LCBO Food and Drink Winter 2016

worth the wait from page 60

OAK BARRELS Follow instructions provided with purchased barrel such as the 2-L one used in this recipe, courtesy of and available at BYOB Cocktail Emporium in Toronto (cocktailemporium.ca). A new barrel needs to be soaked for 4 to 5 days by filling it with water; empty through bung- hole before adding whisky and vermouth. The smaller the barrel, the less time that is needed for aging. Conversely a repeatedly used barrel of any size will take longer to achieve the oak, caramel and vanilla flavours that distinguish a barrel-aged drink. CHIP-AGED MANHATTAN No barrel? No problem! What’s needed in bar- rel-aging cocktails is the oak, and purchased barrel chips such as those from Jack Dan- iel’s oak aging barrels are readily available wherever barbecue supplies are sold. A small quantity of these plus a reasonable amount of whisky and vermouth is a great introduction to the art of aging cocktails. For best results, use fresh chips for each batch. CHIP AGING 10 oz Alberta Premium Dark Horse Whisky 5 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Red Vermouth 1 oz (30 g) whiskey barrel smoking chips PER COCKTAIL 2 oz Chip-Aged Manhattan 2 drops Angostura bitters ½ to 1 tsp (2 to 5 mL) brandied cherry juice (optional) 2 to 3 Brandied Cherries (recipe this page) 1 Combine whisky, vermouth and chips in a 2-cup (500-mL) canning jar, which almost fills it to the top. Firmly seal with a new canning seal and ring to prevent flavours being intro- duced from a used seal and ring. Shake; place in a cool spot away from the light for 10 days. 2 Then begin to taste a teaspoonful daily un- til the flavours of vanilla, oak and caramel are present and alcohol’s rawness is smoothed out. 3 Pour through a fine strainer into a clean can- ning jar when ready, thus stopping the aging process. Discard chips or save to use in a bar- becue smoker. Cocktail keeps for weeks. 4 To serve 1 Manhattan, add ice to a whisky glass. Pour in 2 oz Chip-Aged Manhattan, stir in bitters and cherry juice. Garnish with a couple of brandied cherries speared on a tiny skewer. Makes 7 Manhattans

BARREL-AGED MANHATTAN A classic Manhattan, freshly made, and a barrel-aged Manhattan consumed at an in- formal taste-testing at Le Chien Noir Bistro in Kingston, Ont., were assertively quite dif- ferent drinks—despite being made with the same ingredients. The barrel-aged drink was what tasters enjoyed most. BARREL 1 bottle (750 mL) Alberta Premium Dark Horse Whisky (LCBO 298083, $30.95) 1½ cups (375 mL) Martini & Rossi Sweet Red Vermouth (LCBO 215343, 1 L, $13.25) PER COCKTAIL 2 oz Barrel-Aged Manhattan 2 drops Angostura bitters ½ to 1 tsp (2 to 5 mL) brandied cherry juice (optional) 2 to 3 Brandied Cherries (recipe follows) 1 Using a funnel, pour whisky and vermouth into the bunghole of a 2-L prepared barrel (see Oak Barrels, this page). Replace bung firmly. 2 Age several days to a couple of weeks, tast- ing it daily after 3 days until it’s to your liking. Aging time will depend on the capacity of the barrel and howmany times the barrel has been used. A brand new 2-L barrel aged the cocktail perfectly in 5 days, a second batch using the same barrel took 7 days to achieve the same taste, and a third batch was ready in 12 days. 3 When aged to your taste, decant through a fine strainer into glass bottles; seal and store at room temperature out of the light. This stops the aging process. 4 To serve 1 Manhattan, add ice to a whisky glass. Pour in 2 oz barrel-aged Manhattan, stir in bitters and cherry juice. Garnish with a couple of brandied cherries speared on a tiny skewer. Makes 18 Manhattans BRANDIED CHERRIES Usingaglass container suchasa 1-cup (250‑mL) canning jar, fill about three-quarters full with dried sweetened Montmorency cherries. Pour in enough brandy to generously cover cherries; screw on lid. Let stand at room temperature while barrel-aging the Manhattan. The cherries plump up and become quite flavourful.

UMAMI STOCK Umami, the Japanese word for delicious, is known as the fifth taste or the savoury taste after sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It comes from ingredients such as mushrooms, toma- toes, Parmesan and mushrooms. This stock is full of these ingredients and as such will en- hance anything it is paired with. For the best flavour, use dried porcini mushrooms rather than mixed ones. 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped, or 2 canned tomatoes 2 leeks, coarsely chopped 1 cup shiitake mushroom stems 4 shiitake mushrooms 6 oz (175 g) cremini mushrooms, quartered 4 oz ( 125 g) pancetta, coarsely chopped 2 oz (60 g) Parmesan rind 1 oz (30 g) porcini or mixed mushrooms, dried 4 garlic cloves, halved 4 peppercorns 1 tbsp (15 mL) soy sauce 1 Combine ingredients in a large pot. There will be about 8 cups (2 L) in total. Add 12 cups (3 L) water or enough to cover vegetables by 1 inch (2.5 cm). 2 Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2½ to 3 hours or until liquid has reduced by about one-third and broth is flavourful. 3 Strain into large bowl. Reserve pancetta, if desired, and discard remaining ingredients. Makes 5 cups (1.25 L) broth

WHAT TO SERVE (WI TH RAMEN SOUP) Kirin Ichiban LCBO 359356, 500 mL

$2.65

Sapporo Premium Beer LCBO 699009, 650 mL

$3.75

FOOD & DRI NK WINTER 2016 83