We attended a festival for fried food and whiskey — here are the biggest trends we saw

Courtney Verrill

Whiskey and fried food lovers gathered at the Brooklyn Expo Center in New York City on Saturday, July 9, for a delicious food and drink festival — the Whiskey Fried Classic.

Brought to you by Cannonball Productions, the festival paired dozens of whiskeys, handcrafted whiskey cocktails, and craft beer with Southern-inspired dishes from 20+ NYC restaurants. General admission started at $85, and VIP sessions for $125. Attendees had the chance to sip on all the whiskey they wanted and enjoy all the fried food they could eat.

Business Insider had the chance to attend the food festival as a VIP, here’s what it was like.

Over 1,400 whiskey lovers and foodies attended.

When attendees entered, they had the option to pick up a glass to use for all their whiskey-tasting needs.

It didn’t take long for people to start enjoying the different types of whiskey.

Other than whiskey drinks, there was choices of whiskey flavored foods and desserts, such as dark chocolate whiskey salted caramel and vanilla bean bourbon ice cream.

The range for fried food was endless — from fried chicken and waffles to fried marshmallows with a tasty bourbon sauce.

Fried donuts from The Donutologist also made its debut. The fried donut was less sweet than a regular donut, but more savory.

One of the most popular fried food items was the pizza bomb, pictured below, which was a combination of cheese, marinara sauce, and other pizza toppings fried into a ball.

The was a very interesting selection of whiskey cocktails — such as the Dickeled Cucumber made with George Dickel Rye, aged white wine, vinegar, cucumber shrub, and fresh lemon.

To make the festival a little more entertaining, there was a mechanical bull inside.

Outside, there were adult sized games such as a giant Connect Four …

… and giant Jenga.

There was live music outside to liven up the party.

A group of musicians also walked around inside and played some catchy tunes for people to dance along to.

The VIP attendees were granted early entrance, allowing more time to sip on whiskey and get first grabs at the food.

The VIP ticket holders had access to two specialty lounges excluded from the main areas, samples of additional top shelf spirits, and a digital goodie bag.

In one of the VIP lounges, you could make your own cocktail by picking your own ingredients and mixers and taking it to the bartender to put it all together.

There was also the option to try three rare whiskeys, one being the Maltman, single malt scotch whiskey.

The VIP lounges had smaller lines, which made it easier to get your specialty cocktails and whiskeys.

Back in the general admission area, there was a variety of options for whiskey drinks, such as the pickle back shots pictured below.

A hilarious stand of a diverse fake mustaches was there.

Whiskey and fried food lovers in Chicago, Denver, Seattle and Silicon Valley will soon have the chance to unite and enjoy the festival.

Cannonball Productions partners with local food vendors to make each festival personal to each city. They also will partner with regional organizations and local food recovery programs to donate leftover food.

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