INGREDIENTS

SMOKED WALNUT-INFUSED BOURBON

1 bottle Roses Single Barrel Bourbon

2 pounds California walnuts, halved

Cedar wood chips

SMOKED WALNUT MANHATTAN

8 ounces Smoked Walnut-Infused Bourbon

1 ounce Amaro Sibilla

1 ounce Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur

6 dashes Bittermen's Mole Bitters

12 California walnuts, bourbon-soaked, as garnish

1 cup ice cubes

¼ cup ice, cracked

4 lemon peel strips, expressed

DIRECTIONS

1-Soak wood chips in water to moisten. Place in a large hotel pan and set on a grill over high heat until they begin to smoke.

2-Place walnuts in a perforated hotel pan. Cover and set over wood chips. Allow to smoke for 10 minutes or until a nice, even smoke flavor has penetrated the nuts. Remove and let cool.

3-Combine smoked nuts and bourbon in a large glass bowl or jar. Cover tightly and let infuse for at least one month. Strain off walnuts using a fine strainer to remove any small bits, reserving some walnuts for garnish.

4-Place walnut infused bourbon, amaro, liqueur and bitters in a pitcher. Add ice and stir 50 to 60 turns until well chilled and properly diluted.

5-Place four whole soaked walnuts in the bottom of four chilled coupe glasses. Thread 8 walnuts onto 4 short skewer.

6-Strain cocktail into glasses. Express lemon oil and wipe the rim of each glass with lemon peel; discard peel. Garnish each with a walnut skewer.

Created By Nicholas Ciccone - Executive Chef

http://www.walnuts.org/cooking-with-walnuts/recipes/walnuts-take-manhattan/