The Manhattan

[pepcycle]

A trend that apparently carried over from Gentleman's Clubs.

[bobbyc]

What bitters did they have, Chuck? Angostura? I suppose that's the common one. I keep Peychards and "Orange" bitters on hand as well, After a couple, I like to change that part. Gary makes a good do of Orange bitters and makes his own, the ingredients list is rather extensive but after it is all combined it just needs a shake every couple of days. Those bitters handmade by Gary would go good at a Gazebo function in the future!

[cowdery]

Angostura. We were at Kurtz's.

[Gillman]

Chuck had mentioned not long ago enjoying a Manhattan made with Blanton's. I had the chance recently to try this since I still have some barrel proof Blanton (except I've let it down in the bottle to about 90 proof with Ontario spring water - I find any mineral water works except one with too much dissolved salts).

I used a Bulleit glass for this, sipping from the smaller end. I filled 'er up about half-way, 4:1 bourbon to vermouth, maybe 3.5: 1.5. I added a very little Peychaud's, just enough to add taste and only a little bitterness. One Maker's Mark cherry sits decorously in the bottom. No ice. Well, bad this could never be. It has a different taste to the rye Manhattans I generally make, richer in some ways, big and round. The heat and edge Jeff mentioned in the barrel proof Blanton are tamed in this treatment but enough pokes through to lend character. This is a fine cocktail (any good Manhattan is) but it needs careful calibration for maximum quality (by which I mean good balance: only lightly sweet, rich and whiskeyish, faintly bitter from the bitters).

Gary

[Jake_Parrott]

I tend to make one of two manhattans--Overholt with all sweet (about 3:1) and combo of Peychaud's/Angostura, or Evan Williams "perfect" (sweet and dry verm, though the moniker is silly) with just angostura. Recently, I made an Evan Williams manhattan and substituted a drizzle of Campari for the bitters, and it added a certain savouriness. What to call it?

[CrispyCritter]

I've just started trying out Manhattans... scrumptious. :yum: My first try yesterday was with Rittenhouse Rye BIB, and today's was WT Rye. In both cases I went 3:1 with Martini & Rossi red vermouth, two dashes of Angostura, a red maraschino cherry, and a teaspoon of the syrup from the jar of cherries.

Either way, it's magnificent. :drink:

I'm going to have to try some bourbon-based versions - I'm thinking standard WT101, or perhaps a wheater like Weller Antique.

[Dahlrod]

I like a Dry Manhattan, rocks, but with a cherry to add back in a touch of sweet. The mix, I've always been told should be 2:1, Yuck. I prefer the shadow wave or gander from across the room techniques described above. Really, a splash is all that's required, and two drops of bitters. The whiskey, I like a strong rye recipe, Bookers, WT Rare Bread, even a GTS although ethically, I just can't stand anything but a cube of filtered ice in the GTS.

I also agree with all that if you want a Manhattan done well, don't ask a bartender. Even if they do know how to make it right, Vermouth is still cheaper than whiskey, and, in my experience, will be the bulk of what you get unless you immediately tip well.

My favorite Manhattan that I can remember was at the Sheridan in Eatontown, NJ and was made with JD Single Barrel. It was the oldest "Bourbon" he had, and yes, I tipped well an early to assure the proper mix. I also had several, that always seems to add fondness to the memories, if memories serve at all.

Listening to this forum has prompted me to go pick up some Overholt Rye and give it a good Manhattan work out tonight. Man ... why the heck am I still at my desk?

[CrispyCritter]

On a recent outing to Sam's Wine & Spirits in Chicago, I decided to prowl the aisles a bit, and actually managed to find some Vya sweet vermouth, along with Fee's aromatic and orange bitters. The Vya was horrifically expensive at about $18 for a 375 ml bottle. :bigeyes: I also picked up the obligatory Rittenhouse BIB since my current bottle was running low.

Once I was home, I mixed a Manhattan using my usual 3:1 mix, Rittenhouse and Vya with both Fee's bitters. WOW, what a drink! However, with Vya so expensive, it's going to have to be an occasional treat; Martini & Rossi costs a lot less and still works very well.

As for the bitters, Fee's is good stuff. Now that I have five different bitters on my shelf (Angostura, Peychaud's, Regan's Orange, Fee Orange, and Fee Aromatic), I can come up with quite a variety of different setups!

[BourbonJoe]

:yum: My first try yesterday was with Rittenhouse Rye BIB, and today's was WT Rye. In both cases I went 3:1 with Martini & Rossi red vermouth, two dashes of Angostura, a red maraschino cherry, and a teaspoon of the syrup from the jar of cherries.

