What’s Aging Next: Vieux Carré
The next cocktail I'm aging in my oak barrel is the Vieux Carré, a classic New Orleans cocktail with rye, cognac, vermouth, Benedictine, and bitters.
New Cocktails Section is Live!
I added a new section to Cook Like Chuck: Cocktails! Now you will find my 27 favorite cocktail recipes with notes on how to make them, the cocktail books I recommend to people most often, and the tools I use to make cocktails here at home.
Barrel Aging Manhattans
My Manhattans have been aging in the barrel for ten weeks now. They've really smoothed out and picked up hints of vanilla, oak, and charcoal. I'm not tasting any oxidation on the vermouth. I'm very pleased with how this batch turned out.
Aging Homemade Pear Brandy
Aging this pear brandy for two months with a toasted oak stick turned the harsh spirit into something completely different. Right now I'm using it as a cocktail mixer. In a few more months it will be a regular sipper.
Tipple Tuesday: Calvados Sidecar
If your holiday festivities include alcohol, consider putting a lighter drink in the rotation to refresh your palate from all the heavy bourbon, egg nog, and dark rum drinks. I suggest a variation on the Sidecar made with Calvados, a French apple brandy made up in Normandy with the same care as their southern neighbors make cognac. The sweet calvados and Cointreau mixed with the tart citrus bite of the lemon juice make the Calvados Sidecar a lively cocktail that will lighten your holiday spirits. Save this recipe card to…
Start Eggnog Now for Your Christmas Festivities
Make this year's Christmas festivities special and make a batch of eggnog now and age it in your fridge for the next 73 days. This stuff is so much better than the cartons you see in stores around the holidays. I talked my parents into making some around the beginning of December last year and it turned out great. It was even better around the beginning of January. The age improves it pretty quickly, rounding out the bite of the alcohol and blending the flavors together. It probably isn't worth…
Aged Negronis at Home
I continued my love affair with Negronis by aging my own at home. I think I've found my new house drink.
There’s More Than Just Whiskey at Tuthilltown
Amanda and I drove up to Tuthilltown Distillery this past weekend. I'd been there once before a few years ago with my friend Jason Kelly for their gin launch party, but they've really stepped up their game since then. Tuthilltown is best known for their fantastic line of whiskey: bourbon, rye, and unaged corn. Any liquor store worth its salt carries at least one of their five varieties: When I say their line of whiskey is fantastic, I mean it. I've tried the whole line at least once and have…
Tipple Tuesday: Paper Plane
To continue on theme of potable bitters for hot summer days I present the Paper Plane: A deliciously dry pre-dinner aperetivo for when it is too hot to contemplate eating.
Negroni Week on Snack Time
I do a podcast with Sean Nelson called Snack Time. In Episode 3 Sean and I celebrate Negroni Week on the air. We discuss recipes, bitters, art, hipsters, and glassware. I get a little tipsy and say "incredible" too much, and I have minor recording issues that I'll fix on the next episode. Listen to it over at SnackTime.fm, iTunes, or Overcast.