We shared this. Both of us enjoyed it a lot. Hoppy, but a tiny hint of mango to balance it out.
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I’m about to crack open a Grolsch. I ironed today and I deserve it! 
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Champagne cocktail for me, Pizza Port Kook for DH. Cheers to a nice long 4 day weekend.
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I can see how peaches would give an almost mango tang.
Yesterday I took a few 2oz sample bottles filled with barrel aged Manhattans on the plane with me in route to Birmingham. My BIL and I enjoyed them immensely on the short flight. Took many sample bottles of things opened on/in my bar in checked luggage. Last night we sampled one of the new Booker’s Limited Editions small batch and some Stagg Jr. before turing in
Lots to choose from today
Scuba…I read your post to my DH and it was the straw that made him finally order a small home barrel. First up will be barrel aged Manhattans. Let me know if you have any tips to share. This is going to be fun!
Harvest moon. Rye, Lillet Blanc, Lairds, Green Chartreuse, Angostura, flamed< orange peel garnish. Tastes like fall, which has finally made its way to So Cal.
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After keeping water in the barrel till it doesn’t leak, season with cheap whiskey. Taste periotically to see how much wood influence it gets. With small barrels it can get woody fast.
Pull that stuff and either dump it or use it in small quantities as a flavoring whiskey to other batches
With Manhattans don’t add the bitters to the barrel just the drink.
Don’t let the barrel dry out or the hoops will loosen and it will leak
And by all means, have fun
Had an interesting night. Started at Prairie Artisian Ales taproom trying a couple of new to me beers, Wasteland and Return of the Legend. THen wandered over to the Fur Room to help celebrate their second anniversay with Gueuze Tilquin followed by Schmaltz Jewbalation and Chanukah!. Then finished the evening with a bit of Four Roses Single Barrel at Hodges Bend which ended horribly. They came and told us to leave because they wanted our table for another party. I’m not through with that one. Considered they had aready moved us to that table from another one for a different private party.
Martini for me, Jefferson’s for DH. Perfect Friday night. Since there was still some ice left from DH’s bourbon, we shared a bit of Sazerac rye.
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^^ Very cool photo! (even though I don’t know anything about cocktails or anything that isn’t wine/beer/port/scotch etc…)
Chouffe N’Ice winter beer. yum.
Some of those whiskies that Willet has been aging are pretty darn good. A few years ago after spending a week at the first Camp Runamok, me and some friends had a half day private tour of the Willet establishment personally lead by Drew Kulsveen. (We all became friends a few years ago at a crazy cajun house party in New Orleans during Tales of the Cocktail. Drew provided a full selection of all his whiskies for our enjoyment. Some that have never been released as well.) We crawled around the Willet rickhouses with Drew and went wild for several hours with a cordless drill, sampling barrels. Drill a small hole in the head, then a second hole, the whiskey streams out into your glass or empty container, then you plug the holes with toothpicks and move into a different part of the rickhouse and on to the next barrel. That afternoon I ended up napping for awhile spread out on barrels in the shadowy depths of the rickhouse. Went home with half dozen empty water bottles filled with some of the best samples.
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Sounds like a good day in Bardstown.
Drew is a good guy. I never had that opportunity although several of my friends did. Glad he’s forging forward and distilling his own spirits. We did taste some of his rye and a wheater when we were last there in May
2 very very good Aperol spritz in Rome. Heavy on the Aperol and light on the spritz.
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eww… Jacquin’s Finest!
A pitcher & a pint of Spruce Creek Lager, a vodka/soda, a martini and a Martinez.
Just one of those nights, ya know '-)
Look what arrived today. Filled with water for now. We are debating the first cocktail to barrel age…I say Manhattans, DH says negronis.
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DH got a new San Francisco cocktail book and we made a Laura Palmer. Gin, Lillet Blanc, Benedictine, cherry garnish.
Cool. Mine leaked bad for a good week then weeks if the bung was pulled. Now no leaks. If you still have some leakage when the bung is pulled leave the bung out and let it leak until it seals.
Have fun. What size is it? Mines a 5L
I wonder if the wood will retain some bitterness from the Campari?
