Archive for the ‘rye’ tag
The Manhattanite
The Manhattan is a sexy supper club cocktail. I always imagine it being served in low-lit, wood paneled bars behind heavy, green velvet curtains. The kind of place where poets and debutants sip chilled cocktails straight up while a heartbreaking jazz singer croons on stage alone.
The Manhattan was created in the 1870’s at the request of Lady Randolph Churchill (Winston’s mom). Apparently, she needed a new libation for a very fancy shindig. As the legend goes, guests enjoyed it so much they took to ordering it around town by name dubbing it the Manhattan, in honor of the nightclub in which it was born.
Recently, I came across Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey. Produced by Tuthilltown Spirits, it’s specifically tailored for use in (surprise, surprise) a Manhattan cocktail. Hudson is the first whiskey (legally) distilled in New York’s Hudson Valley since prohibition. Their whiskey is pot-distilled in small batches (which means heat is applied directly to the still’s pot to warm the mash), and each beautifully rounded bottle is hand marked with a year, batch, and bottle number.
Thought a romantic cocktail, the Manhattan is a pretty stiff drink. Using Tuthilltowns’s warm and flavorful new Manhattan rye, I worked on a version for those who might be intimidated by a big glass of whiskey. Keeping my recipe as succinct as the original, I replaced the vermouth’s sweetness with St. Germaine’s Elderflower liqueur, matched the brightness of the whiskey with orange bitters, and garnished the finished cocktail with a maraschino cherry. (Because some things are sacred.)
I call my version “The Manhattanite”. A cocktail that resides on the Upper East Side, but buys all of its shoes in Paris.
Here’s the recipe:
The Manhattanite
2 oz American whiskey, such as Hudson Manhattan Rye
¼ oz Orange Bitters
1 oz St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur
Pour all the ingredients in a Boston shaker. Add ice, and shake until cold. Strain into a chilled martini glass, or pour entire contents of shaker into a rocks glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
