Inspired by a visit to see Tony Conigliaro at the unnamed bar at 69 Colebrooke Row in London last fall, where Manhattans are aged in glass vessels to sublime and subtle effect, the barrel aged cocktails I’ve been serving at Clyde Common this year are a decidedly American curiosity.
The rub of aging cocktails in a glass bottle is that the whole premise is built upon subtlety, as we know that spirits aged in glass or steel do so at an unremarkable pace. Being from the United States, where – as everyone is aware – bigger equals better, I pondered the following question: what if you could prepare a large batch of a single, spirit-driven cocktail and age it in a used oak barrel?
A hundred some-odd dollars in liquor later, I was nervously pouring a gallon of pre-batched rye Manhattans into a small, used oak cask whose previous contents were a gallon Madeira wine. I plugged the barrel and sat back in anxious anticipation; if the experiment was a success I’d have a delicious cocktail to share at the bar – if it was a failure then I’d be pouring the restaurant’s money down the floor drain.
Over the next several weeks I popped open the barrel to test my little concoction until I stumbled upon the magic mark at five-to-six weeks. And there it was, lying beautifully on the the finish: a soft blend of oak, wine, caramel and char. That first batch sold out in a matter of days and I was left with a compelling need to push the process even further.
Now, three gallons of Negroni might not be practical for the home enthusiast, but the average bar or restaurant should be able to afford that sort of quantity quite easily. For those of you trying this at home, try searching the internet for one-gallon charred oak casks (stay away from the fancy lacquered kind meant for display in dens and 1980s wine bars) and be sure to let us know what you find in the comments section below.
We procured a small number of used whiskey casks from the Tuthilltown distillery and proceeded to fill them with a large batch of Negronis; and that’s when the magic of barrel aged cocktails grabbed our attention. After six weeks in the bourbon barrel, our Negroni emerged a rare beauty. The sweet vermouth so slightly oxidized, the color paler and rosier than the original, the mid-palate softly mingled with whiskey, the finish long and lingering with oak tannins. We knew we were on to something unique and immediately made plans to take the cask aging program to the next level.
Negronis are now prepared in five-gallon batches and poured into multiple bourbon barrels. Robert Hess’ ubiquitous Trident cocktail is currently resting inside single-malt barrels. The El Presidente (à laMatt Robold), Deshlers, Remember the Maines, they’re all receiving the oaked treatment in a little storage room in the basement of the restaurant that I refer to as my “office”.
Once the cocktail is aged long enough for my taste, I then drain the bottle, straining out any charred bits of wood, and bottle the contents for use by my bartenders. To order, the cocktail is then measured out and poured over ice in a mixing glass, stirred, strained into a cocktail glass, and then garnished with the appropriate garnish. It’s quick and simple, as all of the real work has already been done by the barrel.
Anyway, on to the recipes. As simple as it seems to do, I figured not everyone is going to want to do the math to get started on some of these recipes, so here are a few I’ve figured out:
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 (I prefer 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 (I prefer a used single malt barrel). Let rest for five to seven weeks and pour into glass bottles until ready to serve.
Feel free to leave any questions in the comments section below.
My problem with homemade tonic water has always been a flavor profile that was too esoteric for the general audience. This recipe takes some of the positive qualities people have come to understand from commercial tonic water and updated them with fresh ingredients.
One question I'm often asked is "Do you have any drink-related book recommendations?" Well, funny you should ask, I've compiled a list of the ten books every professional bartender or home mixologist should own. I keep every one of these close at hand and have read most of them several times. I suggest you do the same.
The problem with living in Oregon is the absence of little wooden shacks by the sea that sell cases of fresh ginger beer stacked on back porches. But with some readily-available ingredients, a recipe I've been revising for several years - and a few free minutes - I can easily transport myself to a little fishing boat on the ocean as I sip a Dark and Stormy made with fresh, house-made ginger beer.
It's always mojito season somewhere, so this advice is timely in your area about half the year. Wether you're making them or simply enjoying them, this advice will help you look like a pro in no time at all.
The flavors of the Richmond Gimlet are imbued with sunshine. Fresh mint mingling with the herbaceousness of gin and the tartness of lime have made this drink a Eugene classic for many years now.
You'll get a lot of snarky advice on this site about how to make a proper drink, but if you ever need to know what not to do, this is the video for you.
Not to be confused with the Spanish wine-and-fruit-based alcoholic beverage sangria, sangrita (meaning "little blood") is a traditional accompaniment to a tequila served completo; a non-alcoholic sipper that cleanses the palate between fiery doses of agave.
The world of booze can be mystifying to people that don't work in bars or around alcohol all the time. I hear a lot of assumptions about the industry I'm in that are - much like 90% of what you hear in bars - completely false. Here are a few you've probably heard yourself.
The debate rages on: Should we try to look cool and crack open the Boston shaker or be tidy professionals and use the Hawthorne strainer the way God intended? Be sure to leave your two cents in the comments section.
