TOM'S FOOLERY APPLEJACK: Review and Applejack Manhattan

It's time to bring out the big guns, and by that we mean the craft distillers who have participated in the first ever Pinky Mixology Applejack-Off.  4 Labels enter, ...none are leaving, they're all too good so we're totally gonna finish them and put them to good use.

Today we spend the first of 5 days looking at Tom's Foolery, in Chagrin Falls Ohio.  This craft distiller creates an excellent and unique Applejack, and they get it right by not doing things.  They don't mess with it.  They don't add anything that isn't needed.  They don't rush things or cut corners.  And if they only have enough to fill 7 barrels, they only have enough to fill 7 barrels.  This actually worries us because it is our mission to get more of this stuff, and if they run out we will have a sad.

Without recreating their entire website, we will give you what they've written about their batch #4: 

Batch #4 is a blend of seven Applejack barrels that have been aging for the last 2-3 years!  And we think it has been worth the wait!  The proof has been increased to 90, giving all you mixologists and cocktail crafters out there lots of flavor for your cocktails.

Now it's easy to make a New York City vs Cleveland joke...  so we will:  People in Cleveland now have a reason to live, and it's called Tom's Foolery.  Hell if we lived in Buffalo, we'd be stealing a car and driving over there right now (we don't own a car because we're too cool).   And just look at all the places you can get it (link).







Here is the Wikipedia page for Chagrin Falls.





You can see more of the way they made and bottled this applejack and the people at Tom's Foolery at their Daily Fool blog.









This is based on the classic Manhattan cocktail, which you can check out here. 




Here you see Antica Formula by Antonio Benedetto Carpano.  Here is an English language website where you can learn more about it.











In case you were wondering, Tom's Foolery also produces both a Rye and a Bourbon which would both obviously make a great cocktail as well.  Their rye or bourbon would make a very fine Bloody Derby, as well as the variant Red Dead Redemption cocktail which we have planned for February (yes it's based on the video game).




Come back tomorrow for a way to take the chill out of winter and put the chillaxing in your step.

See you then.

Manhattan

The Manhattan. Nothing says roaring 20's like this rye whiskey based glass full of awesome. Invented over a century ago in the 18whoknowswhatsit's, it splendor in a glass. Despite its injection into the douche-bag universe of wanna-be Mad Men idiot hipsters, and being the last vestige of a few old racist grandparents out there who still listen to The Rat Pack on am radio, this is still a drink that should be ok to be seen in public with. But on the occasion that you wish to have 1 (or 7) at home, and hopefully share them with friends, here is how to make sure you pull it off correctly.



Time for grown up drinking boys and girls.





Recommended Rye Whiskeys include Manhattan Rye from Tuthilltown Spirits (pictured above), also (ri)1 rye which has been taken over by Jim Beam, and if you're on a budget there's the slightly less expensive Bulleit and the even cheaper Wild Turkey which is probably the most widely available.



What you see is 2 shot glasses full with a little bit of overflow. Normally you'd keep the glass chilled, but to avoid condensation which would block the view here, so we're gonna not do that. Remember kids; Don't do what Donny Don't does.



Now it goes without saying that a cheap vermouth like Cinzano, or Martini & Rossi is more or less gonna ruin this. Dolin is the standard go-to for a good Manhattan. Although Punt e Mes is not really a "true" rosso Vermouth and thus the end result is not a "true" Manhattan, it's actually our preferred additive here at Pinky Mixology when making these (it's even awesome by itself). So don't get that wrong, according to our personal tastes, we love nothing better than Punt e Mes, but we are making a true Manhattan here, so we'll be using a true vermouth.  We're not gonna say which one because we don't want to get anyone in trouble.



The problem is that good Vermouth costs a bit more and usually doesn't come in a small bottle.  We understand that not everyone out there is going to be prepared to have so much vermouth around.  So you can be stuck with a high quality bottle of Vermouth which you've opened and now the rest of it is fast on its way to getting old and going bad (yes it is very possible for Vermouth to go bad, but you can use this opportunity to turn yourself into a Vermouth fan). The cheap crap comes in small bottles... but it's cheap crap more suited for cooking shrimp than drinking. So if you know a bar-tender at a place that has a high turnover of the good stuff, then maybe they'll pour some off for you to-go. (Or you can get some out by ordering a glass of it and sneaking it out in a sports bottle or something).





You NEVER shake a Manhattan. If you are someplace and they do this, then just get up and leave immediately. You never shake any drink with clear ingredients and this goes for martinis too (though you can slosh them a bit harder than a Manhattan). There's a reason that 007 had to stipulate "shaken, not stirred" in the movies, and that's because no one in their right mind who knew what they were doing would ever ask for that (it was a way for a spy to identify himself to his handler w/o telling the whole room who he was).



Seriously, I don't know why they put these cherries in there. I never eat them, but they instantly identify what you're drinking.



That's not photoshop, that's actually the color of how it looks.  Cool right?

Seriously, the only thing that's gonna happen if you fill a cocktail glass to the very top is that some of the drink will spill, stemmed glass or not, just leave a little room. You can go make another if you're that desperate for more booze.

The Manhattan.

Next time:
Yo mama.