My Old Faithful
/The Manhattan cocktail.
Whether you love Chardonnay, Grey Goose on the rocks with a twist or the latest great craft beer, we all have our favorite drinks. The Manhattan cocktail is mine.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many other cocktails that I love, both modern and classic, but the Manhattan has a special place in my heart. It was the first cocktail I ever ordered (legally) at a bar and it happened to be in the great city of Manhattan. Granted it was made by a sleep-deprived bartender, who put a hefty half-ounce of cherry juice in it and served it over rocks (ice), but hey, it was delicious for the time and place.
I would be even willing to bet that this cocktail is my wife's favorite as well. Whenever we have one together, our first few sips are in silence and admiration for the simplicity and elegance of this cocktail, which is only comparable to the Martini. Our first words uttered to each other are usually, "god damn, that is good".
The history of this cocktail is a bit cloudy. The cocktail itself dates back to at least the 1860's in New York. Some scholars maintain it was created at the famed Manhattan Club in the early 1870's at a banquet held by Winston Churchill's mother, Jennie. It's a cute story, but I would be hesitant to bet that this is the first time a bartender concocted this immensely straightforward cocktail recipe. The Manhattan was typically made with rye whiskey, as it was the most prevalent whiskey of the day, but with Prohibition came the very unfortunate near extinction of rye whiskey.
During Prohibition the Manhattan became popular again, but was mostly made with Canadian whiskey, which is also made with rye and was imported illegally into the country from our neighbors above. After Prohibition, bourbon was the predominant whiskey of the land and replaced rye whiskey in Manhattan's. It wasn't until our recent cocktail revolution that rye whiskey was resurrected and made available again.
Today, you can find rye whiskey at almost any liquor store. Perhaps it was this very cocktail, my 'Old Faithful' as I refer to it, that got me interested in cocktails and their history in the first place...certainly seems like it.
Traditional recipe:
2 oz American whiskey (originally made with rye, but bourbon is often substituted)
1 oz vermouth (Italian or sweet style)
2 dashes bitters (Angostura or some type of aromatic style)
brandied cherry for garnish
A simple way to remember the proportions is 2-1-2, Manhattan's famous area code.
My Manhattan recipe:
2.5 oz rye whiskey (preferably 100 proof, I recommend Rittenhouse rye)
.75 oz sweet vermouth (I recommend Carpano Antica)
2 dashes aromatic bitters (such as Angostura)
1 dash orange bitters
1 drop salt tincture (1:1 salt to water)
Garnish: orange peel and Maraschino cherry
In a mixing glass, add your rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters, add ice and stir. Once properly diluted, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel, not a cherry. The citrus component adds another layer of complexity and compliments the whiskey perfectly. Tasting the expressed citrus oil first then getting a smack of the oak barrel from the whiskey is the perfect first sip. Then gradually comes the sweet herbal notes from the vermouth, the bitterness from the bitters and the flavors of the whiskey. - you'll taste caramel, vanilla, chocolate, black pepper and finally the wood of the barrel the whiskey aged so patiently in.
I like my Manhattan’s bitter and strong. This drink is meant to be savored slowly, it's not a cold glass of water on a hot summer day. Enjoy it with someone special or have it by yourself. It's the quintessential drink to sip while in deep thought or simply trying to relax.
Here is a great informational video of cocktail historian David Wondrich making a classic Manhattan.
Substitutions:
Rye whiskey: Bourbon whiskey with a high rye content works very well (Bulleit, Four Roses Single Barrel, Redemption, Old Grand Dad, etc.). Canadian whisky can also be used in a pinch.
Sweet vermouth: Any of your standard sweet vermouth's will do. You can also use Punt e Mes, if you want more of a subtle bitter taste.
Bitters: You have the microphone here. Use whatever you like, but be sure to include some sort of aromatic style (like Angostura or even Peychaud's). I use Woodford Reserved Spiced Cherry bitters often.