The traditional garnish for a Pisco Sour is a couple of drops of bitters in the foam, but I've never been particularly impressed with the way these few paltry drops of bitters sat in their little egg-white mattress and didn't play along with the rest of the drink. I envisioned a Pisco Sour with a uniformly-distributed bitters-scorched foam: slightly crisp as the fire burnt the sugars, and slightly warm as the foam insulated the rest of the frosty cocktail from the heat. A pisco creme brulée in a glass!
I get so many visitors looking for tips on how to write a bartending resume that I thought I should finally post a tutorial on how to write your own. Click the headline to read more.
I always love showing up to a party with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas, so I've decided to share my recipe. This margarita recipe is the perfect blend of strong, sweet, and sour. But be warned: this recipe packs a serious punch.
There isn't much I can say about this video that hasn't been said already. If you've read anything I've written about cocktails, you'll understand why this video symbolizes everything wrong with the state of bartending in America today. Watch and learn, but be warned: this one isn't for the feint of heart.
About Me
My name is Jeff Morgenthaler and I'm the head bartender at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.
I've been tending bar since 1996 and writing about it since 2004. Mixing drinks has become something of a passion for me in recent years, and I strive to elevate the experience of having a drink from something mundane to something more culinary.
The writing I do here is intended as a work in progress. My recipes are like my opinions: they are constantly being revised and refined as I work them through my mind and my fingers. Comments and participation are encouraged, so please don't feel the need to tread lightly here.
Scott and I put a lot of care into our cocktails: we use all fresh ingredients, we measure absolutely everything, and we’re passionate about every drink we put out. We’re proud of the fact that our drinks rarely get sent back, so when one of our servers came back to the bar with a half-consumed margarita, we were naturally concerned.
“And he wanted to know what took you so long”, she said, “He asked if you were growing the tequila yourself.”
We tasted the rejected drink, and it was perfect. And believe me, I’m harder on my drinks than most of the people drinking them. So what was this guy’s problem? And how do you grow tequila?
“Who sent this back?”, I asked.
“Jared from Subway“, the server growled as she stormed off.
Oh, ha ha ha. We all play this game, it’s a fun way to relieve the tension at work. You know how it’s played: some dude that looks like Matlock is sitting on table 9. Lisa Bonet just walked in the side door. Check out Eddie Munster on 7. But this guy, this guy looked exactly like Jared from Subway! She’d really nailed him, and I couldn’t stop staring at the poor guy.
But then I realized she might not be kidding when I looked over and saw some prom kids posing for pictures with him. Wait a minute, I thought, why would these people want their picture taken with holy shit, Scott, that’s really Jared from Subway!
“I was wondering how long it would take you, do you ever pay attention to anyone?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, Jared from Subway is really on 3?!”
“The one and only, boss.”
“What the hell is he doing in Eugene?”
“He’s probably here for the marathon tomorrow, like as a spokesman for Subway or something.”
“So, what, the guy eats fast food every day and this margarita doesn’t measure up to his strict standard of quality?”
“I guess not. He just switched to Corona.”
“Yuck. And what is he doing drinking margaritas anyway? I thought he was a health nut or something.”
“I dunno,” Scott said, “Maybe he walked here.”
Comments
16 Responses to “El Vaquero: Drink Fresh. Or, Don’t.”
29 Apr 2007 at 4:33 pm 1. Dan
Says something about his tastebuds if he can scarf down Subway and Corona…
Wow, that’s hilarious. Thank you for confirming my long-held suspicions that Jared is a giant douche.
29 Apr 2007 at 6:16 pm 3. Kathy
Let me guess, he ordered a steak, well-done, formed into meatballs, covered with canned marinara sauce on a 12-inch Wonder bread loaf with melted processed cheese for dinner?
People used to mistake me for Jared back when I had the same glasses AND the same haircut as him. It was quite embarrassing because, let’s face it, he looks kinda doofy.
I had no idea he was a douche! Maybe he just doesn’t know what a margarita that doesn’t contain premade sour mix tastes like.
Hrmmm… I wonder if he ran it (looking up all results for someone named Jared) :)
30 Apr 2007 at 12:21 am 6. your hot lover
The guy shows up for a marathon but claims he can merely walk for half an hour.
30 Apr 2007 at 8:59 am 7. LCam
Good God this is hilarious! So does mean he didn’t get his “buy 10 get the 11th one for free” card punched?
30 Apr 2007 at 10:39 am 8. Nicky
What nerve. Jared isn’t THAT big of a celebrity to make those types of demands. And if he is such a health nut, he should know the calories in a margarita. I hope gains the weight back from that margarita you served him.
30 Apr 2007 at 10:53 am 9. :) Karina :)
I’ve waited on hundreds of celebritys (not that the Subway guy is a celebrity) and nobody has the right to act like an asshole.
Robert DeNiro was an absolute doll every time, though. ;)
30 Apr 2007 at 12:30 pm 10. Dan
That Forbes article is bogus. A Long Island Iced Tea at 780 calories? I don’t buy it.
