the manhattan

scottreiner

scottreiner

scott reiner
i have some friends who adore manhattans. i can enjoy them, but, even when well-made, they are often too sweet and cloying for me. (given what i just typed, i obviously only drink my manhattans with rye...)

Last night a friend and i decided to have a nightcap after some beautiful homemade pasta with bolognese sauce with an 08 de forville barbera, and erica recommended a manhattan. while she was preparing the cocktails i googled for some interesting manhattan recipes and came upon one from the nyt. the recipe suggests equal parts sweet and dry vermouth, which i had never seen before, but of which i am now a huge fan. the addition of the dry vermouth cuts the viscosity of the drink and, more importantly for me, the sweetness. to my taste buds the drink simply seems much more balanced without losing the signature manhattan profile.
 
I've been using the Manhattan as a palette for experimenting with various combinations of liquor and bitters. My favorite changes weekly but currently it's 1.5oz Bulleit rye, 1.5oz Bulleit bourbon, 1oz Martini and Rossi rosado vermouth (if you haven't tried this rose' vermouth, you should), dash Amaro Ramazotti, dash Peychaud's.

I'm in the process of infusing two different housemade bitters, one with maple syrup, vanilla, peppercorns and bacon (with gentian root, quassia, wormwood and botanicals) and the other with cherries in rye (with the bittering agents and botanicals) specifically for Manhattans.
 
Depends on the vermouth. Right now my favorite Manhattan is equal parts Rittenhouse 80 and Dolin rouge (full disclosure: I sell the latter in DC), Angostura bitters, stirred plenty (dilution is important here).

Martini's rosato is kinda tasty, though Martini's process is designed to remove the influence of the wine, rather than to create a tasty, wine-based product.

And Bill's palate (and taste in music) is excellent, so I look forward to his report on his bittering experiments.
 
originally posted by Steven Spielmann:
Why the 80 instead of the 100?
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The 100 is too big and sweet to mesh well with a fleshy vermouth such as Dolin rouge. Don't get me wrong--Rittenhouse 100 is delicious. But I prefer it in an Old-Fashioned. Rittenhouse 80 is fragrant (it shows a bit younger than the 100), which works better in both Manhattans and Sazeracs, for my palate.

And remember...Carpano Antica is a "vermouth alla vaniglia"--originally intended as an after-dinner drink by itself.
 
Yes, and it works very well as one.

It also has the power to stand up to the 100 though.

I am thinking about what rye I would use with the Dolin Rouge, in an ideal universe.
 
originally posted by Steven Spielmann:

It also has the power to stand up to the 100 though.
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Sure, although my preference (not universal by any stretch) is that the Manhattan retain some amount of elegance. I also wish Carpano would allow the importation of their regular vermouth rosso (which is no longer Vermouth di Torino--the flagship for that D.O. is Cocchi, which I also sell in DC). Carpano's US importer only brings in Punt e Mes ("vermouth amaro," also tasty) and the aforementioned vanilla-bomb Antica Formula.

I am thinking about what rye I would use with the Dolin Rouge, in an ideal universe.
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Sadly, Rittenhouse 80 is a bit shy of availability outside of Kentucky these days. I do really enjoy it--it's fragrant and snappy.

Honestly, for the elegant style of Manhattan I prefer, Old Overholt is a solid second choice. Wild Turkey Rye has brilliant aromatics, though I usually mix Manhattans with it using more vermouth than whiskey.
 
I second the utility of Old Overholt in manhattan making. Especially at the price point. I think Templeton Rye makes a tasty manhattan, but the Old Overholt delivers almost as much 1/4 the price. Makes it pretty easy to decide what to use. Here in Iowa I don't have access to any of the specialty vermouths. M&R Rosso is the class of what's available here. I've never tried the rosato in a manhattan.
 
originally posted by Jake Parrott:
originally posted by Kevin Roberts:
Here in Iowa I don't have access to any of the specialty vermouths. M&R Rosso is the class of what's available here.
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Not even Noilly Prat rouge?
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I don't think I've seen it. Even though the NP dry is a mainstay at my house. It must be available somewhere here.
 
Rittenhouse 100 and Dolin rouge, a splash of Luxardo Maraschino and Bitter Truth aromatic bitters. Lots of ice, stirred. Garnish with Luxardo cherries, although there are much better ones and even better when you make them yourself, but I'm too lazy/forgetful.
 
VLM: good call on the use of Luxardo. That works quite well.

I really like Overholt as well but can only get it at one shop out here so unless I stock up, I end up buying other brands. Jim Beam rye at the same price point as Overholt isn't as good but passable.

Still no Dolin out in this part of the country. (No Dolin, no Cocchi...sheesh) Other than the M&R rosado, I've been really digging Quady's Vya dry and sweet although they are a bit pricey.

Jake: I've got an "absinthe meets rye" bitters infusing specifically for Sazeracs. Facebook page on the Bitters Experiment should be up soon. Man, this has been fun so far.
 
Punt e Mes usually works well replacing red vermouth in cocktails if you like them drier - I do.

Sudden, absurd question: why is it almost impossible to find rye whiskey in most places around Europe?
 
For sippin' rye I'm partial to Pappy's 13. Although there are a lot of other very good ones hiding out there, including more and more I've never tried: the new Abraham Bowman release looks intriguing for example. And then those Rittenhouse 21/23 bottles - never sprung for one yet, but they beckon, like sirens...
 
So hey, this thread made me think of something.

I am not and have never yet been ITB. But I have people in Kentucky and fantasies about buying old barrels of whiskey. There are still a few out there. So far I've only tracked down a couple and they weren't worth buying, but the fantasy remains.

My question is - if I was successful, what would need to be done to bring something like that to market? Probably depends on the state, but is it even possible? Presumably it would be a boutique spirits dealer or large store or something like that since we're talking a one-off here.
 
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