Barrel Aged Cocktails
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
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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.
Barrels
I’ve been ordering my used whiskey barrels from Tuthilltown Spirits in Gardiner, New York. They sell a three-gallon charred oak barrel that previously held their lovely whiskey, for around only $75.
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 la Matt 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.
14 Apr 2010 at 10:28 am 1. Ouroboros
Delicious.
Does the deflection in that steel shelf worry you at all?
14 Apr 2010 at 10:38 am 2. Ryan T
Think there would be any advantage keeping the vermouth mix in cold storage during the aging process?
14 Apr 2010 at 10:40 am 3. Tony Harion
Hey Jeff,
I´ve heard amazing things about your barrel aged drinks.
What puzzles me the most is: how can the vermouth stand the oxidation and flavor changes that naturally occur after opening the bottles?
How long can they stay in the glass bottles? Do they still change after time or the potent mix helps to preserve the flavors?
Can wait to try aging cocktails in native Brazilian wood barrels I can easily find around here!
Cheers,
14 Apr 2010 at 10:41 am 4. angus
I guess it begs the question when will spirit companies come to you to age their products in barrels that used to contain cocktails? negroni finished malts?
14 Apr 2010 at 10:44 am 5. Christopher
We had your aged Manhattan this weekend– thanks for the great drinks. (And thanks to Andrew for the excellent mixing.)
14 Apr 2010 at 10:47 am 6. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Angus, you just blew my mind.
Tony/Ryan – I’ve found that the oxidization on the vermouth is so gentle during the aging process, most likely due to the fact that it’s mixed with spirits, that the effect is more positive than negative. Think of it as a sort of controlled oxidization.
14 Apr 2010 at 10:54 am 7. Jimimac
Does it make a difference as to what was originally aged (or most recently aged) in the barrel prior to aging the chosen cocktail? What about brand new charred oak barrels? What about uncharred oak?
Other types of barrel woods?
I loved the Madeira barrel aged Manhattan, I have experimented with Glass aged Manhattans and they didn’t turn near as smooth as yours. It would be nice to have the marinated cherry recipe, you used in that Manhattan.
Thank you for your innovative ideas to take classic cocktails to the next level.
14 Apr 2010 at 11:03 am 8. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Jimimac – it certainly does matter what the barrel has been up to prior to aging the cocktail. Experimentation and a little bit of knowledge are key here… as is a healthy sense of adventure. Thanks for the kudos.
14 Apr 2010 at 11:24 am 9. max
Very very cool. Tony C is certainly an inspiration.
The common thread in the cocktails you’ve chose to age seems to be the presence of a either vermouth or sherry – Have you considered barrel aging a sazerac or old-fashioned? You’d think the presence of the sugar/bitters in the barrel would be enough to differentiate the process from a straight “finishing cask” deal, and maybe result in something totally different, as the Negronis/Manhattans have. The advantage/disadvantage is you could theoretically age the thing for a lot longer.
Also, Angus, thats pretty brilliant. Though I suppose theres nothing stopping Jeffrey from filling up a used Manhattan barrel with some single malt and doing it on his own.
14 Apr 2010 at 11:42 am 10. Jamie
How are you finding the process of cleaning out the barrels? I’ve switched to wood chips several years ago due to my fear that I never really could tell if the barrel was clean. The down side to wood chips is the initial expense of “flavouring” them with wines or whiskey first, the plus side being that I could visually see if I had any growth left after cleaning.
Any barrel cleaning secrets you care to share?
14 Apr 2010 at 12:53 pm 11. BPondit
This is a totally neat idea – I have to try it out. Especially given that you have optimized two of my favorite drinks: the Negroni and the Manhattan.
A few questions: Is there a dependence between the volume made and aging ? I found a place online where I can get 1 liter charred oak. This seems like a reasonable amount for me to experiment on at home.
Also, if one ages in a bottle – just how long are we talking about here.
(I’ve been following your blog and twitter for a while now, decided to delurk on this post :-) )
14 Apr 2010 at 12:56 pm 12. Colin
how did you seal the barrel after pouring the cocktail in it? Tuthilltown says they do not provide stoppers.
