The Manhattan is one of the archetypal classic cocktails and it is here we begin the bibulo.us journey.
It is basically some whiskey, usually less sweet vermouth, plus a dash of some kind of bitters. Traditionally it is made with rye, the spiciness of which plays nicely with the flavors of the vermouth. It originated in New York, probably in the 1870s, but beyond that there is disagreement over its precise origin.
The personal experience of the bibulo.us authors is to recommend Carpano Antica Formula as the vermouth most suited to the drink.
Recipes:
1884 How To Mix Drinks - Bar Keeper's Handbook [by George Winter?] (cited by Wondrich 2007)
2 or 3 dashes of Peruvian Bitters
1 to 2 dashes (.5 tsp) of gum syrup
One-half wine glass (1.5 oz) of whiskey
One-half wine glass (1.5 oz) of vermouth
(no garnish mentioned)
1892 The Flowing Bowl by William "The Only William" Schmidt (cited by Wondrich 2007)
Half a tumblerful of cracked ice
2 dashes (.5 tsp) of gum
2 dashes of bitters
1 dash of absinthe
2/3 drink (2 oz) of whiskey
1/3 drink (1 oz) of vino vermouth
(a little (1/4 tsp) marschino may be added)
1895 Modern American Drinks by George J. Kappeler
Fill mixing glass half-full fine ice
2 dashes gum syrup
2 dashes Peyschaud [sic] or Angostura bitters
1 half jigger Italian vermouth
1 half jigger whiskey
Mix, strain into cocktail glass
Garnish with piece of lemon peel or a cherry
Dry version: without syrup or cherry.
Extra dry version: dry version with French vermouth instead of Italian
1907 The World's Drinks and How To Mix Them by William "Cocktail" Boothby
2 dashes of orange bitters
2 drops of Angostura bitters
1/2 jiggerful of Italian vermouth
1/2 jiggerful of bourbon whiskey
Stir, strain and twist & squeeze a lemon peel over the top.
A variant with a faint touch of Curacao apparently was all the rage among the science community in the early 20th century:
1910 The Scientific American Cyclopedia of Formulas Partly Based Upon the 28th Ed. of Scientific American Cyclopedia of Receipts, Notes and Queries by Albert Allis Hopkins
Vermouth wineglassful
whisky wineglassful
simple syrup 30 drops
Angostura bitters 10 drops
Curacoa 6 drops
a little shaved ice
lemon peel 1 small strip
Put all the ingredients except the lemon rind into a large tumbler
cover the top closely shake well and strain into a wineglass
Place the strip of lemon peel on the top and serve.
1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock
2 dashes curacao or maraschino
1 pony rye whisky
1 wineglass vermouth (mixed)
3 dashes Angostura bitters
2 small lumps of ice
Shake, strain, garnish with one quarter slice of lemon.
or
1 dash Angostura bitters
2/3 Canadian Club whisky
1/3 Ballor Italian vermouth
Shake, strain, garnish with cherry.
or
Sweet version: equal parts Italian vermouth and rye whisky, no garnish.
Dry version: half rye whisky, 1/4 each French & Italian vermouth.
1933 The American Bar Guide by R.C. Miller (2nd edition)
1/2 wine glass whiskey
1/2 wine glass vermouth
2 dashes bitters
3 dashes gum syrup
Strain in cocktail glass.
1935 The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book by Albert Stevens Crockett
Dash of orange bitters
One-half Italian vermouth
One-half rye whiskey (stir)
Serve with maraschino cherry
or
2 dashes orange bitters
2 pinches sugar
One-half Italian vermouth
One-half Irish whiskey
1946 The Stork Club Bar Book by Lucius Beebe
2/3 oz rye whisky
1/3 oz Italian vermouth
Decorate with maraschino cherry, stir, and serve.
1998 Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century by Paul Harrington
2 oz rye
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1 to 2 dashes Angostura bitters (optional)
Stir, strain, garnish with maraschino cherry.
2002 Esquire Drinks by David Wondrich
Stir well with cracked ice
2 oz good rye
1 oz Italian vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters or orange bitters
Strain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with [lemon] twist or maraschino cherry.
2006 The Art of the Bar by Jeff Hollinger & Rob Schwartz
"Uptown" Manhattan
2 oz bourbon (preferably Maker's Mark)
1 oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
Dash of Angostura bitters
Dash of orange bitters
3 brandied cherries for garnish
Orange twist for garnish
Robert Hess' The Cocktail Spirit video demonstration
Steve & Paul's Cocktail Buzz episode pairing the drink with bacon-wrapped dates
Chris Doig's Brilliant Cocktails video demonstration
Other useful references:
History & recipe variants in Imbibe! by David Wondrich, pages 236-243
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