Sophisticated drinkers that you are, you’ve likely heard of aging prepared cocktails in oak barrels for around one or two months to create the best damn experiment you’ve seen since baking soda and vinegar.
Well, if you love to drink them, perhaps you’d love making them.
Jeffrey Morgenthaler — Portland, Oregon renaissance blogger — shows us how with this starter set:
NEGRONI
(makes three gallons)
128 oz (approximately five 750ml bottles) dry gin
128 oz sweet vermouth
128 oz Campari
Stir ingredients together (without ice) and pour into a three-gallon oak barrel. Let rest for five to seven weeks and pour into glass bottles until ready to serve.
MANHATTAN
(makes three gallons)
256 oz (approximately ten 750ml bottles) rye whiskey
128 oz (approximately five 750ml bottles) sweet vermouth
7 oz Angostura bitters
Stir ingredients together (without ice) and pour into a three-gallon oak barrel (recommendation: a barrel that has previously stored sherry, Madeira, or port wine). Let rest for five to seven weeks and pour into glass bottles until ready to serve.
TRIDENT
(makes three gallons)
128 oz (approximately five 750ml bottles) aquavit
128 oz dry sherry
128 oz Cynar
7 oz peach bitters
Stir ingredients together (without ice) and pour into a three-gallon oak barrel (recommendation: a used single malt barrel). Let rest for five to seven weeks and pour into glass bottles until ready to serve.
I have wanted to try this for a while, but my wife would kill me if I have a very expensive whiskey barrel lying around full of very expensive liquor. I had a great barrel-aged Sazerac at Clive’s Classic Lounge in Victoria, BC. Excellent.
It takes a real man to admit that his wife wears the pants in the relationship. Only kidding. If we’re ever in Canada we’ll keep your recommendation in mind.
Cheers.