Whiskey Cocktails
Bartenders across the globe for years have been reaching for bourbon & rye whiskey to create some of the most unique, creative and tasty cocktails. Classics like the old fashioned or whiskey sour are always crowd pleasers, but don't be afraid to try something new! Checkout some of our favourites below for some at home inspiration, or sit back and relax while your local bartender knocks one of these beauties up for you!
Guess Who's Mac?
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40ml Barrell Dovetail
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20ml Stones Green Ginger Wine Special Reserve
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5ml Pedro Ximenez Sherry
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4 Dash Chocolate Bitters
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Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice, stir for approximately 20-30 seconds, strain into your glass of choice filled with ice and garnish with a slice of ginger or an orange twist.
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A hybrid of two classic whiskey cocktails, the Old Fashioned and the Whiskey Mac. During winter this drink will absolutely be your go to, the complexity of Barrell Dovetail matched with the sweet spice of the ginger will keep you coming back for more. If you can't get your hands on Pedro Ximenez Sherry then just a good demerara sugar syrup will do just fine and for those really cold nights I'd even suggest preparing it with some hot water 'hot toddy style' for extra warmth.
Recipe courtesy of our very own Ben Ingall - Bistecca, Sydney
Classic Bourbon Old Fashioned
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2 oz Woodford Reserve double oaked Bourbon
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1 teaspoon maple syrup
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3 dashes quality bitters
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orange peel
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Pour maple syrup into a rocks glass. Add bitters. Using a bar spoon mix to combine. Add a large clear ice cube to the glass. Pour bourbon over ice. Stir gently. Garnish with orange peel.
Advanced Optional: Smoke your glass and ice using Smoke Top woodchips or coffee beans
Chocolate Manhattan
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2 ounces Penelope straight bourbon whiskey
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2-3 dashes Aztec chocolate bitters
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1 oz sweet vermouth
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Luxardo cherry
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Into a cocktail shaker add bourbon, bitters and vermouth. Top with ice cubes. Shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with Luxardo cherry.
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OPTIONAL GARNISHES – Garnish coupe glass with a crushed chocolate rim OR roll cherry in cocoa nibs prior to skewering with cocktail pick.
Recipe courtesy of Penelope Bourbon
Buffalo Trace Gold Rush
Another absolute classic bourbon cocktail. Light and fresh, the perfect summer afternoon cocktail.
Ingredients
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60 ml Buffalo Trace Bourbon
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Fresh juice from 1 lemon
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20 ml honey
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Using a shaker, melt the honey with a few drops of hot water to create an easy to mix syrup. Squeeze the juice from 1 full lemon and add the 60ml of Buffalo Trace Bourbon. Add ice and shake vigorously. Pour over ice – service with lemon slice or wedge.
NEW YORK SOUR
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2 oz Dovetail
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.75 oz Simple Syrup
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.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
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1 Egg White
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.5 oz Red Wine (a fruity one; Nic used California Cabernet)
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Add Dovetail, fresh lemon juice and simple syrup into the small side of a Boston Shaker set. Then add egg white and 2 1.5 inch ice cubes to the large side of a Boston Shaker set. Flip the small side of the shaker into the large side and press hard on the top to ensure a seal. Shake vigorously until the ice is melted- you will be able to tell from the sound.
Open with the large shaker on the bottom, then strain with a Hawthorne strainer into Old Fashioned glass filled with ice. It should be frothy. Pour red wine into jigger, and quickly pour into the middle of the drink. Once the drink settles for minute, the red wine should float below the egg white froth and above the base of the drink.
Penny’s Kiss
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2 ounces of Penelope Bourbon
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4 ounces of hot chocolate
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.5 ounces cinnamon syrup
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Vanilla Bean
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Cold Press Lemon Juice
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3 dashes of smoked chili bitters
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Top with vanilla whipped cream on top with dark chocolate shavings and a burnt cinnamon stick. Pennie’s Kiss is warming and delicious Mexican style hot cocoa.
