Food & Beverage

Wendy's asks, 'Bourbon with that burger, ma'am?'

Forget the mustard — Wendy's latest burger comes dressed in bourbon. (Provided)

May 6, 2021

Apparently, the culinary masterminds at Wendy's took a turn at last Saturday's Kentucky Derby because the brand said today it's introducing a Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger steeped in the oak-barrel-tinged flavoring of the Bluegrass State's trademark beverage.

The sandwich pairs custom bourbon bacon sauce with applewood-smoked bacon for what may well be the first-of-its-kind offering in the QSR category, according to a news release.

"Wendy's is the home of the number one bacon cheeseburger for a reason: our beef is always fresh, never frozen and our Applewood-smoked bacon is cooked in an oven daily to bring the Wendy's signature quality and flavor that we feel is a cut above the competition," John Li, Wendy's vice president of culinary innovation, said in the release.

"For our Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger, our culinary innovation team created a custom sweet but savory Bourbon Bacon sauce to compliment the American cheese, crispy bacon, crunchy onions and premium toasted bun to bring a delicious, uniquely-Wendy's flavor profile in every bite."

Starting today through May 9, diners can get a free bourbon cheeseburger through Postmates with a minimum Wendy's purchase of $15 by using code BOURBON. Otherwise, the offering will run customers $5.39.

"Following the success of our Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger and Jalapeno Popper Chicken Sandwiches on the 1 Made to Crave platform, we wanted to go back to our roots and give our fans more of what they're always craving: a quality, juicy bacon cheeseburger," CMO Carl Loredo, said in the release. "Wendy's is always looking ahead to the next big thing and this burger pays homage to two classic American icons — cheeseburgers and bourbon."

Wendy's has more than 6,800 restaurants worldwide and is based outside Columbus, Ohio.