I can see it now, the stack of letters, stating how dare I change a classic with something unheard of. What would that mean to the mixologist? Well, let’s take this experience one step further.
The answer is quite simple. It’s about marketing. If your cocktail list only shows one or two specialty cocktails like a Manhattan, then it is boring. Why not try to change things up a bit? Couldn’t hurt, to flex your bar educational muscles, even a little bit? Read up on my friend, the late Gaz Regan. Why not? You could always go back to the way things were, or in the present state, are now. And that’s pretty mundane, isn’t it? Sure, it is.
The Manhattan Cocktail. First of all, if you are making this venerable drink with bourbon, it is wrong. The recipe calls for rye. And you should be using a decent rye. I recommend one that is bottled in bond and one hundred proof, no less. You should be refrigerating your vermouth and if not, throw out whatever you have now and get another bottle, stat. Vermouth may be fortified wine, but it is certainly not given a lifespan of more than a week or so out of the cold box. Refrigerate your vermouth always! If you’re storing on top of the reach-in, you fail!
Most drinkers of a Manhattan are accustomed to the typical Angostura Bitters in their Manhattan’s. That’s fine for the classic, but not for my drinks. There are dozens of different varieties of bitters on the market, so choose accordingly.
I’m particularly fond of a line of bitters, by the recently late Joe Fee. Fee Brothers, along with Angostura Bitters and Peychaud’s Bitters date back to the 19th century. They are authentic and bold in your cocktails. And no, they don’t need to be refrigerated, not like that ancient bottle of vermouth lurking in your speed-rack. Didn’t I tell you to throw that puppy out? Sure, I did.
Joe Fee made bitters exciting again with a wide range of intense flavors like lime, Mexican Mole’, cucumber, mint, lemon, whiskey barrel, and many, many more. The fun thing about bitters are the way they change up the classics, like the Manhattan Cocktail!
If you need help sourcing bitters, ask your liquor distributor, they should be able to help. Otherwise, there is that thing called the internet. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?
Manhattan – The Classic (Rather Dry and Boring…)
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Rye Whiskey- I use Straight Rye-Bottled in Bond. 100 Proof is essential. Straight Rye is 51% Rye and is aged in New American Oak for two years. Anything else is NOT Straight. Just like in Bourbon there are specific rules, but that’s another story.
- .25 oz. Sweet Vermouth- I use Dolin from France. It has a lighter profile than something like Carpano Antica from Italy. Carpano tends to overpower the delicate and aromatic rye. Dolin is sophisticated and almost refreshing across the tongue.
- 2-3 shakes Angostura Bitters or Fee Brothers Aromatic Bitters- Did you know that Angostura was invented for the alleviation of the symptoms pertaining to dysentery? It also works really well for seasickness and for, dare I say- hangovers? Not that anyone has ever had a hangover!
- 1 Luxardo cherry- is there really any other kind- unless you make your own…
Preparation:
- Fill a cocktail vessel with ice by ¾
- Add the rye whiskey
- Stir lightly
- Add the vermouth
- Stir lightly with a ceremonial mixing spoon … Stir slowly just to cool, not to drench!
- Strain into a chilled Martini glass
- Dot with Angostura, place cured cherry into the glass and serve
Chartreuse Frappe’ Manhattan
Imagine your classic Manhattan with a slapped mint leaf and an almost equal portion of Chartreuse and Dry Vermouth? Sure, you can.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Bottled in Bond Rye
- 1 oz. Chartreuse- I recommend the yellow- a touch sweeter
- .5 oz. Dry Vermouth- Dolin works
- Luxardo Cherry
- Fee Brothers Mint Bitters
- Mint leaf (slapped, just before serving)
Preparation:
- To a mixing vessel, fill ¾ with ice
- Add the Chartreuse and the Rye
- Stir lightly
- Add the dry Vermouth
- Stir again
- Strain into a chilled Martini glass filled with crushed ice (frappe’)
- Dot with the Fee Brothers Mint Bitters
- Slap a mint leaf and garnish
- Gently slide in the Luxardo cherry and serve with a quizzical smile
The next Manhattan-eques cocktail is one that could only come from a truly twisted set of principles. That means there really might not be any reason why this drink is so well balanced. It just works because of the sum of the parts. I believe in the utter seasonality of cocktails, just as I did when I cooked for a living back in the 1980’s. (Yes, I cooked professionally for a while.)
The time of year for citrus is now and what better way to personify the Manhattan Cocktail is to caramelize some tiny chunks of orange that have been drenched in both Fee Brothers Aromatic Bitters, and the juice from some Luxardo cherries. Slowly roast the nuggets until the oranges are nicely done- about an hour and a half- at 300 degrees.
Let these little morsels cool and then add a healthy portion of rye whiskey over the top to “preserve” the chunks of caramelized orange.
Manhattan-equse Cocktail
Sure, this resembles an Old-Fashioned. But it’s not.
Ingredients:
- 3 oz. Rye Whiskey- Bottled in Bond
- .5 oz. Sweet Vermouth
- 1 Orange nugget
- 1 Luxardo Cherry
- 2 shakes of Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Bitters
Preparation:
- Build the Manhattan per above
- Pour into a chilled Martini glass
- Add the caramelized orange nugget and the Luxardo Cherry
- Shake the Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Bitters over the top and serve…
