Wooden barrels

The size mainly sets the pace. A five-litre barrel has far more wood surface relative to its contents than a large one, so the flavour transfers much faster. Where a distillery counts in years, a five-litre barrel gives you a clear difference after two to four weeks; with ten litres it is more like four to eight. That is also the pitfall, because leaving it too long produces a bitter, woody drink that cannot be rescued. Choose five litres if you want to experiment and see quick results, and ten litres if you want a steady house bottling that you draw off a few times a year. Taste weekly from the first week and write down what you find.

A new barrel must first be soaked. Fill it with cold water and let it stand for one to three days; the wood expands, the staves seal, and initial leaks disappear on their own. Change the water daily until it stays clear. Only then add your drink. Always fill it to the brim, because in a half-filled barrel the contents oxidize too quickly and the wood above the liquid line dries out. Keep the barrel somewhere cool and dark, away from direct sunlight and large temperature fluctuations. Start with something that can handle wood: a negroni, a manhattan , or an old fashioned will all come out rounder and deeper.

The most important rule is that the barrel must never be allowed to stand dry. If the wood dries out, the staves shrink, gaps open up and the barrel leaks beyond repair. If you draw it off without a new filling ready, top it up with water and a little sulphite solution or with a neutral spirit, so it stays moist and free of growth. Never clean a barrel with soap; the smell soaks into the wood and never comes out again. Rinsing with hot water is enough.

Maturing is only half the work; the rest happens when serving. The tools for that are in the bar tools, where you’ll find bar spoons and measuring cups alongside cocktail shakers . To draw from the barrel and store the bottling, there are carafes, and for large clear blocks, there are ice buckets. If you want to know what goes in first, the complete collection of recipes is in cocktails.