What to Drink at The Beagle: The Barrel-Aged Manhattan

Each week in The Daily Shot, we have ourselves a drink that we think you should try, too.

Chantal Martineau

Age before beauty

The bar: The Beagle (162 Avenue A, East Village, 212-228-6900)

The price: $14

Ingredients: Buffalo Trace White Dog, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters, served up

The buzz: Barrel-aged cocktails are all the rage these days in New York, but they've been around for a while in Portland, Oregon. So, it makes sense that Portland import the Beagle should have one on the menu. For the uninitiated it might seem counterintuitive to start with white dog -- unaged whiskey -- then put it in a barrel for a few weeks until it matures. But the baked fruit and yeast notes of the white dog still manage to come through in this drink. Plus, the vermouth and bitters get aged, too, resulting in a complex mouthful with hints of spice and caramel. It might be a bit of a gimmick, but its appeal is not unwarranted. So, yeah, we'll ride this aged-cocktail thing for a while longer.

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