Got going on the barrel aged Manhattan project today. Wife got me a 2L barrel for V-day, I think she felt sorry for me since it was on my list for Christmas and nobody stepped up.
I filled it with water for a week, you do this to saturate the wood so the stays expand and seal against leakage. It only oozed a bit for about 36 hours so I got a very tightly constructed one. One mistake, I used tap water having forgot that I read somewhere you should always use spring water or some filtered, non-chlorinated water because the chemicals in modern tap water affect the taste. Too late now, I rinsed it with bottled water and filled it with the active ingredients.
1.5L of Rittenhouse BIB Rye, + 600ml of Carpano Antica sweet vermouth. This is a slight deviation from the standard 2:1 rye to vermouth Manhattan formula, but I've learned over time I like a bit less than the "1" of vermouth. I did not add bitters or cherry syrup yet, those can be added at serving. I reserved 375ml of the fresh mix as a taste comparator when I bring out the final aged product.
After a week I'll begin limited tastings. I'm guessing 3 weeks before it will be ready, which will be noted when the charred oak can be tasted. At that point stop the aging and drain back into the empty Rittenhouse bottles I kept. Then, I have Manhattans ready to go (plus bitters and cherry).
Of course I still have big brother in process - the Bowman's barrel I bought a month or so ago. I've completed a coat of polyurethane and need to drive self tapping screws into the metal rings and stays to hold it together as the moisture leaves. The bung was cut off flush to the barrel, so far I've been unable to remove it but I'm going to sink an eye screw into it and pull it out so I can sniff the bunghole.
Man that barrel smelled good in the car coming back from Fredericksburg.