30 Apr 2007 at 6:24 pm 11. Tek
That seems like a lot to me to. Does crappy sour mix really have that many calories?
01 May 2007 at 5:26 am 12. Dan
The liquor and cointreau would amount to around 200 calories I’d say, if you’re using a half ounce of each. The calories from lemon juice are negligible, and a splash of simple syrup and an ounce or two of coke isn’t exactly going to rack up the calories either…
BUSTED.
Their margarita recipe sucks, too. They use four ounces of tequila and some crappy pre-made lime/sour mix.
Crappy sour mix, from what I remember staring at the bottles at the liquor store, have about 200 calories (basically 50 g sugar) in a 4 oz. serving. That’s nasty.
Simple syrup, on the other hand, if my knowledge of Fancy Science and Basic Arithmetic aren’t failing me, contains 24 g of sugar per ounce (about 100 calories). It has more calories per ounce, but if there’s a drink that calls for 4 oz. of simple syrup, I’m not drinking it.
I think I remember the article saying something about assuming an ounce of liquor each, so they were probably starting out at 400-500 calories. I’d bet they put 4oz mixer in there, which would make for a huuuge Long Island, much stronger than any bartender I know would ever serve a customer.
Wait a minute, why are we debating Long Islands again? Yuck.
01 May 2007 at 9:43 am 15. Dan
I’d really like to know why Long Islands are so popular.
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29 Apr 2007 at 4:33 pm 1. Dan
Says something about his tastebuds if he can scarf down Subway and Corona…
*rolls eyes*
29 Apr 2007 at 6:08 pm 2. Darryl
Wow, that’s hilarious. Thank you for confirming my long-held suspicions that Jared is a giant douche.
29 Apr 2007 at 6:16 pm 3. Kathy
Let me guess, he ordered a steak, well-done, formed into meatballs, covered with canned marinara sauce on a 12-inch Wonder bread loaf with melted processed cheese for dinner?
29 Apr 2007 at 6:47 pm 4. Steve
Kathy, that sounds delicious!
People used to mistake me for Jared back when I had the same glasses AND the same haircut as him. It was quite embarrassing because, let’s face it, he looks kinda doofy.
I had no idea he was a douche! Maybe he just doesn’t know what a margarita that doesn’t contain premade sour mix tastes like.
29 Apr 2007 at 11:36 pm 5. McAuliflower
Hrmmm… I wonder if he ran it (looking up all results for someone named Jared) :)
30 Apr 2007 at 12:21 am 6. your hot lover
The guy shows up for a marathon but claims he can merely walk for half an hour.
30 Apr 2007 at 8:59 am 7. LCam
Good God this is hilarious! So does mean he didn’t get his “buy 10 get the 11th one for free” card punched?
30 Apr 2007 at 10:39 am 8. Nicky
What nerve. Jared isn’t THAT big of a celebrity to make those types of demands. And if he is such a health nut, he should know the calories in a margarita. I hope gains the weight back from that margarita you served him.
30 Apr 2007 at 10:53 am 9. :) Karina :)
I’ve waited on hundreds of celebritys (not that the Subway guy is a celebrity) and nobody has the right to act like an asshole.
Robert DeNiro was an absolute doll every time, though. ;)
30 Apr 2007 at 12:30 pm 10. Dan
That Forbes article is bogus. A Long Island Iced Tea at 780 calories? I don’t buy it.
30 Apr 2007 at 6:24 pm 11. Tek
That seems like a lot to me to. Does crappy sour mix really have that many calories?
01 May 2007 at 5:26 am 12. Dan
The liquor and cointreau would amount to around 200 calories I’d say, if you’re using a half ounce of each. The calories from lemon juice are negligible, and a splash of simple syrup and an ounce or two of coke isn’t exactly going to rack up the calories either…
BUSTED.
Their margarita recipe sucks, too. They use four ounces of tequila and some crappy pre-made lime/sour mix.
01 May 2007 at 6:07 am 13. Steve
Crappy sour mix, from what I remember staring at the bottles at the liquor store, have about 200 calories (basically 50 g sugar) in a 4 oz. serving. That’s nasty.
Simple syrup, on the other hand, if my knowledge of Fancy Science and Basic Arithmetic aren’t failing me, contains 24 g of sugar per ounce (about 100 calories). It has more calories per ounce, but if there’s a drink that calls for 4 oz. of simple syrup, I’m not drinking it.
01 May 2007 at 7:59 am 14. Jeffrey
I think I remember the article saying something about assuming an ounce of liquor each, so they were probably starting out at 400-500 calories. I’d bet they put 4oz mixer in there, which would make for a huuuge Long Island, much stronger than any bartender I know would ever serve a customer.
Wait a minute, why are we debating Long Islands again? Yuck.
01 May 2007 at 9:43 am 15. Dan
I’d really like to know why Long Islands are so popular.
Yuck, indeed.
11 May 2007 at 10:38 pm 16. Boy Named Sous
For one simple reason: They mask the taste of the alcohol, so people can get themselves ambush drunk. Has nothing to do with quality.