Comments on: Barrel Aged Cocktails

By: Christopher Carlsson

Christopher Carlsson — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:41:05 +0000

Here is a piece I did on the relative cost of bitters that provides some measurements.
http://www.spiritsreview.com/recipes-bitter-math.html

By: Damon

Damon — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:25:56 +0000

That being said is it a pretty straight conversion for the spirits as well?

By: Damon

Damon — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:22:12 +0000

Hey Jeff-
wondering how you came up with the portions for bitters. This may have been addressed already but DANG there r a lot of comments. Anyways figuring 1oz is around 30ish dashes? I was thinking for 3ltrs of a drink that calls for one dash per drink you’re looking at 1oz per every 3ltrs. Should the amount be increased to compensate for the aging process? NERDS!
Thanks man,
Come to Dallas!

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:00:53 +0000

Cleaning barrels
On a recent trip to A winery in Lodi I noticed them cleaning barrels.
Simple process pour in boiling hot water cork and adjatate. (Shake) roll barrel several times.

The prowess looked fairly simple.

By: Christopher Carlsson

Christopher Carlsson — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:22:12 +0000

Cheshire Bar here in Rochester, New York will be serving Barrel Aged Manhattans that they made following your recipe February 27th, 2013 in our of their one year anniversary.
I look forward to checking out their results.

By: Ed

Ed — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:01:05 +0000

Saw your website and I IMMEDIATELY thought you should try this with a Boulevardier (2oz bourbon, 1oz campari, 1oz sweet vermouth) some people put a twist of lemon peel, but for me an orange peel is way better.

I Heard a character in the TV show “Person of Interest” order one. I researched it and am now addicted and have several friends hooked as well.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:58:41 +0000

Following up on John’s question a few posts up – I just bought a small new charred oak cask. It seems the consensus is that I need to age another spirit or wine, etc in there before throwing my planned cocktail (manhattans) in there. Any advice on duration, etc. for a total rookie to this?

As an alternative, would mixing my manhattan with unaged whiskey and throwing everything in there initially work? Or should I age the whiskey separately, then latter add vermouth and bitters?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

By: guy

guy — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:48:18 +0000

yo Jef,

Love your work and site man!
I was wondering if you ever tried to work with oak chips instead of barrels??
Its cheaper and easier i think!?!

ps;keep up the good work!

By: Guy

Guy — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:07:34 +0000

Yo jef,

Love your site and work man!
Was wondering if you ever tried to work with ”oak chips” to age your cocktails?
Its cheaper and easier?!?!

Hope there will be an updated soon.

Keep up the good work!

guy

By: Johnnie

Johnnie — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 19:37:32 +0000

Just bottled and sampled 5 1/2 week barrel-aged Negroni……. Absolutely wonderful.Also tried the same timespan for Manhattans but not so sure ! Does the Rye used make a huge difference ? I used Rittenhouse and Red Martini Vermouth and am a little underwhelmed !

By: Mr. Boozenik

Mr. Boozenik — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 04:09:55 +0000

I’ve now done two batches of cocktails in my 2.something gallon “Mix Mash” Tuthilltown whiskey barrel.

First was a Negroni variant with akvavit, rather than gin. Loved the results at right at 8 weeks.

Second batch was a standard Negroni, and seems less smooth, and a touch woodier, so I didn’t want to let it age too much longer and pick up too much more wood.

Do I need to “condition” my cask, so I get less wood tannins, and more other flavors, next time?

By: Nicholas Casely

Nicholas Casely — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:16:27 +0000

Hi guys, some very interesting points, ive just made a 10 litre barrel of Negroni, Tanqueray Gin, Martini Rosso, Campari and Ramazzotti, went for a slightly extra sweetness using the Ramazzotti but already after a month its more tart and the caramel is coming through! Next on the agenda is ageing a old fashioned, so any tips most appreciated! Thanks Nick

By: John

John — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 22:08:01 +0000

Thanks, Jesse. Any suggestions on type of spirit and length of time? this is my first experience – very excited and want to do it right…

By: Jesse Watkins

Jesse Watkins — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 20:22:12 +0000

John, I would def. age a spirit in it first or you will have a very intense charred oak flavor.

By: John

John — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:28:59 +0000

I realize that they are a whiskey distillery, but there is no label on the side of the barrel. My invoice from them simply states custom made 5 liter barrel and included an insert from thousand oaks barrel company. Here is the description from the company website…
“Custom made 5 liter barrel. Tuthilltown Distillery logo engraved on front end. Handcrafted from American White Oak the barrel holds approximately 5 liter. All barrels have a medium toast and come with the stand, bung, and wooden spigot. These barrels have not been used. Perfect for aging Tequila, Brandy, Whiskey, Scotch, Bourbon, Cognac, or Wine Vinegar. 9.5″ x 6.5″ x 6.5″ inches”

since this barrel has not been used do I have to age spirits in them before using it to create a batch of manhattans?

By: daniel

daniel — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:25:05 +0000

well, i think tuthilltown is now selling new smaller barrels with their logo emblazoned, so you need to figure out what you bought and proceed accordingly.
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/TuthilltownSpirits/-strse-Barrels/Categories.bok

By: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Jeffrey Morgenthaler — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:21:04 +0000

John – Tuthilltown Spirits is a whiskey distillery. Your barrel has been used to age whiskey. It should say which whiskey on a sticker right on the side of the barrel.

By: John

John — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:17:53 +0000

i think my “new barrel” from tuthilltown is “new toasted oak”, not sure as I just received it from them yesterday. Only instructions were to prime it by soaking in hot water to cause the wood to expand. Otherwise I have no indication that it has been broken in…

By: daniel

daniel — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:13:14 +0000

no, i think you’d only want to do that if you were starting with an unused barrel as new toasted oak would be too intense.

By: John

John — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:24:16 +0000

Just received my barrel from tuthilltown and wanted to start a batch of manhattans. Do I really need to break in the barrel by aging spirits/sherry before actually aging a batch of cocktails? Wanted to get a batch going for Christmas presents…

By: Jesse Watkins

Jesse Watkins — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:29:59 +0000

Jeff, does the barrel have to be filled completely for the barrel aging to work correctly? I have a 6 gallon used whiskey barrel and would like to start out with aging only 1 gallon in it. Think this will work?

By: Tom murphy

Tom murphy — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:20:46 +0000

Jeff. Making a barrel sazerac. Is it best to use the sugar cubes as called for in the traditional recipe or put in the equivalent superfine sugar? Tom and Carol Murphy

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 19:27:32 +0000

does your caramel syrup have butter or cream in it like a dessert caramel sauce might have? or is it just burnt sugar and water? if it has dairy (or any fat) in it, leave it out until you are making the finished drink. if it is just burnt sugar it will be fine and would be no different than a spirituous liqueur with sugar already in it.

By: ryan

ryan — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 01:57:11 +0000

I am doing an aged cocktail for the first time in an american oak barrel. One of the ingredients is a house made caramel syrup. Would I have to worry about that going bad during the aging process?

_Ryan

By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 07:27:04 +0000

I’m going for my RSA, which will legally allow me to serve alcohol on monday. I’m a big fan of your work, Jeffrey, and I really enjoy your writing style.

Also: one of those photos has a picture of an Australian beer! Cooper’s Pale Ale. Cool. That’s a nice beer.