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This great cocktail is one of our favourites and was created by Schuyler Greenman and is featured at Battello in Jersey City, NJ.
ARMIDA PAPER PLANE
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¾ oz Barrell Armida
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¾ oz Amaro Nonino
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¾ oz Aperol
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¾ oz fresh lemon juice
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Strip of grapefruit zest, for garnish.
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Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin. Add ice and shake vigorously for about 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with a grapefruit peel.
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Recipe by mixologist Nic Christiansen, Single Barrel Program Manager and Assistant Blender at Barrell Craft Spirits
KENTUCKY MULE
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2 ounces Wild Turkey® bourbon
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1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
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Ginger beer, to top
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Garnish: mint sprig.
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Add first four ingredients into shaker with ice. Shake, and strain over ice into highball glass and top off with soda water. Garnish with lime and mint sprig.
Michter's Mint Julep
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50ml Michter's Rye
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spoonfull of sugar
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handful of mint leaves
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crushed ice
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1 mint sprig
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Muddle the mint and sugar in a Julep cup, pour in the crushed ice and then finish off with the Michter's Rye before giving a slight stir then finishing off with a mint sprig to garnish.
The Carpenter's Breakfast
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70ml Barrell Dovetail infused with Cinnamon Oatmeal (See Recipe below)
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5ml Honey Syrup (3:1 honey to water)
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10ml Chilled water
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2 Dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
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Two of my favourite elements of the Barrell Dovetail are the complex spice finish and the creamy mouth feel, this cocktail uses a technique known as milk-washing to dial those elements up to eleven. This recipe looks like a lot of work but the main bulk of your time is letting the mix strain and at the end you have a whole bottle of cocktail! It took a lot of trial and error to get the balance of cinnamon and toasted oat just right so as to enhance the Dovetail profile but not overpower it. If you absolutely love cinnamon you can increase the amount in the infusion but I love how the spice creeps in right on the finish. The real beauty of this drink is you can batch it all and keep it in the fridge, no stirring or shaking required, just pour it over ice and serve.
The below recipe makes one 750ml bottle of infused Barrell Dovetail, you can easily halve or quarter the recipe to your liking.
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Toast 50g rolled oats in a medium saucepan until golden brown.
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To that same pan add 500ml full cream milk and 1/2 tsp ground dutch cinnamon.
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Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 20 minutes.
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Strain the milk and allow it to cool slightly, discard the oats.
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Slowly add 750ml Barrell Dovetail to 375ml of your warm milk infusion and gently mix allowing the milk to split (IMPORTANT: Always add the spirit to the milk, not the other way around, it does make a difference)
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Put the mix in the fridge overnight.
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The next day pass the mix through a coffee filter, straining off the curds. This step may take several hours so set up a vessel accordingly so you can walk away.
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Pour into your clean storage vessel of choice (if you so wish you can add your honey syrup, water and bitters at this stage to create a complete batched cocktail). The final mix should be refrigerated and consumed within 6 months.
NB; There may still be some slight cloudiness to the strained mix, if you want a crystal clear liquid pass the strained mix through the coffee filter and curds multiple times until you achieve your desired clarity.
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Recipe from Ben Ingall - Bistecca, Sydney
PENICILLIN
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1 oz High West Campfire
1 oz High West Rendezvous Rye
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1.25 oz Drambuie
0.5 oz Maple Syrup
0.5 oz Fresh Ginger Juice
3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Peated Scotch Float
Candied Ginger Garnish
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Combine ingredients in a shaker with cubed ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass over cubed ice and add peated scotch float. Garnish with candied ginger.
BOIL OVER
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1.5 oz High West Double Rye!
0.25 oz Crème de Cacao
0.25 oz Crème de Menthe
0.25 oz Averna
0.50 oz cinnamon syrup
1 dash black walnut bitters
5 oz hot coffee
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Pre-heat a goblet, then build in glass. Add two oz heavy cream to a shaker tin with 0.25 cinnamon syrup, shake for 10 seconds to whip, then float on top of drink. Garnish with grated nutmeg and a mint leaf.