After last week's excellent dinner at Palena, I have been reconsidering my cocktail philosphy. The Manhattan and Sidecar there were so good I resolved to improve my game a bit. I was always a firm believer in the old standbys like Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Gordon's, etc. S gently pointed out at Palena that there was a certain quality to their drinks that gave them a much smoother finish than mine had. They were all made with boutique-style liquors that were named on the menu. I decided to transform my bar stock and the results have been excellent.Over the weekend I have made a couple of Manhattans and a couple of Whiskey Sours. The Whiskey Sours turned out best, but the Manhattans were very good also. S liked the Whiskey Sours so much she has decided to indulge occasionally (not normally much of a cocktail drinker). I used Maker's Mark bourbon for those and Old Overholt Rye for the Manhattans. The full recipes are below. I think that the appropriate amount of vermouth is critical in the Manhattans (as well as Martinis, btw). Too many people these days seem to think that the stronger the drink the better. But abstract from the original too much and they are no longer the same classic drink. The vermouth in a Manhattan really helps round out the flavor. The bottom line for me is that I am now convinced that the new, high-end spirits seem to be superior and definitely make a better, smoother cocktail.
Manhattan
- Four oz. Old Overholt rye
- One oz. Sweet French vermouth
- Three dashes bitters
- One Maraschino cherry + dash of liquid
- Combine rye, vermouth, and bitters in cocktail shaker with ice
- shake gently
- place cherry and liquid into glass
- pour rye mixture into glass
- Four oz. Maker's Mark bourbon
- One and 1/2 oz. simple syrup
- One oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
- One oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
- One Maraschino cherry + dash of liquid
- Combine bourbon, syrup, and juices in cocktail shaker with ice
- shake gently
- place cherry and liquid into glass
- pour bourbon mixture into glass
5 comments:
i haven't had a whiskey sour in ages but used to love them. i'm going to try this out later this week. thanks for posting the recipes.
i'm almost exclusively a gin drinker and so took your negroni suggestion earlier this summer -- it was delicious!
Wonderful! I'm glad you tried the Negroni and I hope you try and enjoy this one too. I am thinking of trying to candy my own maraschino cherries. Cheers!
One of the best things about Old Overholt is that, for a premium liquor, it's cheap--$13 a fifth at Schneider's, my liquor store of choice. I've been making Old Fashioneds out of it--yummy!
I didn't know how else to contact you, but I was wondering if you knew what your average viewship was? Please contact me via email if you know. Also, please feel free to delete this post after you read it.
Hi Evyan. Thanks for the inquiry. I don't know how to contact you, either. I can't access your blogger profile. You can follow the sitemeter link at the bottom of my blog page to see my traffic sorted any way you like. If you need to contact me, my public email is mlsretail@hotmail.com. Thanks! Matt
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