When you see a barrel-aged cocktail on a menu, the base spirit typically isn’t tequila — but there’s always a first time for everything.
“This cocktail is fun and sexy,” says John A. Nicoletti, bar manager of One10, a modern Italian restaurant and lounge located in Melville. “We are having so much fun with our guests and love watching the reaction as they taste this play on a modern classic.”
One10’s barrel-age margarita has several main ingredients: Patrón Reposado, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao and raw sugar simple syrup.
“Take all those ingredients and literally age them for no less than 90 days in Buffalo Trace whiskey barrels,” he says. “The process that takes place over the 90 days is what sets this cocktail apart. The marriage of tequila and oak barrels invokes all of the beautiful vanilla to come to the forefront of the cocktail.”
After the aging process is complete, he then takes the unfinished mixture and bottles 3.5 ounces into 200 milliliter Patrón bottles.
“When the cocktail itself is ordered, we then finish it with fresh-pressed lime juice, rounding off this cocktail with the right amount of bright citrus,” Nicoletti says. “It is then served table side or barside with a dusted partial rim of sea salt, fresh lime twist and our signature One10 ice block.”
Even though he’s made numerous barrel-aged cocktails over the years, this one is special.
“This by far might be the most fun of them all,” he says. “Typically, we see brown spirits used in cocktails of this sort (e.g., rum, bourbon, rye, or scotch), but for this one I tried to think outside the box a bit.”
So far, the feedback has been exceptional.
“The best way I love describing this cocktail is it’s the type of margarita I want when I order one, and thus far, our guests agree,” he says. “It has become our number one seller.”
One10 is located at 569 Broadhollow Rd., Melville. It can be reached at 631-694-3333 or one10restaurant.com
