There is nothing hotter in the whiskey world at the moment than barrel-proof offerings. That means liquid that comes straight from a well-aged barrel, isn't cut by any water, and generally isn't even filtered before bottling. These bourbons and ryes are of a higher proof—usually in the 135 range—and are absolutely packed with flavor. There's truly no way to taste more of the bourbon barrel.

Or is there?

Zachary Davis, beverage director for the Philadelphia-based MJS Restaurants, has come up with something truly remarkable. He has figured out how, for perhaps the first time ever, to literally drink the entire bourbon barrel—liquid, wood, char, and all.

"My initial idea for the cocktail came from seeing plank-smoked cocktails," Davis tells me. He is referring to a recent trend in the cocktail world—lighting something on fire, then using the resulting smoke to "season" an empty glass before adding the cocktail.

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One of my favorite cocktail bars, Seattle's Canon, might very well have popularized this trend. Canon's much-admired Campfire in Georgia is made by burning dehydrated French oak chips under a glass cloche. They have another, the Khaleesi, that is poured from a smoking glass skull.

"In loving this technique and the final products it produces, I wanted to pursue a similar angle but make it my own," Davis explains. "A surprisingly obvious idea came to mind—why not use the wood that the main ingredient was actually aged in?"

Fooling around on the Internet, Davis managed to obtain some used bourbon barrel staves from an online vendor he found on, believe it or not, Etsy. He quickly started testing recipes at Sampan, MJS's Pan-Asian restaurant in Midtown Village. He chopped the staves into little pieces of kindling and began making tiny campfires using seasonal spices.

"Aromatics to me can and should be one of the most enjoyable parts of drinking a great cocktail," he explains, which is one reason he ultimately opted for an addition of cloves and cracked cinnamon sticks. Those spices go atop the charred oak barrel kindling before he lights it on fire with a Sterno blowtorch. Immediately, a warming, autumn-by-the-fireplace scent permeates the entire room. If customers haven't already turned their heads to see the massive flame wielded by a bartender in a snazzy suit, the smoldering aroma now certainly catches their attention.

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"The scent immediately makes you want to grab a glass of bourbon and sip away!" Davis tells me.

Davis takes a bulbous tulip glass and covers the fire, allowing the resulting thick, aromatic cloud to coat its insides. While that occurs, he builds his cocktail, a Perfect Manhattan variant, made with both Bulleit bourbon and rye whiskey, Lillet Blanc and Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth, and Angostura and Fee Brothers orange bitters.

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I've never quite drank anything like it. Sure, the base cocktail would be tasty all on its own, but the added aromatics are so strong they create an additional level of complexity and intrigue. Not only does the drink smell great—like a Yankee Candle you wouldn't be embarrassed to own—but every sip has a rich, lavish smokiness to it. If you could throw a bourbon barrel into a Vitamix and then drink it, it might very well taste like this.

"Not only does the technique help to stimulate all your senses," Davis explains, "but it creates a truly memorable drinking experience."

Of course, a large restaurant can't expect some old lady on Etsy to be its full-time barrel supplier, so Davis is currently in discussions with actual whiskey distilleries about obtaining their used staves so he can utilize them in concert with the distillery's same spirits in his cocktail.

Unfortunately, you can't try this cocktail just yet. Named the Double Knot, it will become the signature drink at MJS's newest bar—also called the Double Knot—when it opens next month.

I hope the fire marshall has been alerted.

Aaron Goldfarb Aaron Goldfarb lives in Brooklyn and is a novelist and the author of 'Hacking Whiskey.'

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