American Whiskey
American Whiskey
Josh Judd , general manager at Seven Grand in San Diego .
Miriam Portney , bar director at Canard in Portland , OR .
experiential events . “ The local favorites reflect the unique flavors , craftsmanship and stories associated with Ohio ’ s whiskey producers ,” he says . “ This suggests that local consumers appreciate and prioritize locally made products .”
SINGLE BARRELS REMAIN STRONG Barrel programs , at both bars and in stores , remain an enormous driver of business , as they promise customers something exclusive .
“ We ’ re seeing appreciation and demand grow for the rare whiskeys in exclusive barrels , which we have here at the Wynn ,” says Boarini . She recently oversaw the launch at Wynn Las Vegas of an exclusive whiskey barrel program at its Tower Suite Bar . It includes 13 offerings from Blanton ’ s , Buffalo Trace , E . H . Taylor , Maker ’ s Mark and more , in addition to a full whiskey list .
Bank & Bourbon features an exclusive Blanton ’ s Private Barrel in its bourbon flight . The bourbon flight , priced at $ 32 also features Wathen ’ s Single Barrel , Jack Daniel ’ s Single Barrel Select and Four Roses Single Barrel .
Demand for single barrels has enabled retailers to drive traffic to their stores . Businesses have embraced single barrels as a creative way to differentiate offerings and partner with producers .
Agnes says the single barrel program in Minnesota is divvied up between the 50 municipal liquor stores throughout the state . “ It allows some of the smaller stores to handle a pretty nice unique product ” he says .
Julio ’ s was one of the pioneering retailers in single barrels . These days , Maloney ’ s noticing that some consumers are becoming more discerning in their choices .
“ There ’ s a culling going on ,” he says . “ Retailers are sort of stemming the tide and making sure they ’ re getting a really good product .”
COCKTAIL CREATIVITY With such an explosion in producers , styles and expressions , bartenders are having a field day with whiskey cocktails . For example , Boarini uses Wynn ’ s single barrel selects for her take on the classic Whiskey Sour , combining Maker ’ s Mark Wynn Signature Cask Whiskey , lemon juice , simple syrup and egg whites .
And Old Fashioneds abound . In Dallas , Alex Aland , general manager of the Hotel Zaza Dallas and its restaurant Dragonfly , offers a Bourye Old Fashioned for $ 20 , made with TX Bourbon , Russell ’ s Reserve 6 Year Rye , Demerara , Angostura bitters and Regans ’ No . 6 orange bitters .
“ There are so many cities where people are really pushing the envelope ,” he says . “ I ’ ve even done a chamomile take on the Old Fashioned , which adds an herbal quality to it .”
Miriam Portney , bar director at Portland , OR-based Canard , says it ’ s been a challenge getting her hands on all the cool new American whiskeys she ’ d love to be experimenting with these days , such as ryes . And the new single malts are so varied , she would need to taste them on a oneby-one basis before deciding how to use them in cocktails .
“ I feel like I haven ’ t wrapped my head around any kind of singularity with it ,” Portney says . “ There would be some minimal intervention in some because they ’ re so terroir driven that you don ’ t want to stomp on it too much .”
At Big Star in Chicago , crowd pleasers include Buffalo Trace ’ s Antique Collection and Pappy Van Winkle , with Michter ’ s close behind . Beverage director Laurent Schroeder- Lebec also likes to work with local distilleries .
“ Those have been really enjoyable to put on the menu and feature in cocktails ,” he says . One example is 3 Floyds Distilling in Indiana and its 2 year Divine Rite malt whiskey . “ It kind of blew my socks off when they brought it in .”
Seven Grand in San Diego sticks close to tradition when it comes to whiskey cocktails , Judd says , with the best sellers being Old Fashioneds and Whiskey Sours . “ However , one of the things that I ’ ve really started to enjoy , and I think guests have as well , are Highballs ,” he says . “ People are looking for lighter , more crisp , refreshing spirits .”
Judd also offers Mile High Club , which he describes as a “ juicy , classic cocktail turned upside down ,” made with bourbon , Campari , apricot liqueur , lemon juice and bitters . “ It ’ s bright and refreshing , but bourbon , because it has to
24 • Fall 2023 www . cheersonline . com