Cocktails Come of Age

 

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Mixologists are forever evolving, bringing creative-to-smooth concoctions into the cocktail fold at a burgeoning pace. Barreling back into the spotlight is an old trend with a new spin known as barrel-aged cocktails. 

 

It is the ultimate libation makeover. Bartenders store premixed drinks in oak barrels for several weeks to change a cocktail’s character profile. As the barrels breathe, they absorb and extract flavors. Resulting is a mellow, tamer product, with more harmonious and integrated relishes. 

 

Creating a more full-bodied cocktail can take months, though the idea has been around for centuries. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, bottled cocktails first debuted in speakeasies and drinking hubs. Creators built the art on an  experimentation framework, and it became a potent expression. 

 

Renowned bartender Tony Conigliaro began using jars to create cocktail magic in London at 69 Colebrooke Row in fall 2009. Portland’s Clyde Common lauded bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler visited Conigliaro, leaving inspired. At this crux, Morgenthaler began this cocktail renaissance.

 

Born again is the cocktail with an oaked charm. It liberates us from mundane drinking tastes, with refined Negroni’s, and more fresh from sherry-to-bourbon barrels.  

 

 

 

By Clarissa Hamlin

 

Sources:

seattlemag.com/article/barrel-aged-cocktails-trend

askmen.com/fine_living/wine_dine_archive/barrel-aged-cocktails.html

cocktails.about.com/od/mixology/g/What-Are-Barrel-Aged-Cocktails-What-About-Bottle-Aged-Cocktails.htm