Also how are they cleaned?
14 Apr 2010 at 1:35 pm 13. Jessica
I am definitely going to try this at my bar.Thanks Jeffery!
14 Apr 2010 at 2:15 pm 14. Jason
Hi Jeff – amazing sounding drinks – have you reused your barrels after each batch? given the short resting time how much change do you think is happening in the barrel?
thanks
14 Apr 2010 at 4:00 pm 15. Adam
I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying one of Jeffrey’s barrel aged rye Manhattans and it was amazing.
14 Apr 2010 at 4:14 pm 16. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Barrel cleaning raises an interesting point. We initially purchased so many barrels that it hasn’t come up yet (the barrels have only been re-used once so far) but I’d be curious to hear from other barrel users.
14 Apr 2010 at 4:33 pm 17. Matt R.
The Negroni and Manhattan that I got to try this weekend were mindblowingly good.
Angus: Your brilliance frightens me.
Jaime: With your barrels did you re-char them after use? I would think that cleaning with water and some sort of simple cleanser, followed by the torch ought to do the trick.
I’m also wondering how many uses per barrel are possible – both spirit and cocktail-wise.
I know that most rums barrels are used bourbon barrels (used once) and they are typically used 3 times for rum before being considered spent and then discarded.
I wonder if a barrel that is too spent for spirits might still work for cocktails.
14 Apr 2010 at 7:16 pm 18. Bryon Adams-Harford
This is such a simple yet brilliant evolutionary step in the world of cocktails, and man are those drinks delicious.
Well played sir!
14 Apr 2010 at 8:32 pm 19. Jamie
Matt:
I didn’t re-char the barrel as I have no means of taking them apart and putting them back together. I simply used a food safe cleanser used to clean out carboys along with sulphur.
I did discover after a while (3 or so uses) that I was unable to get the barrel completely clean, which is why I switched to using self-flavoured wood chips. Much easier to clean and about the same price as a barrel after you consider the wasted product in flavouring the wood.
I do love the romance of a barrel, however, and would love to know if anyone has a sure fire way of cleaning them.
14 Apr 2010 at 10:14 pm 20. jimmy
This is brilliant! Exactly the kind of genius I expect from you Jeff. I wonder what you get if you leave an old-fashioned in there longer, like maybe a year? That might be really interesting.
I think for cleaning you could use steam.
keep it up M, you are an inspiration!
14 Apr 2010 at 10:16 pm 21. Christopher Carlsson
Copper Fox Distillery sells a 2 liter barrel with stand for about $40. It is charred and ready to go.The idea is that you are supposed to put their rye spirit (unaged 124 proof rye whiskey ) in it and let it age. It costs about $22 a bottle (uses 2 bottles) and is a great way to break in the barrel too.
In any case it is a good place to pick up some barrels of various sizes so you can age whatever you like in them. Getting a few barrels and breaking them in myself. After I dump the whiskey I am looking forward to aging some cocktails in them.
14 Apr 2010 at 10:30 pm 22. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Jimmy and Max – I haven’t done an Old Fashioned or a Sazerac because both of those cocktails are essentially a lot of whiskey, a tiny bit of sugar, and a little bitters. So, in effect, it seemed to me like we’d be aging whiskey in a whiskey barrel.
I like aging cocktails that call for vermouth because, well, I love vermouth. And also, I like seeing how the wine changes over that short period of time in the cask.
I think it’s important to contrast your cocktail against the barrel it’s being aged in. I like the gin and vermouth cocktails (and the rum and vermouth cocktails) in a whiskey cask, and the whiskey cocktails in a fortified wine cask. Does that make sense?
JM
15 Apr 2010 at 8:58 am 23. Matt Browner Hamlin
Hey Jeffrey,
Do you previously age the Negroni barrels with anything – sherry? port? madeira?
Thanks,
Matt
15 Apr 2010 at 11:10 am 24. Randy
Jeffrey,
I am visiting Portland from St. Paul, MN in mid-May. Is there a particular day of the week between the 14th and the 25th that I should plan to drop by and try some of these? Obviously, Clyde Common was already one of my destinations!
