BARBECUEDSAUCE
There are fewmixed drinks more iconic
than the Jack and Coke, meant to be sipped
on the kinds of weathered, unassuming
porches that line Tennessee’s back roads,
rack of ribs smoking away over the railing.
The Pa erson House
(
above), a Nashville
watering hole with just that sort
of porch, adds a dash of hickory
flavor to the beverage by smoking
the cola in a smokehouse before
adding the whiskey. We asked
bartender Toby Maloney how to
make it ourselves.
HICKORY-SMOKED JACK
AND COKE
1.7
million cases in 2011, a 27 percent
increase from the year before (and more
than double the 2006 volume), making
it the fastest-growing liquor category in
theU.S. Across the pond, distilleries report
shi ing production into overdrive tomeet
the demand. “It’s been exhilarating to keep
upwith,” says ColumEgan, master distiller
at Bushmills, adding that it’s certainly “a
good challenge to have.”
While traditional shamrock-plastered
pubs have expanded their already Irish-
dominated offerings, it’s really the new
breed of spirit-specific cra bars that has
fueled the category’s explosion. By and
large, the best selections can be found
at venues that specialize in Scottish
and American bottlings but round out
their sprawling lists with gems from the
Emerald Isle. Citizen Public House offers
16
Irish varieties (out of amenu of 150-plus
whiskeys); Fountainhead, in Chicago’s
Ravenswood neighborhood, boasts 18.
Regardless of where regulars learn to
love Irish, however, bartenders are key
to the transition. “Typically, guests come
here looking for our help to guide them
to something new,” says Brad Danler,
general manager of whiskey mecca Char
No. 4 in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighbor-
hood. “Irishwhiskeys canbe great gateway
spirits—for example, for bourbon drink-
ers who are expanding their horizons but
aren’t quite ready for scotch.” Indeed, Irish
whiskeys run the flavor profile gamut,
from light, gently raisin-y, vanilla-scented
blends likeMichael Collins and Jameson to
full-thro le, ultracomplex singlemalts like
Redbreast (the favorite of every bartender
I interviewed), a spirit redolent of tobacco,
licorice, sherry, spice and honey.
As for Irish whiskey’s future, one can
only speculate. But given that the category
has grown by double-digit percentages
every year for the past seven years, the
future seems bright. Pickle companies
might want to get a move on.
›
2
oz. Jack Daniel’s
whiskey
›
6
oz. Coca-Cola
›
Handheld cold smoker
(
like PolyScience’s
The Smoking Gun)
›
Hickory chips
›
Lemon wedge
1.
Pour the Coke into a
mixing glass. Fill the
smoker with hickory
chips. Hold the smoker
above the glass and put
its tube as far
down into the
soda as possible.
Light the chips
and allow the
smoke to bubble
up through the liquid,
stirring with a spoon to
blend the flavors.
2.
Pour Jack Daniel’s over ice,
top with smoked Coke, and
stir to combine. Garnish
with a lemon wedge.
DISPATCHES
||
FOOD&DRINK
BARRELY ENOUGH
Casks of
Jameson whiskey at the
brand’s distillery in Ireland
36
DECEMBER 2012
•
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
JEFF STAMPER (COCKTAIL); AIDAN CRAWLEY/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES (BARRELS)
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