Jefferson's Experiment, Big Easy Canary Wharf

You will see quite a few mini oak barrels sitting on bar tops right now. But what actually is a barrel-aged cocktail, and where do you find them?

Dry January is over, and now one of London’s most inventive new cocktails is waking up from its 45-day sleep. That’s how long it’s been resting, so that its flavours harmonise into a subtle and utterly alluring mix. The new Big Easy at Canary Wharf is serving its original creation until the end of February, or until it runs out. Head bartender Jess Cheeseman so impressed flavour judges with the first batch of his ‘Jefferson’s Experiment’, that he has now prepared a new batch which has been maturing since December in a small American oak barrel.

Now is the chance to taste this liquid alchemy. His cocktail skilfully mixes bourbon with citrus and sour flavours, agave, a hint of apricot brandy and dry vermouth. Barrel ageing presents the challenge of matching a bartender’s confidence with experimentation and patience. Only the bartender tastes at regular stages during the prep period to see how it’s evolving. Success is assessed when the cocktail is finally drawn from the barrel – a nervous moment.

You can enjoy a free taster cocktail if you whisper 'Mr Jefferson' to the bartender. Sip it to a sound track of loungy Blues.