cocktail no.6 | bout to go
Bout To Go, a rum riff on a Vieux Carre.
Last fall, I could feel myself preparing for hibernation. The want to lull myself into a dormant state and let the days pass was strong. The year had been unrelenting and attempts at self-soothing were failing. Despite the privilege of struggling in COVID’s quicksand with one of my favorite people, I was drowning inside. I needed something . . .
I had this ridiculous idea and likely out of love (and concern), Joshua obliged. We reach into our networks for fellow cocktail fans promising libations and virtual connections. I had no idea if this would work. We offered six months, but I wouldn’t have been shocked had it died in three. It didn’t languish, it thrived. Joshua and I found a way to combine our eccentricities into a quirky cocktail experience and you all came along for the ride. Thanks for that. Somehow, here we are at the sixth cocktail.
It’s an interesting moment and we needed a cocktail to meet the moment. So, we took a little inspiration from Jay-Z. Yes, I said we. Remember, Joshua’s goal to feature black owned spirits? Well, he’d been looking for a use for D'usse VSOP Cognac – Jay-Z is a part owner. And, despite this being our last club cocktail, I wanted a name that looked forward to the next episode.
It ain't where I been, but where I'm bout to go
- Jay- Z, “I Just Wanna Love You”
And that’s how we got to Bout To Go, a rum riff on a Vieux Carre. So, in Joshua’s own words, here’s how we got from a barrel of ingredients to a delicious cocktail.
Ordinarily, a Vieux Carre would be made with rye or bourbon:
1 ounce whiskey
1 ounce cognac
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1/3 ounce (2 tsp) Benedictine liqueur
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir in a mixing glass with ice, approximately 30 seconds until well-chilled. Strain into an old fashioned glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
To prepare for my first adventure in barrel-aging, I did a lot of reading. Some drinkers complain that barrel-aged cocktails are too sweet. The advice to counter this result is to start with a stronger (higher-proof) potion than what you would normally serve, with at least 100 proof for the base spirit being recommended. So, we turned to over-proof rum. In addition, the barrel-aging advice was to omit bitters, because bitters can "bloom" in unexpected and unpredictable ways in a barrel.
What went into the barrel:
3 liters Plantation Old Fashioned Traditional Dark (OFTD) rum, at 138 proof
3 liters D'usse VSOP cognac
3 liters Dolin Rouge sweet vermouth
0.5 liters Benedictine liqueur
Barrels are not scientifically accurate measuring devices, especially after they have been swelled to seal. Our 10-liter barrel was more like 9.5 liters in capacity. I didn't account for this when barreling, and neglected to pre-mix the ingredients before barreling. Instead, I was just pouring whole bottles into the barrel. The Benedictine was the last ingredient to go in, so we got slightly shorted there (instead of the 3:3:3:1 ratio). My plan was to "correct" as necessary once we tapped the barrel. Four weeks later, what came out didn't need any extra Benedictine.
What went into the bottles:
3 ounce barrel-aged cocktail base
0.25 ounce water
1.5 dashes Angostura bitters
1.5 dashes Peychaud's bitters
If you want to try to remake this at home without buying a barrel and waiting four weeks, we recommend the following alternative. Not quite as spicy, but still very pleasant.
Ingredients
1 ounce Barbancourt five-star eight-year-old Haitian rum OR, for a sweeter variation, try Ten To One Caribbean dark rum
1 ounce D'usse VSOP cognac
1 ounce Dolin Rouge sweet vermouth
1/3 ounce (2 tsp) Benedictine liqueur
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
Steps
Stir in a mixing glass with ice, approximately 30 seconds until well-chilled
Strain into an old fashioned glass with fresh ice, or serve in a chilled coupe glass without ice if you prefer
Garnish with a lemon twist