Following up on my barrel aged Manhattan produced 3 weeks ago, I immediately filled my 1 liter oak barrel from Oak Barrels Ltd with water after emptying the Manhattan into a 1 liter glass bottle (an empty bottle of Martin Miller gin), let it sit for a day then filled it with equal parts of Van Gogh gin from Holland (my favorite gin for a Negroni is actually Bafferts), Campari and vermouth. The usual vermouth is sweet vermouth but I prefer my vermouth to be 2 parts dry and only 1 part sweet. Since the barrel was already used once for the Manhattan, I let it sit for 3 weeks before bottling (in another empty Martin Miller gin bottle).
And the verdict? Once again I made a "fresh" version poured over a large round cube of ice along with the aged version. The "fresh" obviously had a fresher, bitter hit of the Campari while the aged version - while still retaining the bitterness of Campari - had the bitterness integrated into the other flavors of the rich vermouth along with spices - nutmeg and allspice - picked up from the oak. Aging did change the Negroni though I'll admit that I still prefer and shaken "fresh" Negroni with an orange peel twist and perfect ice line. Next up, either a Vieux Carre or Rum Manhattan per The Cocktalian (www.thecocktailian.blogspot.com)...
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