The Booze Issue
- Get the most out of Henderson's Booze District with this go-to guide
- The Tippling Bros. bring cocktail excellence to Las Vegas
- Respect thy bartender: Six commandments for ordering at the bar
- The charming, social, easy-drinking ritual of punch
- Garnish 101: Aria property mixologist Craig Schoettler on how to dress your drink
- Stuck in your drinking ways? Try these lesser-known liquors
- Start your barrel-aged sampling with these five sippers
- The next Fernet: What booze will replace the 'bartenders' handshake'?
- How to order Delmonico’s clandestine whiskey cocktails
- The future is drunk: Imagining booze containers of tomorrow
- What we're drinking: Top selling booze around town
- Crap Blue Ribbon: Why I hate PBR
The secret ingredient in your drink might be wood. The local cocktail scene has gotten more and more flavorful recently as bars are discovering the joys of barrel aging their concoctions.
The idea of barrel aging is hardly new—before Prohibition, it wasn’t unusual to find bottled cocktails (which were stored in barrels prior to bottling), but it wasn’t until 2010 that Oregon bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler revived the craft, using the properties of various barrels to give his concoctions that little something extra.
The oak barrels impart different characteristics, depending on the spirit that was aged in them prior to the cocktail (Scotch, rye, bourbon, etc.), and the level of aging matters as well, some resting a few months, while others undergo a much longer maturation. That translates to countless possibilities in the finished product.
You can now find barrel-aged cocktails all over the country, and there are plenty here at home, as well. Start your exploration at these five venues, where patience is certainly rewarded.
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Franklin
Make sure to try the Pink Torino, made with Rogue Pink Spruce Gin, Art in the Age Rhubarb Tea Liqueur, Scrappy’s Bitters Cardamom, and strawberry- and ginger-infused Carpano Bianco Vermouth.
Delano, 702-632-9444. Daily, 10-2 a.m.
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Flour & Barley
Their signature barrel-aged cocktail is the Godfather: St. George’s Breaking & Entering and amaretto.
Linq, 702-430-4430. Daily, 11 a.m.-midnight.
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Rao’s
Their E. 114th won our Best of Vegas Award for top barrel-aged cocktail, combining Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve bourbon, Amaro Montenegro, Carpano Antica sweet vermouth and Angostura orange bitters.
Caesars Palace, 702-731-7267. Daily, 5-10:30 p.m.
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Velveteen Rabbit
Their clever take on a Rusty Nail utilizes the complexity of Drambuie 15 (instead of traditional Drambuie) and Ballantine’s Scotch, giving this cocktail more spice and less sweet.
1218 S. Main St., 702-685-9645. Daily, 5 p.m.-2 a.m.
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Oak & Ivy
They have an impressive list, but the real killer here is the Blood & Clovers, featuring Jameson Black Barrel, Cherry Heering, Carpano Antica and fresh orange.
Downtown Container Park, 702-637-4244. Monday-Thursday, 3-11 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m..