Drink of the Week: Ancho Reyes Barrica Chile Ancho Liqueur

Like a chef in the kitchen with a new ingredient, bartenders take no small amount of delight in experimenting with a new cocktail component. The Ancho Reyes chile liqueurs (both the original Ancho Chile, released in 2012, and the Verde in 2016) have become industry favorites for crafting complex drinks, as our own recipe gallery can attest. But brands like to experiment as well, and in November the Ancho Reyes Barrica Chile Ancho Liqueur hit shelves as the first barrel-aged expression of the original product.

A new permanent addition to the brand lineup, the Ancho Reyes Barrica still carries the familiar spicy-sweet notes of the sun-dried ancho chiles that flavor the liqueur. However, the barrica spends two years in American white oak barrels that previously held bourbon. The aging serves to heighten the liqueur’s earthier, subtly smoky qualities while adding a complementary note of vanilla. Delightfully rich and complex, the Ancho Reyes Barrica could easily be sipped on its own for a little something sweet after dinner. But we know you’re going to experiment anyway, so try it splashed into an Old Fashioned or add extra heat to spicy rye whiskey in a Manhattan riff. $59.99, klwines.com