Hip Sips Cocktail of the Month: Barrel-Aged Manhattan
The classics are back
Old fashioneds, highballs, sidecars, sazeracs—unless you’ve been under a rock for the last few years, you know the classics are back. But tradition need not be turgid. Take, for example, the Manhattan, an 1870s artifact made with two parts rye, one part Italian vermouth and two dashes Angostura bitters. Like any good template, it’s easily customizable and yields infinite variations, made with Scotch, cherry brandy, absinthe—you name it.
One version worth tasting is the Barrel-Aged Manhattan, a headliner on the new cocktail menu at Jacs. Made with bourbon, French vermouth and locally crafted bitters, the mixture is aged in oak for forty-five days, then poured straight from barrel to glass. Even the Manhattan-adverse will enjoy this one: it’s buzzing with vanilla-toffee flavors, thanks to the oak and sweet vermouth.
“People’s palettes are getting more sophisticated,” says general manager Rebecca Mergen. She’s been tinkering with an apple brandy martini and a hot toddy with house-infused rye—both classics, worthy of a thousand adaptations.
RECIPE: Barrel-Aged Manhattan
Even if you don’t have an oak barrel, this will yield a tasty cocktail.
3 oz. Kentucky Vintage bourbon
3/4 oz. Dolin Rouge vermouth
Two dashes Bittercube Bolivar bitters
Fill an old fashioned glass with ice. Add ingredients; stir to combine. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Recipe courtesy of Jacs, 2611 Monroe St., 441-5444, jacsdiningandtaphouse.com.
Read more Hip Sips recipes here
Email
Print
Feed
