Forty 1⁰ North's Old-Fashioned Cocktail List
Welcome to our "signature" series where we focus on a hotel's signature dish and/or cocktail. In the same way that cities and towns have local specialties to try, hotels develop signature items that guests shouldn't miss — whether it's a popular room service dish they've perfected, a cocktail named after the hotel's longtime bartender, or a seasonal specialty that repeat guests always look forward to. These are the things that they love to serve, and that you'll really consider going back for.
There is no end to the myriad ways we can remember drinking traditions of years past. Prohibition era-inspired speakeasies are open across the country, everyone now knows what bitters are, and mixology is reaching full tilt. Now, Rhode Island's chic Forty 1⁰ North hotel is throwing its hat in the ring, with a unique new cocktail list paying homage to spirits past featuring cocktails like the Virginia Company Punch (named after the company that first owned the Bahamas) and the Duke of York (a cocktail using Crown Royal which was produced as a tribute to the royal visit to Canada in 1939).
The hotel is paying as much homage to the booze itself as to the great stories and production that goes into making the drinks. One of the most popular of the new "old-fashioned" drinks is the Tom McCarthy. It is made with Wild Turkey Rye, cynar, maraschino, and muddled orange and is so named for the distillery executive Tom McCarthy. The story goes that he took samples of a new product from the distillery on a turkey hunting trip with friends. They all loved the liquor so much that they called him and asked for "more of that wild turkey whiskey!" Likewise, the General William is made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, apple liquor, Cointreau, Chambord, orange juice, and soda. It is named after General William Woodford, who fought at Valley Forge and who Woodford County, Ky., is named after.
Beyond all this, Forty 1⁰ North is also offering two different whiskey flights highlighting two ages of whiskey from various producers. The 12-year-old flight features Chivas, Macallan, and The Glenlivet; the 18-year-old flight showcases Johnnie Walker Gold, Macallan, and The Glenlivet. Perhaps the best part of all this is that the bar is open to guests and non-guests alike — so here's mud in your eye!