Barrel-Aged Manhattan from The Royal

It most likely will take you just about 30 minutes to nurse a barrel-aged Manhattan from The Royal (1427 E. Cherry St. Ste. B). But before making its way to your glass, it ages in an American white oak barrel with a charred lining for about three months. The drawn-out process adds a smokey finish and rounds out the melange of flavors already present. This cocktail follows the traditional Manhattan recipe, but up to a certain point. It has a rye whiskey base, but it combines Rittenhouse Rye, which is 100-proof, and unaged Redemption White Rye. Instead of bitters, the drink features Angostura Amaro, which has a similar flavor to bitters but doesn’t overpower the other flavors as it ages. B.J. Lowrance, the owner of The Royal, is quite the mixologist and enjoys experimenting with barrel-aged Manhattans for fall and winter and barrel-age negronis for spring and summer.