COCKTAILS

Maggie plots out the ultimate cocktail bar crawl

2021-03-01 - WRITTEN BY MAGGIE KIMBERL

Taking a spin around some of our old favorite whiskey bars

OLD HICKORY WHISKEY BAR

Pensacola, FL

Old Hickory Whiskey Bar puts a whiskey stake in the ground in tropical cocktail territory, the tourist-driven and military base-dotted Florida Panhandle. “Our signature cocktail, The Old Hickory, is the only cocktail to remain on our menu the last seven years through our quarterly seasonal menu changes,” says proprietor Katie Garrett. “It’s been voted Pensacola’s best cocktail several times and was created by Jeffery Knott, our first bar manager, before we opened. He now bartends at the Bar at Willett at the Willett Distillery. Old Hickory selects Buffalo Trace barrels throughout the year to specifically use in this cocktail. When our own barrel isn’t available, we use their flagship.”

THE OLD HICKORY

5 dashes Angostura bitters

0.5 oz Dolin sweet vermouth

0.5 oz Dolin dry vermouth

2 oz OHWB Buffalo Trace Single Barrel

Smoke martini glass on hickory wood plank. Stir all ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Pour into smoked glass. Served up with a black Amarena cherry and flamed lemon peel.

THE FLATIRON ROOM

New York, NY

The Flatiron Room is one of the most renowned whiskey bars in the United States, and its staying power in New York City for nearly a decade proves how thoughtful the proprietor is with the restaurant’s whiskey collection and level of education for the staff. Not only is education at the forefront for all staff, but the team makes trips to Kentucky and other places to do exclusive private barrel picks, such as the Eagle Rare in the recipe below, chosen in August of 2019 at Buffalo Trace Distillery.

SMOKING OLD FASHIONED

2 oz Eagle Rare Private Barrel Bourbon 2 dashes Angostura bitters

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Dash of club soda

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice, and stir until chilled. Pour over a large rock of ice, garnished with our branded Flatiron Room orange peel. Infuse with Bourbon oak wood chip smoke and cap with our branded wood cover.

ELIXIR BAR

San Francisco, CA

Since 2003, San Francisco’s Elixir Bar has set the standard for whiskey bars in the tech capital of the US, with private barrel selections and award-winning, intricate whiskey cocktails. “The signature cocktail I’m using is one that we put out every winter and it is served hot or cold,” says proprietor H. Joseph Ehrmann. “It’s a twist on a whiskey sour. I usually mix it when it comes to the whiskey and this year we’re doing it with Elijah Craig. I designed it as a holiday cocktail for the upcoming season and with the idea that it would be both a good aperitif for a holiday meal as well as a delicious cocktail in an average bar setting. It evolved over the years into both hot and cold servings, as well as versions containing egg white, soda water, and even a room-temp bottled cocktail with no citrus.”

THE KENTUCKY PILGRIM

1.5 oz Elijah Craig Thanksgiving Infusion 1 oz Fresh Victor Lemon Sour*

0.5 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

0.5 oz demerara syrup (1:1 mix)

Cold Cocktail Directions

In a mixing glass, add all ingredients, fill with ice and shake well for 10 seconds. Hawthorne strain into a wine glass or Irish Coffee glass and garnish with a long lemon twist.

Hot Cocktail Directions

Mix all ingredients in a mug or Irish Coffee glass and add 3oz hot water. Stir and garnish with a wide lemon disc twist.

Elijah Craig Thanksgiving Infusion

In a wide-mouthed glass infusion jar place 750ml of Elijah Craig Small Batch and 2 teaspoons of cardamom seeds. Close and leave in a dark cool place for 12-24 hours. Strain out the cardamom seeds and add 1 cup dried cranberries and 13-15 grams of cinnamon stick (~3 x 2” pieces). Close and leave for another two days, agitating once per day. Strain solids and store in the original Elijah Craig bottle with proper labelling (commercially, store in an unlabelled bottle).

TROUBLE BAR

Louisville, KY

In Louisville, they say every bar is a whiskey bar. But some whiskey bars are more serious than others, and Trouble Bar is run by a group of women who are certified Bourbon Stewards, Bourbon Women members and board members, and who just really know their whiskey. They have a solid, rotating cocktail menu that always includes a whiskey sour. “We always have one on the menu because we think it’s a great entry point for Bourbon-curious folks. Felicia Corbett, our beverage director, created this,” says Trouble Bar co-founder Nicole Stippy.

GLOW LIKE DIAMONDS

1.5 oz Jim Beam Black Label 0.75 oz raspberry purée 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice 0.25 oz fresh lime juice

Shake over ice until the shaker is frosted. Double strain into a glass with fresh ice. Garnish with an edible flower.

In Louisville, they say every bar is a whiskey bar...

THE MONKEY’S TAIL

Houston, TX

As the Texas Whiskey Trail continues to grow, more whiskey bars are popping up, with their own Texas spin, of course. On the Gulf Coast portion of the trail there are four distilleries, making for an optimal weekend Texas Whiskey getaway! “The Naughty Toddy is our signature hot toddy, using our private barrel pick Heaven’s Door Highway 61, clove honey, fresh–squeezed lemon juice, and hot water, garnished with a cinnamon stick and orange half-moon flag,” says Monkey’s Tail bartender Matthew Mcewan. “Our Highway 61 is an

American blended whiskey made with 80 per cent of two batches of Bourbon and 20 per cent single batch rye. This libation delivers a toasty, balanced whiskey married beautifully with lemon and clove honey.”

THE NAUGHTY TODDY

1.5 oz Monkey’s Trail Heaven’s Door Highway 61

0.5 oz lemon juice

1 oz clove honey

6 oz hot water

Combine ingredients and garnish with a cinnamon stick and orange half-moon flag.

JACK ROSE DINING SALOON

Washington, D.C.

Jack Rose Dining Saloon in the nation’s capital is a getaway destination in itself, boasting one of the largest whiskey collections in the world, both current and vintage. Proprietor Bill Thomas is a legend in the industry not only for private barrel selections, but also for distilling his own special recipes through contracts with distilleries. You really want to go to Jack Rose to try vintage whiskey, but if cocktails are more your speed there are plenty of options. This cocktail, created by bartender Andy Bixby, mixes alpine and winter notes with a hint of tropical flavor for a cocktail that makes you want to start packing your bags.

BY THE LIGHT OF THE MULE

1.5 oz Old Overholt Rye

0.25 oz Allspice Dram

0.25 oz Dolin Genepy des Alpes liqueur 0.5 oz lime juice

1 oz ginger passion fruit syrup ***

Top with sparkling wine

Combine all over ice. Garnish with a dried citrus wheel and paper umbrella for fun tropical vibes.

Ginger passion fruit syrup

13oz clarified ginger syrup*

19oz passion fruit syrup**

Combine and store in a clearly labelled container. Will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator.

Ginger syrup