Manhattan
The oldest and most original definition of a “cocktail” is simply spirit, sugar, water, and bitters. Today there are any number of leather aproned, handlebar mustachioed "mixologists" using fanciful techniques borrowed from the world of molecular gastronomy to create concoctions with smoked celery bitters, bacon-infused vodka, and garnished with pickled yuzu slices. But the classic cocktail is something that will always be best in its simplest form.
The only cocktail I care about is the Manhattan. No, I don’t care about the martini, or its flashy Italian cousin, the Negroni. I mean, I like them, I just don’t “care” about them. Just the Manhattan.
Because I CARE so deeply, I also take it personally when people try to tell me how to make one, what THEIR particular recipe is, or what new spin/take on it they’ve discovered. And as much as I believe in a, “there’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s” sort of mentality, my particular recipe which I will detail below is the only one you should make.
Before making a manhattan, remember that the ingredients here are very simple. That means good execution is critical. Great ingredients with lousy execution make for a terrible cocktail every time.
THE MAKE
INGREDIENTS
2/3 part (2oz.) Whiskey (rye is good, bourbon is fine, Canadian is acceptable)
1/3 part(1oz.) Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica if you’re feeling fancy, Dolin for everyday)
3-dashes Angostura Bitters
Luxardo maraschino cherries (non negotiable. Don’ t make your own, don’t use anything “artisanal.”)
Medium Cubed Ice *
* I list ice as an ingredient because it has an effect on the flavor of the drink. Seriously. Consider that the ice does double duty in a cocktail: it chills the liquids and adds a touch of water during mixing through melt off. I usually have a tray of ice cubes made with bottled water that I keep bagged separate in my freezer, to be used specifically for making cocktails. I’m not saying it’s absolutely necessary, but it requires minimal extra work and makes me feel good. So there.
INSTRUCTIONS
1.) Pour ALL liquid ingredients into a mixing container, (preferably a cut glass cocktail pitcher but a metal shaker is fine. But don’t shake. Seriously don’t shake).
2.) Add ice. (Don’t pour the liquid ingredients over the ice, add the ice after. Trust me. Afraid of splashing? Grow up.)
3.) Let sit for 10 seconds. THIS IS INTEGRAL.
4.) STIR.*
Use a proper cocktail stirrer, and stir gently, or briskly as you prefer, for somewhere around 30-45 seconds. The best technique here is to run the stirrer around the inside of the pitcher so the ice “moves around” the glass along with the stirrer. Essentially it should feel like you’re moving a mass of ice cubes centrifugally around the pitcher and doing it this way chills the cocktail VERY quickly with minimal “melt” from the ice. But again, please don’t shake. Seriously don’t fucking shake. Shaking is for cocktails whose ingredients need vigorous mixing and adds slush and air and too much water to the mix. A manhattan’s components should come together like an old love story. A slushy, frothy manhattan is a sin.
*Although, if I saw a “Slushy Manhattan” at a convenience store I’d probably try it just to say I did.
5.) Strain and pour. Serve up in a coupe or cocktail glass, although a tumbler/old fashioned glass is fine.
6.) Garnish with Luxardo Maraschino cherry, or nothing at all. (Oh you think the cherries you brandied at home or bought at some craft cocktail place are better? Fuck you.)
Sip. Enjoy. Make another. But never more than two. Good cocktails are like the Olsen Twins, one isn’t enough but 3 is too many.
- M