Kilgore Uncorks a New Age in Mixology

It may be hot, humid and muggy, but bartender Ted Kilgore has news that will make cocktail fans want to stick around town this month: He’s uncorking his latest alcoholic experiment, whiskey barrel-aged cocktails. In June, Kilgore prepared 3-gallon batches of two different cocktails – enough for 100 drinks of each mix. He poured them into used oak barrels, then left them to age for the last six weeks. Once they reach the desired flavor profile, Kilgore will bottle them and make them available to patrons at all three of chef-owner Gerard Craft’s restaurants: Taste by Niche, where Kilgore helms the bar; next door at Niche; and at Brasserie by Niche in the Central West End. Kilgore first heard about aging cocktails in barrels from blogging bartender Jeffrey Morganthaler of Portland, Ore. Morganthaler got wind of it from London-based Tony Conigliaro, an innovative mixologist who had been aging Manhattans in glass vessels for more than a year. Morganthaler hastened the process by aging the liquid in barrels. “It’s taking about four to eight weeks,” said Kilgore of the barrel-aging process. “Six weeks is about the usual from what I can tell.” For his first attempt, Kilgore opted to cork Holy Moly, a drink that hasn’t yet seen the menu board at Taste by Niche. The Holy Moly is a mix of amaro, a bitter Italian herbal liqueur; pungent and assertive green Chartreuse; Wild Turkey rye whiskey; and chocolate mole bitters, a fairly recent product for this area and one that is appearing in more specialty cocktails around town. Kilgore explained that aging the cocktail in the oak barrels will “change the flavor of the amaro, whiskey and green Chartreuse and add more charcoal and malty flavor – at least that’s what I hope. This is all experimental. I’m placing a bet on it changing for the better.” The second cocktail, Negroni Fresca, is Kilgore’s spin on a Negroni, which is usually made from gin, sweet vermouth and Campari. Kilgore, however, opted out of Campari in favor of the summer-perfect French aperitif Lillet Blanc and orangey Aperol. The aging process should add “wood and malted notes to something that is normally bright and shiny flavored,” Kilgore said. Not all cocktail recipes will work for barrel-aging. “You want to use anything that is all liquor-based,” explained Kilgore. Since acid from fresh juices would be a no-no, Kilgore said that the solution is to bottle the profile of the cocktail, essentially to capture the aroma, flavor and other qualities of the drink. Kilgore purchased three barrels from whiskey distillery Tuthilltown Spirits in New York state but hasn’t decided what he’s going to age in that third cask. “We’re toying with straight spirits – white liquor – that hasn’t seen any wood yet,” said Kilgore. Once we find out what’s in barrel No. 3, you can bet we’ll uncork that news as well.