Now that's a Manhattan Mon.

Joe :usflag:

[CrispyCritter]

One word about Fee's Aromatic bitters - to me at least, they seem to be a lot more powerful than any of the others I've used - I can use about half as much Fee's versus Angostura or Peychaud's. I love that cinnamon/clove effect it provides.

Keep in mind that my Manhattan is a bit on the tall side; 3 oz. whiskey to 1 oz. vermouth.

By using different whiskeys, vermouths, and bitters, you can get quite a variety of tastes from one basic recipe. Rob Roys (Scotch-based) are quite nice too - and I tried what I'll call an "O'Reilly" a few days back (using Powers Gold Label Irish for the whiskey) that went down real nice. However, the BIB-type whiskeys provide some extra kick... I'm going to have to try OGD BIB sometime, to see how it compares to the WT101.

I haven't tried using something like OGD 114 or Stagg, though - I get the feeling it might be a little too strong and still go down too easy. :bigeyes:

While writing this, I finished a Rittenhouse BIB/Tribuno/Fee's Aromatic/Peychaud's variant... lovely.

[cowdery]

Gary Regan made the point in a recent article that bitters were once the essential ingredient in cocktails. He is a big believer, and not just in his own brand. When he makes a manhattan, he gives the bitters bottle about 14 shakes. (He doesn't count them, but I did.)

I know there are better vermouths, both white and red, than M&R, and it makes a difference in the taste of the drink, but cost usually keeps me in the M&R camp, which is, I will say, a far sight better than Gallo.

[ratcheer]

Gary Regan made the point in a recent article that bitters were once the essential ingredient in cocktails. He is a big believer, and not just in his own brand. When he makes a manhattan, he gives the bitters bottle about 14 shakes. (He doesn't count them, but I did.)

I know there are better vermouths, both white and red, than M&R, and it makes a difference in the taste of the drink, but cost usually keeps me in the M&R camp, which is, I will say, a far sight better than Gallo.

Chuck, I just had a Manhattan taking a cue from your post. I used Bulleit bourbon, several healthy shakes of Angostura, and more than usual M&R red. I used lots of ice cubes and drank it fairly quickly (about five minutes). It was the best Manhattan I have ever had. Outstanding!

Tim

[cowdery]

Glad I could help.

[CrispyCritter]

Earlier tonight, I tried throwing a dash of Pontarlier-Anis pastis into an OGD BIB-based Manhattan (along with Peychaud's bitters, Fee's orange bitters, and Noilly Prat red vermouth). This "Sazerated" Manhattan turned out to be quite good - but you only need 2-3 drops of the pastis - a little bit of it has a definite effect. :drink:

On a hot day, I've found that pastis served the "classic" way (some sugar and 4-5 parts ice water to 1 part pastis) is quite refreshing in its own right.

[CrispyCritter]

Until a couple of days ago, my choice of cherry for garnishing my Manhattans was the Collins cherry (and a teaspoon of the syrup from the jar). Recently, however, I came across a jar of Sable & Rosenfeld "Tipsy Cherries" - which included whiskey in the ingredient list. They've turned out to be distinctly better than the Collins variety. The difference is most apparent once the drink is finished and it's time to eat the cherry!

[cowdery]

This week I've been working on my manhattans. I came into possession recently of an old cocktail shaker, so I've been using that in my martini and manhattan preparation, and assiduously chilling the glass.

The glasses I use are old martini glasses, which are small by current martini standards and large by traditional manhattan standards, but fine for me for both.

As I suspected, the 80 proof Rittenhouse Rye is excellent for manhattans. I may like it better for this purpose than the BIB, at least when I'm using the shaker (the BIB might still be better for on-the-rocks manhattans). I may never use bourbon for a manhattan again, so delighted have I been with the results from using rye.

I usually don't measure anything but recently I have been, just to better understand and record what I'm doing. For manhattans, it's 2 shots of the Rittenhouse Rye 80 proof, 1/2 shot of M&R red vermouth and about 5 shakes of angostura bitters. No garnish.

Quite refreshing.

[Gillman]

That's about my approach as far as proportions go and the amount of bitters.

For the whiskey, I invariably use complex mixes but I too like a rye hit. Yesterday I fashioned a mix that was probably 80% bourbons and the rest Canadians and some straight rye. It just had no "middle", no rye edge. I poured in some Lot 40 and it was fine. I could have used Rittenhouse too or Overholt for this purpose.