15 Apr 2010 at 11:26 am 25. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Randy
Any time is a good time, please stop in, introduce yourself and have one!
15 Apr 2010 at 11:13 pm 26. Joe Parrilli
I don’t that “genius” is too strong of a word to use here. Well done Jeffrey!
16 Apr 2010 at 5:46 am 27. Gonçalo
Fabulastic. Barrel-Aged-Bartending!
16 Apr 2010 at 7:20 am 28. Heath
I can’t wait to stop in and try all of these–69’s spring list added the delicious vintage El Presidente, I sampled an aged martini at The Bramble, and Montgomery Place is just starting up their first go at aged Adonises.
I wish I got back to Portland more often!
16 Apr 2010 at 2:40 pm 29. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Matt – No, I use the whiskey barrels as they come when I make the Negronis. I don’t feel there’s any need for wine washing on that particular cocktail.
16 Apr 2010 at 9:15 pm 30. Jordan
Given that I’m unlikely to make cocktails in those kinds of quantities, I wonder what the best way to replicate them in glass is. As Jamie mentioned above, wood chips can be used (I know my local brewing supply place sells toasted oak cubes for “barrel aging” beer and wine). But presumably barrels also exchange a bit with the air (the angel’s share and all that), which is probably going to contribute to the reactions that take place in the barrel. A wooden stopper might be enough, but I guess I’ll just have to play around and see what works best.
20 Apr 2010 at 10:57 am 31. Jesse
After hearing some amazed whispers of your project a few months ago, I grabbed a few used Cruzan Rum barrels to give it a try. I can’t get any smaller than the 50 gallon ones they use, so I never really get them more than 1/10 full. I’ve aged two different types of bitters so far, but haven’t tried a cocktail yet. The Hibiscus & Coconut bitters I used came out with real subtle oak flavors, but as I use 189 proof rum distillate for the bitters, I don’t notice a difference in the flavor. The color though changed dramatically, giving a rich caramel darkness to the once-almost-clear Coconut and making the Hibiscus a near black.
I think my next try is to age a TNT Special (Applejack & Dry Vermouth) to see how the rum soaked oak imparts it’s tenacity to the drink.
All in all, great idea, I thanks for the inspiration!
20 Apr 2010 at 4:22 pm 32. Federico Cuco
Jeff, this is amazing.
Cocktails in Barrels, and ready to serve.
I do not think it possible to do Legally something like this in my country.
But I’ll talk to some friends.
Maybe I get French oak barrels previously used for aging. malbec wine.
And if I find any beverage company, interested in this experiment.
It can be very funny.
Greetings from Argentina
22 Apr 2010 at 11:22 am 33. Matt Browner Hamlin
I just bought a 3 gallon barrel. Cannot wait to try some of these recipes out.
26 Apr 2010 at 8:51 am 34. Raymond McCormick
Fascinating stuff, what I was wondering is where are you able to get single malt barrels? I have looked in the past and had no luck.
26 Apr 2010 at 11:08 am 35. Christopher Carlsson
Tuttletown Distillery usually has small barrels that they have aged all sorts of spirits in. Maybe not a Scotch Single Malt but somewhat similar
27 Apr 2010 at 10:05 am 36. Tannon
The permutations seem endless. You could say age the gin then mix a negroni or age the gin in a barrel formerly used to age the negroni. Keep us abreast of the results
02 May 2010 at 5:06 pm 37. Matt Browner Hamlin
I started three gallons of Negronis today. Now just crossing off the days until it’s ready to drink.
06 May 2010 at 1:47 pm 38. tony
Check this out…A portuguese company that sells barrels and copper stills. You can make liquor then age it…awesome!
http://www.copper-alembic.com
11 May 2010 at 6:30 pm 39. Dr.Cocktail
Today Jonathan Forrester gave me a call with a question about historic aging of cocktails. I thought about it and basically said no. He brought up a couple of maybes and I knocked ‘em down. I said that to do it in oak they’d basically have to be aromatic cocktails because ones w/fruit juice would create a VERY suspect potion, unless they were aged in a walk-in. Jonathan then told me about Tony and a London aged Mai Tai which I didn’t believe (didn’t get told about glass/steel) and then he told me what you had been doing, Jeff. Having now read your own narrative, I am astounded and excited. As far as I am concerned this earns you a place in bar and cocktail history like no one else alive today. Nothing new under the sun? Hah. Ask Jeffrey Morganthaler. (Where the HELL have I been!?) BIG respect, –Doc.
