27 Sep O’Zapft is Whiskey + White Manhattan Cocktail Recipe
O’Zapft is Whiskey + White Manhattan Cocktail Recipe
Back in some of our earliest posts, we use ‘white,’ as a nickname designation for dry vermouth. We thought that following the wine convention of red and white would be a useful handle, and we thought we could get away with it because, though there is a separate vermouth category of blancs, or whites, it’s a minor wing of the vermouth tree and it was almost unheard of in America. Well, that sloppiness has come back to bite us, as vermouth blanc has recently roared into popularity. We first noticed this increase in blanc’s prominence at Maketto’s for Negroni Week.
Vermouth blanc is as delicate as dry vermouth, but sweeter, and more floral than herbal. It’s quite similar to our beloved Cocchi, or Lillet Blanc, but the palate is much lighter. We thought it would be the perfect companion for today’s whiskey.
As we mentioned yesterday, our friends at Wigle have recently been playing with the idea that whiskey is beer, distilled. Yesterday, we tasted the whiskey version of an IPA, vapor-infused with hops. Today, we take a look at Wigle’s latest release, O’zapft is (we hear it’s Bavarian for, ‘It’s tapped!’). With O’Zapft is, Wigle quite literally distilled beer, by actually using Penn Brewery’s Octoberfest lager as their mash. The result is a well-rounded, malty spirit, with strong hints of caramel and nut. Aged for only 13 months (so really more barrel-rested than actually aged, by whiskey’s technical standards), it has the mellowness and complexity of something that spent more time in the barrel.
O’zapft is tastes great sipped straight with a little ice, or in a Boilermaker. If you’re looking to mix it, we’ve loved it in this variation on a Manhattan.
White Manhattan Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 oz O’zapft is
- 1 14 oz vermouth blanc (we’ve liked Dolin’s, which is the original vermouth blanc)–Cocchi Americano or Lillet Blanc would work too
- a few drops orange bitters
Ingredients
- Stir all ingredients with ice.
- Strain into a cocktail glass.
