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.
I was in Portland again this weekend, taking a tour of House Spirits Distillery and meeting with some West Coast cocktail luminaries. I’ve been a big fan of the House Spirits products for quite some time, so this was quite the excursion for me.
I was met there by some other like-minded enthusiasts:
Kevin Ludwig of Park Kitchen fame and the original king of housemade tonic water here in the Pacific Northwest (maybe you remember him from Imbibe Magazine earlier this year?).
We started with a quick tour of the distilling process given by owner Lee Medoff, while House Spirits bar master Matt whipped up some Aviation cocktails made with two parts Aviation gin, one part fresh lemon juice and one part Maraska maraschino liqueur.
After the tour, and a few more cocktails by Matt, we all took turns behind the bar whipping up our specialties using Aviation.
Kevin made a round of Salt and Peppers for us using Aviation gin, fresh grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice and a touch of simple syrup, served up in a glass with a salted rim. Just a touch of spice and refreshing as hell.
I stepped in and made a Pink, one of our El Vaquero house drinks made with Aviation gin, creme de cassis, fresh lemon juice and a touch of simple syrup. I’ve always liked this one because it doesn’t hide the Aviation under a lot of other flavors and lets me really taste the unique flavors found in the gin.
But what happened next took us all by surprise. Erik, the only one of the group not a bartender, stepped behind the stick and deftly produced a round of ATTY cocktails, straight from the Savoy Cocktail Book, using Aviation gin, maraschino liqueur, Lucid Absinthe, Martini and Rossi dry vermouth and a twist of lemon. Perfect exploration of the flavors found in the Aviation, and a great use of the ingredients we had on hand. Nice work, Erik!
The hour was getting late, so we raced across town to meet Siobhan Crosby of Imbibe Magazine at Clyde Common, Portland’s newest food and drink hotspot. Bartender Charlie Hodge had us eating out of the palm of his hand as he poured us Mint Juleps made with mint-infused bourbon…
…and Anemic Marys made with Serrano chili, sun-dried tomato vodka, celery juice and fresh citrus sour.
But, as all good things must come to an end, so did we begin the long trip back down the Interstate to our humble home. Thanks again, Portland, we’ll be seeing you all very soon!
Comments
9 Responses to “House Spirits Distillery Tour and Cocktail Tasting”
Making drinks for bartenders was pretty nerve racking.
I’m just glad I didn’t completely blow it!
The ATTY is a pretty fiddly cocktail, and the brand of Violette, Gin, or Absinthe can make a big impact.
It did seem like a very nice fit for the Aviation Gin.
ATTY Cocktail
3/4 oz French Vermouth
1 teaspoon Absinthe
1 1/2 oz Aviation Gin
A bit more than 1 teaspoon Creme de Violette
Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top.
11 Sep 2007 at 9:11 am 3. Lance Mayhew
Damn, I didn’t realize we were doing Aviation gin cocktails or I would have knocked out a Corpse Reviver #2. I love the way Aviation provides some backbone to that cocktail.
Maybe it was all of the previous cocktails that threw me. I was pretty buzzed by that point. And I was really hoping to play with their rum, not the cruzan (although I was happy with it).
Erik, I was going to post the recipe, but I misplaced my copy of the Savoy after the last cocktail summit. Thanks for the proportions.
Lance, I thought your rum departure was a nice break from all of the gin we’d been drinking. But I agree, I would have liked to mix something up with the House rum.
We (including your crack team of Eugene researchers) had dinner last Saturday at Clyde Common. Brilliant. Jenaya had the Anemic Mary and the rest of us Jim Beam Rye Manhattans. The beer selection is pathetic, but that made choosing cocktails that much easier. Great great place to eat and drink.
Wasn’t that great? They did a wonderful job with that drink, and it’s certainly been quite the buzz – from what I’ve heard all the way down here, anyway.
Would have loved to have had you join us on the tour, Siobhan, but it was great to see you guys at Clyde Common!
23 Oct 2008 at 10:36 pm 9. Evan
I noticed your Pink cocktail, I have a drink similar to this but with the addtion of just a touch of fernet Branca, you should give this a try.
Harmony-
1 1/2 oz. Gin (I use Plymouth)
1/2 oz. Creme de Cassis
1/8 oz. Fernet Branca
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
1/4 oz. Simple Syrup
shake and strain
garnish with lemon twist
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10 Sep 2007 at 4:15 pm 1. Will Haynes
Great write-up! I’m especially inspired by the Anemic Mary and the mint infused bourbon.
10 Sep 2007 at 5:55 pm 2. erik_flannestad
Thanks Jeff!
Making drinks for bartenders was pretty nerve racking.
I’m just glad I didn’t completely blow it!
The ATTY is a pretty fiddly cocktail, and the brand of Violette, Gin, or Absinthe can make a big impact.
It did seem like a very nice fit for the Aviation Gin.
ATTY Cocktail
3/4 oz French Vermouth
1 teaspoon Absinthe
1 1/2 oz Aviation Gin
A bit more than 1 teaspoon Creme de Violette
Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top.
11 Sep 2007 at 9:11 am 3. Lance Mayhew
Damn, I didn’t realize we were doing Aviation gin cocktails or I would have knocked out a Corpse Reviver #2. I love the way Aviation provides some backbone to that cocktail.
Maybe it was all of the previous cocktails that threw me. I was pretty buzzed by that point. And I was really hoping to play with their rum, not the cruzan (although I was happy with it).
11 Sep 2007 at 9:29 am 4. Jeffrey
Erik, I was going to post the recipe, but I misplaced my copy of the Savoy after the last cocktail summit. Thanks for the proportions.
Lance, I thought your rum departure was a nice break from all of the gin we’d been drinking. But I agree, I would have liked to mix something up with the House rum.
12 Sep 2007 at 5:21 pm 5. Jeff Frane
We (including your crack team of Eugene researchers) had dinner last Saturday at Clyde Common. Brilliant. Jenaya had the Anemic Mary and the rest of us Jim Beam Rye Manhattans. The beer selection is pathetic, but that made choosing cocktails that much easier. Great great place to eat and drink.
13 Sep 2007 at 8:57 am 6. Jeffrey
Jeff, I was pleasantly surprised to find Hoegaarden on tap, so I personally wouldn’t call the selection ‘pathetic’, but maybe ’small’.
But I do agree, the food and drinks were all brilliant.
20 Sep 2007 at 12:49 pm 7. Siobhan
I’m late to this post,…but great wrap up! I wish I could have come to play at House Spirits…next time.
I think I have to make that Anemic Mary pic my desktop. I love that drink.
21 Sep 2007 at 9:58 am 8. Jeffrey
Wasn’t that great? They did a wonderful job with that drink, and it’s certainly been quite the buzz – from what I’ve heard all the way down here, anyway.
Would have loved to have had you join us on the tour, Siobhan, but it was great to see you guys at Clyde Common!
23 Oct 2008 at 10:36 pm 9. Evan
I noticed your Pink cocktail, I have a drink similar to this but with the addtion of just a touch of fernet Branca, you should give this a try.
Harmony-
1 1/2 oz. Gin (I use Plymouth)
1/2 oz. Creme de Cassis
1/8 oz. Fernet Branca
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
1/4 oz. Simple Syrup
shake and strain
garnish with lemon twist