Barrell Craft Spirits announced the release of its New Year 2023 Cask Strength Bourbon, a blended whiskey made with bourbon from eight different states.

This year’s release in the annual series is a blend of 5-, 6-, 7-, 8- and 10-year-old bourbons distilled in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Wyoming, New York, Texas and Maryland. The bourbon, which is aged in American oak barrels, was bottled at 113.54 proof.

For the fifth year, Louisville-based Barrel Craft Spirits has made a New Year blend to toast to the coming year. In addition, Karla Green, creative director at Watch Hill Proper in Prospect, Ky., shared a recipe for a Sidecar cocktail made with Barrell’s New Year 2023 Bourbon instead of the traditional brandy.

● ½ ounce Chinese 5-spice apple cider syrup (recipe below)
● ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
● ¼ ounce dry curaçao
● ¾ ounce Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023
● 1 ½ ounce Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine
● Fresh fennel and dehydrated lemon medal, for garnish

Add apple cider syrup, lemon juice, dry curaçao, and Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023 to a shaker filled with ice. Shake quickly but firmly to meld flavors while avoiding over-dilution. Double strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass or coupe, then top with sparkling wine and garnish with fresh fennel and dehydrated lemon medal.

Chinese 5-spice Apple Cider Syrup
● 1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
● 1 ounce fresh pulp-free lemon juice (strained using a fine-mesh strainer)
● 1 cup organic apple juice
● 1 cup locally produced cider
● 2 cups granulated white sugar
 
Heat apple juice and cider in a medium saucepan to approximately 180 degrees, being careful not to boil. Add spice and sugar, then stir until sugar is dissolved. Transfer syrup into a clear, non-reactive container, such as a mason jar. When cooled, add lemon juice. Store in refrigerator.

For more information, visit barrellbourbon.com.