I have found with bitters something odd (to me). Initially I added literally very few drops, almost as if I used an eyedropper, because I found two shakes made it too bitter. But then I tried from 3-5 shakes and it actually gave a better balance: the flavour of the bitters came through but not the bitterness. I am still trying to figure that one out. So, while I won't go as far as the 20 shakes advised by some (I think Jim Murray likes mucho bitters), you do need (I find) to use a certain amount.

On balance I like Peycheaud's bitters better than Angostura but the latter is good too.

I am still adding cherries but I discard them after, I like the effect (visually) in the glass.

No ice unless it is an unusually warm day. If I do add ice, it goes in in one chunk, shaved ice tends I find to mask or change the flavour of the drink. However shaking it and pouring it up is fine if the shaking is not prolonged.

Gary

[BourbonJoe]

I am still adding cherries but I discard them after, I like the effect (visually) in the glass.

Gary

Go ahead and eat the cherries Gary. They are super when soaked in all that booze.

Joe :usflag:

[Gillman]

I know Joe but calories, calories..

Gary

[CrispyCritter]

Given my liking of variety, my Manhattans tend to vary a bit - but one thing has been constant so far - the 3:1 whiskey-to-vermouth ratio.

I've done some reading up about vermouths, and Punt e Mes sounds intriguing, as it has bitters in its recipe. I've seen a recommendation of going to 5:1 for Punt e Mes, rather than the 2-to-4:1 of most Manhattan recipes.

I still haven't tried using white vermouth instead of red (or a mix of the two). Should I bother, or just reserve the white for martinis?

[jeff]

Given my liking of variety, my Manhattans tend to vary a bit - but one thing has been constant so far - the 3:1 whiskey-to-vermouth ratio.

I've done some reading up about vermouths, and Punt e Mes sounds intriguing, as it has bitters in its recipe. I've seen a recommendation of going to 5:1 for Punt e Mes, rather than the 2-to-4:1 of most Manhattan recipes.

I still haven't tried using white vermouth instead of red (or a mix of the two). Should I bother, or just reserve the white for martinis?

When I make manhattans I use the same 3:1 ratio, but for the 1 part vermouth I use equal parts dry and sweet. Seems to dry out the drink a little bit more. To me, sometimes the sweet vermouth can overpower the whiskey to it's detriment, but using less doesn't work either. A mixture of vermouths adds flavor without too much sweetness.

[cowdery]

The use of equal parts dry and sweet vermouth has a venerable heritage and even a name, the Perfect Manhattan.

[CrispyCritter]

From the "orange" thread:

By the same token, some bourbons are so sweet themselves that sweet vermouth seems beside the point when mixing Manhattans. I've learned the hard way to go very easy with the vermouth, particularly more unusual brands like Vya and Punt e Mes.

I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so when I used Vya red vermouth, I went with my usual 3:1 (but I, as usual, added bitters of one sort or another). It was first-rate, but Vya is expensive enough to be reserved for the occasional premium drink.

As for Punt e Mes, I finally got myself a bottle of it and gave it a go. Everything I've read indicates that one should go easy with Punt e Mes, so I mixed it at about 5.5:1. That worked very well, using Sazerac Jr. as the whiskey. Punt e Mes has bitters already in it, and it seems to be a particularly strong variety of bitters. I used just a splash of Peychaud's in this drink as well, but that probably didn't have much effect - you really don't need to add bitters with this vermouth.

[Gillman]

Early Manhattan recipes call for sugar syrup and vermouth. It sounds like "too much", and maybe it was, but actually it can be very good made this way. Possibly all vermouth at the time was quite bitter, like Punt es Mes, so some plain sugar addition helped. I scale down the vermouth and sugar - you don't need a lot of each but the result is often better than with vermouth alone. Sometimes I use a dash of maple syrup instead of plain syrup, or half a teaspoon of brown sugar. If the vermouth is bland, I'll add bitters. Sounds like it isn't needed with Punt e Mes and probably not with Amer Picon.

Gary

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

I am finally having a proper Manhattan. The first time I made one I used a very dry white vermouth, Martini's, and Martini's bitter aperitif for the bitters. I didn't know any better at the time. I did know that it wasn't a drink I wanted to have a second time. Today I got some proper aromatic bitters, Hermes, which is made by Suntory. A while ago I got some Noily Pratt red vermouth.

My first Manhattan today was made with Old Grand Dad 114. No ice. A little too much vermouth, it think. It was probably between 4:1 and 3:1. Later I added a little more OGD 114, still too much vermouth. All in all it was a very good drink.

Right now I am drinking a WT Rye 5:1 or so. Both were made with two shakes. I don't seem to be able to shake the bottle less than two times. (With hot sauce I shake till my arm gets tired...) This time I added one cube. It is even better than the first.

Ed