the Manhattan Cocktail

The Manhattan is my all time favorite cocktail. It is beautiful, simple, clean and dignified, a bit mysterious, this fair libation, has held my eye for many years. The dark rich colors served "up" in a fine cocktail glass make me think of a more sophisticated time. I've consumed countless concoctions that go by the name "Manhattan" in my search for the perfect drink. Any bar anywhere in the world will be sure to have it as an offering. However most establishments produce poorly constructed illusions of a real Manhattan. Many a time I have wanted to beat a server half to death for even daring to put such fakes in front of me, let alone charging for it. What is most frustrating of all is the simple fact that this drink is so easy to make, I am baffled that anyone could screw it up, but they do, time and time again. After many years of fruitless attempts to find an establishment that can actually make a decent Manhattan, I was truthfully on the brink of giving up.

That is until I happened to step into a very beautiful and storied tavern in Bristol, Rhode Island, named the DeWolf.



DeWolf Tavern Bristol Rhode Island.

This tavern has an exceptional serving staff, that know not only how to craft a cocktail but  also understand the qualities of the various spirits they offer. When I sidled up to that fine bar and ordered a "Classic Manhattan" the barman didn't bat an eye and only asked if I had a preferred Rye Whiskey? For those of you who understand how rare a thing this is you can appreciate my high praise and joy at finding this place. My drink came  perfectly proportioned, chilled and mixed. Alas I had found my Holy Grail there in the seaside village of Bristol, and to this day, I find myself longing to return to it whenever I find myself south of Boston.

But as you know, I live in the backwoods of Maine, well not the backwoods really, as I do have neighbors, that, for the most part, have managed to marry outside of their immediate families. So not so rustic as to be eating road kill and "what not", but its still pretty far away from the cocktail culture of my youth New York City. Therefore, it is more the rule than the exception that I have to mix my own libations if I desire something refined as this old classic.

So here is my recipe for the Classic Manhattan inspired by the wonderful staff of the DeWolf Tavern.

Clear and pretty, stirred correctly.

Ingredients:
2 oz. Rye Whiskey
1 oz. Sweet Vermouth (red)
2 dashes of bitters
1 Maraschino cherry (garnish)

Method:
Start by filling up a martini/cocktail glass with ice to "chill" the glass, always do this first. Next fill a mixing glass about half way with clean, clear, cubed ice. Add your whiskey, vermouth, then bitters. Stir slowly until the drink is chilled thoroughly. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and serve with a maraschino cherry dropped in as garnish.


Notes: The use of clean cubed ice is vital for the stirring process. When stirring any cocktail such as this try to use your bar spoon to simply move the ice around in the glass without cracking or breaking the cubes. It takes some practice but if you can stir a drink without making any noise the end result will be a much cleaner and clearer product. You can substitute Bourbon for the whiskey if you desire it, if you do I suggest using orange bitters instead of Angostura. Another tip is to chill your vermouth in the refrigerator a couple of hours before mixing with it. For some reason cold vermouth is better than room temperature, or so my guests have mentioned.

Scandalous Rocks. Actually looks good to me.

There are lots of variations on this old drink all of which claim to be called a Manhattan, but the true Manhattan is made with rye period. Recently I have seen these served "on the rocks" which somehow seems scandalous to me and others with lemon twists added for garnish. I am sure the lemon oils help make this strong drink more palatable to some of our more gentle, and timid, populace, however, I'm quite certain this addition, changes the name.

For a refined, dignified, and socially acceptable, before dinner aperitif you cannot go wrong by mixing a few of these up for your guests.

Cheers
AL