The Barrel Bar at Rail Stop Restaurant & Bar may be a unique touch to the décor, but the barrels’ purpose serves well beyond just ornamental value. The barrels provide a selection of cocktails that have been maturing and mellowing in unused new American white oak barrels with a level three, out of four, char. The more time the liquid spends in the barrels, the more flavors and colors are pulled from the wood.
Josh Medeiros, the general manager of Rail Stop Restaurant & Bar, explains, “If you think about it, most spirits are clear right after distillation; it is the aging in barrels that give whiskey and other spirits its color and flavor.” The cocktails are aged solera style for approximately two months. Solera is a process for aging liquids by fractional blending that is more labor-intensive but creates a reliable style and beverage quality over time.
After aging the cocktails for two months, the flavor profile is enhanced, and the cocktails are transferred into “cheater” bottles behind the bar. There are currently five Barrel Aged Cocktails on the menu, each priced at $12, but the Rail Stop team isn’t done yet. The cocktail mixologists lead by Eli Shapiro, hope to have their entire barrel wall full of a variety of cocktails by next season.
Rail Stop is open Sunday-Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Thursday-Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. The bar is open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to midnight. For more information or to make a reservation, please call 617-254-0044 or visit railstopboston.com.
MENU :
BOULEVARDIER
Maker’s Mark, Campari, Punt E Mes
MANHATTAN
Eagle Rare, Antica Formula, La Quintinye, Gran Classico
NEGRONI
Bombay Dry, Alessio Vermouth Rosso, Peychaud’s Aperitivo
RUSTY NAIL
Dewar’s White Label, Drambuie, House Cardamom Bitters
VIEUX CARRE
Woodford Rye, Pierre Ferrand Ambre, Cynar, Benedictine,
House Plum, Angostura, Peychaud’s Bitter
Rail Stop Restaurant & Bar, 96 Guest St., Boston