I am fortunate, as a member of the Mobilisk/MixMentor team, to be able to attend the ‘Manhattan Cocktail Classic’ held from May 17-21. First up I will be in attendance at ‘The Gala’, held in the New York City library on the 17th, followed by the ‘Epicurean tour of Chinatown with Bombay Sapphire East’ plus a ton of Industry Invitational events (gotta say yet again, this part of my job rocks!). That however is all that I’m going to say about it, as I promise a full report with lots of cool pics in my next post!!
To celebrate my upcoming escapade, I decided to focus this post on the famed Manhattan cocktail. I didn’t want to just stop at the original recipes though, instead I wanted to offer you some other options. Even if you’re not a huge fan of the Manhattan, you never know, you might actually like one of the twists. At the very least, you absolutely have to watch the mixologist/co-owner of Barchef in Toronto, Canada, Frankie Solarik making his famous Hickory Smoked Manhattan in the video link below (with a simple, still slightly smoky and significantly cheaper option that I concocted). Enjoy!
Classics: from Burke’s Complete Cocktail and Tastybite Recipes (copyright 1936)
Dry Manhattan
2 ounces Rye or Irish Whiskey
1 ounce Italian Vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Ice.
–Stir. Strain and serve in a glass with a cherry and add a Lemon Twist.
Sweet Manhattan
2 ounces Rye or Irish Whiskey
1 ounce Italian Vermouth
1 ounce French Vermouth
2 dashes Gum Syrup
Ice.
–Stir. Strain and serve in a glass with a cherry and add a Lemon Twist.
Notes: Italian Vermouth = ‘sweet vermouth’, French Vermouth = ‘dry vermouth’, Gum Syrup can be replaced with ‘simple syrup’
Twists:
Hickory Smoked Manhattan: http://m1.wholesite.com/2011/12/12/5e20b322-b953-9914-910b-8ea0a52db82f/360P-DRINKS_EPS67_HolidaySmokedManhattan.mp4
Easy ‘Slightly Smoked’ Manhattan
2 oz. ‘smoked tea’ rye**
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
maraschino cherry
Add liquid ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir (7 times each way) and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry.
** For smoked tea rye:
– 1 tsp loose lapsang souchong tea (can purchase via ebay or amazon)
– 1 cup rye (Canadian Whisky)
Method: Place rye and tea in a jar together, close lid and shake well. Let sit for at least four hours, no more than eight or it could become bitter. Place a coffee filter inside a funnel and pour the rye through it to strain out the tea. (Alternatively, you could simply use a tea ball to hold the tea leaves.) The rye is now ready to use.
Maple Manhattan
2 oz. rye
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
1 tsp. good quality maple syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
maraschino cherry
Add liquid ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry.
Jerry Thomas Manhattan
1 oz. rye
2 oz. sweet vermouth
2 dashes Aromatic Bitters
2 dashes maraschino liqueur (e.g. Luxardo)
2 dashes absinthe
maraschino cherry
Add liquid ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir (7 times each way) and strain into a cocktail glass or coupe. Garnish with the cherry.
Next up on mixmentor.net: Recipes, pics, info, lots and lots o’ stuff, from my trip to the Manhattan Cocktail Classic!