11 May 2010 at 6:38 pm 40. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Aw, shucks, thanks Doc! But I couldn’t help noticing that your comment came in at 6:30PM and I know you’ve got to have at least one cocktail in you at this point, so I’ll have to take any kudos with a grain of salt.
Just kidding. Much love from up North.
11 May 2010 at 7:16 pm 41. Dr.Cocktail
Pfffft. yooooo think yoooo know EVERYthing. I’ll have YOU know that….what was the question?
16 May 2010 at 3:47 pm 42. Randy
Jeffrey, Thanks for your patience last night with the OTHER guest. We all kept our cool and ended up having a great time at the bar. Loved the barrel-aged Negroni, Trident, and of course, several other memorable concoctions. It was great to finally meet you. We will try to stop in again this week before we head back to St. Paul.
31 May 2010 at 11:39 am 43. Ian McCarthy
Jefferey,
The Negroni was sublime, I will be in for a Trident shortly.
I am curious, what is the necessity of cleaning the barrels, as Jamie has asked? Are there concerns of bacterial growth due to sugar content in say, vermouth, or campari? wouldn’t the alcohol take care of little beasties?
09 Jun 2010 at 8:32 am 44. Randy
Regarding barrel-aged cocktails containing fruit juice, I just stumbled across this in Jerry Thomas’s guide. It seems, at least in 1862, the good Professor was barrel aging cocktails with orange juice. Here’s the text:
“159. Rum Shrub.
Put three pints of orange juice, and one pound of loaf-sugar to a gallon of rum. Put all into a cask and leave it for six weeks, when it will be ready for use.”
He doesn’t exactly say where the cask came from or whether it’s the oak effects or just the blending of the ingredients he’s after. Maybe the cask even had rum in it to begin with, but it’s an old example, and it uses fruit juice to boot!
11 Jun 2010 at 1:41 pm 45. Andrew
Hi Jeffrey,
Clearly living in England, I can’t pop in to try your barrel aged cocktails.
However, I did take your recommendation and venture to 69 Colebrooke Road last night.
I had the ‘Vintage El Presidente’ Havana Barrel Proof, Triple Sec, Martini Rosso, Homemade Grenadine aged for 6 months.
Delicious. Thanks for the recommendation. I plan to go back to try the Manhattan (for research purposes purely).
I’ve been experimenting at work with barrel ageing vodka with interesting results.
24 Jun 2010 at 1:07 pm 46. Brandon
Hi Jeffrey,
Just read about your experiments via the NY Times and have been inspired to do a little experimenting of my own. I was wondering if you’ve tried aging a perfect Manhattan — I love the original, but have tended towards its less-sweet sibling over the years and was curious what effect the aging process would have on the combination of two vermouths.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Brandon
24 Jun 2010 at 1:16 pm 47. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Brandon
I haven’t tried aging a Perfect Manhattan yet, but would imagine the process to be the same. Try it and report your findings back here!
27 Jun 2010 at 5:54 pm 48. Jim West
Jeff,
I was in Portland two weeks ago for a wedding and made sure to take time for a visit to Clyde Common for a barrel-aged Manhattan. Sadly, the Manhattan required more time to age so I went with a Negroni, not one of my favorite cocktails.
First sip was, well, a Negroni, but not bad. As I continued, my palate and the Negroni became very good friends,and by the last sip, I indeed had to have another.
Your barrel-aging is fantastic!
09 Jul 2010 at 11:52 am 49. KeithP
Hi Jeffrey – probably like many others your post and ongoing work barrel aging drinks was an inspiration. I undertook such a project (first time) on a much smaller scale barrel aging a drink that I absolutely love, the Chocolate Martica — turned out nice although problems with my little barrel caused me to stop short.
http://www.thespeakista.com/category/projects/project-barrel-aging/
Thinking about trying again but this time doing a drink with non-aged spirits.
