BARREL-AGING COCKTAILS
Aging cocktails in a barrel (or in a jar with a barrel stave) mellows and harmonizes flavors to glorious effect. Disparate elements meld into silky unity. After two or three weeks, the wood imparts flavors of light vanilla and caramel.
Explore this process with any spirits-only recipe—please don’t try aging fruit juices or eggs. The Manhattan (page 41) and the Negroni (page 91) are ideal choices. Aging transforms them into cocktails of great subtlety and finesse.
Tuthilltown Spirits (tuthilltown.com) is a good resource for small barrels, and for jars with barrel staves. If you don’t want to commit to a full barrel, their 375-ml jars will hold four of our Negronis and five Manhattans. Simply stir up the drinks without ice and use a funnel to fill the jars.
We like to begin aging cocktails in October for unveiling around the holidays.