Now OUT
THE OLDER, THE BETTER
Barrel-aged cocktails creating a stir in Phoenix Making the perfect barrel-aged cocktail, the process by which pre-mixed drinks are expertly placed in customized barrels for weeks or months to change the cocktail’s character and flavor, is perhaps the hottest drink trend of the past several years. Here are four local venues doing it right:
BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
Bobby-Q Great Steaks & Real BBQ While Bobby-Q – which opened last month on 32nd Street and Camelback Road – is known for its barbequed meats and beer, the restaurant is also making a splash with its barrel-aged Old Fashioned ($12). The cocktail starts with Redemption Rye whiskey for that classic spicy yet smooth and warming flavor. Bobby-Q stirs in a barrel-smoked maple syrup that’s been aged inside twice-charred bourbon barrels to impart that pleasantly smoky aftertaste. Also made with Peychaud’s Bitters versus the traditional Angostura Bitters to create a lighter, balanced cocktail, it’s garnished with fresh orange twist and imported Italian Fabbri Amarena wild cherries that have been houseaged in Redemption Rye whiskey for 48 hours. www.bobby-q.net. Grassroots Kitchen & Tap Grassroots Kitchen & Tap features three barrel-aged cocktails at any given time – a Sazerac, a Manhattan and a Negroni – aged in cask barrels that infuse oak, caramel and even vanilla notes into each cocktail. This month, try the Negroni, which features Tanqueray London Dry Gin, Campari, sweet Vermouth and orange peel. The Negroni ($11) is notorious for either being loved or hated for its distinct taste – it’s quite bitter – but by aging the cocktail, that bitterness is softened on the palate. www. grassrootsaz.com. Tarbell’s Tarbell’s has a full menu of barrel-aged cocktails, each matured in oak, but for various periods of time based on the drink make up. For example, the “Perfect Manhattan” is made with Bulleit 10 Year Bourbon, Carpano, Berto Dry Vermouth, both orange and walnut bitters and only needs to age for a month, as does the scotch-based Rob Roy, while the Negroni, made with Caskwerks Tea Gin, rosé vermouth and Campari is aged for up to three months to infuse the right flavor profiles. Our favorite for the fall – the Penicillin ($16), is made with a base of powerhouse spirits Johnny Walker Red Label, Laphroaig 10-Year Scotch Whisky but then softened with ginger honey and lemon juice. The aging process really brings out the honey flavor in a special way. www.tarbells.com. The Gladly Using an American oak barrel with a grade-four char inside, which denotes the degree to which the wood has been burnt inside the barrel, The Gladly creates libations for each season with deep, smooth flavor over several weeks, giving the drinks time to absorb the natural flavors of the wood. The aging process is continuous; a steady transition from batch to batch that ensures the barrel never runs dry. The fall barrel-aged cocktail is Beginner’s Luck ($12), which is made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Sibona Amaro (a spicy Italian spirit), cherry liqueur and Angostura Bitters. www.thegladly. com.
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Uptown October '17