Thanks for the great idea/hard work.
13 Jul 2010 at 1:49 pm 50. Ryan
That is just the most brilliant thing I’ve heard in a long time.
22 Jul 2010 at 11:09 pm 51. David
I’ve no direct experience myself, however, most wineries either use a high-proof spirit (in their case, Marc/grappa/eau-de-vie) or copper sulphate sticks when cleaning barrels. The latter will leave a rotten egg aroma that takes some time to disapate, so for this purpose I think just adding some 151 or everclear then lighting may be best.
My worry about using any sort of cleanser designed for carboys etc. is that, unlike glass/steel, wood is porous and it would be extremely hard, if not impossible, to fully remove the cleanser perhaps imparting off-flavors to whatever may next be aged.
Another tip: fill the barrels with water if they’re to remain empty for any extended period. If left empty the wood may dry out, warp and soon you’ll have sprung leaks between the staves.
I love the idea and am intrigued about even taking it one step further: aging wines in spirit/cocktail casks. Islay Scotch finished Sauternes anyone? Scotch/Sauternes finished Oaxaca old-fashioned? Or then using the Sauternes, TBA, Tokaji, etc. in an old-fashioned or vieux carre with a base spirit that’s sympathetic to the spirit first aged in the barrel? Brandy crusta with scotch finished Sauternes?
I’ve also read of a decent number of people aging nogs, milk punches and things of that sort in a temp-controlled environment. bourbon barrel or malmsey-finished nog could be truly unique. Fish house punch?
And in temp.-control, what about some of the classic punches: fish house, etc.?
06 Aug 2010 at 6:20 am 52. Justin
I’ve actually two questions…
How did bourbon/rye barrel aged Manhattans turn out? Was the aging just too subtle, and only added a little char flavor rather than the fruit you would get from a wine cask? I ask because I intended to make Manhattans, but in my zeal, I overlooked the cask type and went straight to the Tuthilltown website and ordered a cask. Working in a bourbon-based bar a rye Manhattan seemed like the ideal drink to sell our owner on this concept… And my second question regards where people have had success in obtaining used port/sherry/madiera casks, if the aging wouldn’t work in the cask I have now…
Cheers
06 Aug 2010 at 10:17 am 53. Christopher Carlsson
We have a rye up this way (read Finger Lakes area of New York State) that is aged in used local sherry barrels which is quite nice. So even if it is not from the EU designated area for such things the local sherry and port barrels might serve as they are trying to make a similar product in the barrel so the curing or base of the barrel flavor spectrum would meet your requirements and a lot cheaper than shipping a barrel from Europe.
11 Aug 2010 at 10:30 am 54. Luis
I actually live and work in Madeira island. I got a barrel from one of the major producers a while ago to try and flavour some dark spirits for mixing, after having a word about it with some people in UK. The issue of cleaning the barrel came across, and here the folks that make wine at home use sulphur, just like you did Jeff, to clean their barrels so they can re-use them, and so i did.
Been thinking of getting a used madeira barrel, and asking a carpenter to cut it up in chips, so i can flavour spirits, and after reading your amazing post, even cocktails, like they do with budget conscious New World wines.
Let´s see if that works out…
24 Aug 2010 at 3:56 am 55. gaz regan
Jeffrey! This is fabulous. I’m working on a book (gaz regan’s Annual Manual for Bartenders) that will be published next year, and I intend to feature you and Tony C as the innovators of this phenom. Could you drop me an email, please?
24 Aug 2010 at 9:02 am 56. Raymond
whoa…..Jeff Morgenthaler….Gary Regan….barrel aged cocktails….yep I just got a mixology boner.
08 Sep 2010 at 12:05 pm 57. KeithP
Just finished up my second barrel aging subject — the Martinez. After six weeks in my little barrel the drink that emerged is one that is rounder, lush and imparts an amazing “silky” feel on your palate as you sip it.
I’ve opted to go with a Negroni (likely to be followed by my beloved Manhattan) to see if the barrel does for the Campari what it did for the other two drink subjects … round it out.