big business in those places.

"Some of the places there have had recipes that have been going for years and years. Some of the sauces are family secrets and they’ve kept the tradition going."

Sharon told Weekend the theme nights are part of a push to make more people aware of the bar and what it does.

She said: “On May 11 we’ll be doing a gin night where we’ll pair gin with food and a gin expert will come in to give a talk and we’re thinking about a Mexican evening. Bourbon is definitely becoming a big thing in the UK and I think rum is making a comeback so maybe in the summer we’ll have a night dedicated to that.

“We just wanted to do something that nobody else in Warrington has done. It’s not just burgers and cocktails here.”

To book a place visit institutionbar.com/events