Charbay Master Distiller Marko with the R5

Let’s play word association: Napa Valley. You thought of wine, right? I thought so. Between Charbay Winery & Distillery and The Perfect Puree, you might want to also associate Napa Valley with the makings for some seriously inventive (and delicious) cocktails. We had the chance to sit down with them to taste through what happens when Charbay’s newest releases meet with The Perfect Puree’s new seasonal concoctions.

Our favorite concoction of the bunch was the Spring Mountain Sour. We start with Charbay’s new Racer 5 aged whiskey, a whiskey that’s wine country to its core, from the beer that it’s distilled from, to the Napa Valley chardonnay barrels it’s aged in. It’s bright, bold. . .  and it doesn’t hurt that it’s been made from one of our favorite IPAs. Perfect Puree’s new Chipotle Sour is a fantastic contrast to the sweetness of the whiskey, with smoke and spice coming from chipotle peppers and mesquite. Shake up a bunch of these at your next barbecue. The smokiness is going to pair well with anything having a bit of grill flavor.

Spring Mountain Sour

•  2 oz Charbay R5 Aged Whiskey
• .5 oz Marie Brizard Creme cacao
• .75 oz Perfect Puree Chipotle Sour
• .5 oz Egg white
• Green chartreuse
• Peychaud’s bitters

Start by rinsing a large coupe glass with green chartreuse. Put the whiskey, creme cacao, chipotle sour, and egg white into a cocktail shaker and dry shake (no ice) well. This step is important for introducing enough air into egg white cocktails. Add ice to the shaker, and shake again. Strain into your rinsed glass and garnish with three drops Peychaud’s.