Friday, January 25, 2008
Weekend Imbibing: The Manhattan
Posted by Josh in cloverfield, Manhattan, Weekend Imbibing
In honor of the #1 movie in the country depicting its destruction by a *spoiler* Giant Fucking Starfish. This week’s featured cocktail is the Manhattan. The Manhattan has been called the king of cocktails and it is everything a classic cocktail should be, simple, delicious, and sophisticated. This is a stronger cocktail, maybe not the best thing to try if your cocktail experience is limited to a Rum and Coke in a solo cup, but it is a great way to start branching out into pure alcohol cocktails. Additionally, it is a great way to stand out from a bunch of shmucks clustered at the bar ordering Gray Goose Martinis.
The recipe and more after the jump
Ingredients
4 oz whiskey (1/2 cup)*
2 oz sweet vermouth (1/4 cup)
2 dashes Angostura bittersGarnish: maraschino cherries
Preparation
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice, then add all ingredients and shake or stir well. Strain into 2 Martini glasses.
*A traditional Manhattan is made with Rye whiskey, which is actually in the middle of a resurgence right now. However, it is just as easy to use blended whiskey to make this drink.
Recipe via Epicurious.com
This is a great drink to experiment with by substituting different kinds of bitters and by changing proportions and varieties of whiskeys and vermouths. A poorly made Manhattan is much more drinkable than a poorly made Martini, and the flavors are smooth and subtle enough so that you can actually taste differences when you change the recipe. Try it, and you will see I am telling the truth when I say, “you can taste the difference when you try a different variety of bitters,” and not just being a prick.