The Manhattan Cocktail that is being served today is quite a different recipe from its former glory days in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The cocktail in it's original first appeared in books such as how to mix drinks as well as Harry Johnson's 1882 Bartenders Manual. The forgotten recipe has a higher ratio of sweet vermouth than we know today along with orange Curacao, Boker's bitters and served straight up with a lemon twist. Cherry's in Manhattans came much later as our cultural drinking habits changed. I've tried this version and prefer it much more than the contemporary Manhattan. I've met others that said they've ordered Manhattans and thought they didn't like the drink but had they tried this cocktail they would have added it to their black book of favorite drinks. I stress to use quality ingredients as opposed to what's less expensive otherwise you'll end up with drink that's not palatable.
God bless and Cheers, John Apodaca john@daddyosmartinis.com Manhattan Cocktail 1 1/2 Rittenhouse 100-proof rye 1 3/4 oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth 1/2 oz Orange Curacao Dash of Boker's bitters Lemon Peel for Garnish Place ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously and serve in a chilled cocktail glass with a lemon peal for garnish.
When I was growing up, when someone would mention punch, the first thing that came to mind was the Hawaiian punch concentrate with water and ice that my mother would serve at a party. This is far cry from the punches of the nineteenth century that were all the rage at any party or bar of choice. Once again it is back in fashion and popular at several drinking establishments.
One such of these delicious libations is the cold whiskey punch and was called an iced monongahela punch by a journalist of the Brooklyn Eagle informed his readers in the New Orleans in 1852. The ingredients when mixed together sounds so scrumptious, even the most finicky of drinkers may ask for a second drink.
Cold Whiskey Punch
One teaspoon of powdered white sugar
Juice of half a lemon or lime
3 oz of Rye Whiskey such as Rittenhouse
Two dashes of Jamaican Rum
One glass of shaved ice
Shake all ingredients together and pour into a stem punch glass with ice, garnish with two slices of lemon or other seasonal fruit and serve with a straw.
The Manhattan complements the name it shares with the island. This cocktail was invented at New Yorks's Manhattan Club at the end of the nineteenth century and is a drink mad with whiskey rather than clear spirits. Two stories of it's origin are as follows:
Jenny Jerome Churchill threw a party at th club to celebrate Samuel Tilden's successful run for governor in 1874 another is that years later it was made for a Supreme Court Justice name Traux. Two problems with the stories is that Jenny was in England giving birth to her son Sir Winston Churchill and there has never been a Supreme Court Justice named Traux.
No matter which story is true, one thing is it's a tasty cocktail when using top shelf spirits such as Michters bourbon with Carpano Antica vermouth and a couple dashes of Angostura bitters and garnish with a Marasche Cherry from Italy. You can buy most of these ingredients in Hi-Times Cellar in Costa Mesa if you're in Southern CA or check on line where you purchase these.
The Manhattan
1 1/2 oz of Bourbon such as Michters or Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz sweet vermouth Carpano Antica
Shake ingredients very hard and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a Marasche cherry.
This is John Apodaca from Daddy-O's Martinis. One of my favorite classic cocktails of mine and has been honored in music and movies is the Old Fashioned. It was invented around 1900 at the Pendennis Club in Louisville Kentucky by Colonel James E. Pepper ( a Kentucky distiller of bourbon) and the bartender. It was once referred to as a "palate-paralyzer" by bartender David Embury and has a song in it's honor Make it another old fashioned please by Cole Porter. It's also mentioned in a scene of the movie It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World were Jim Backus plays a rich lush with a twin-engine plane. Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett convince him to fly them to a buried treasure. Backus asks Mickey Rooney while flying the plane to make him an Old Fashioned and after having two of them tells the other two characters to fly the plane because he's going to make an old fashioned the old fashioned way that dear old dad used to make them. Mickey Rooney says, "what if something should happen and Backus tells them, what could happen with an Old Fashioned?
I've done research on this cocktail and have made it and after several trials along with tastings at home and at some of my favorite drinking establishments have found a delicious balance. It's build in an old fashioned or double rocks glass without muddling fruit. Some recipes call for muddling orange and maraschino cherries with sugar, bitters and water. I find it become too sweet but after tasting it at Seven Grand in Downtown Los Angeles and 320 in Seal Beach, I found the taste was just right and the only fruit in it was a flamed orange peal. I followed this method at home and found that's the only way to enjoy it. Give it a try or go to bar that serves up vintage style cocktails this way. Let me know how you liked it.
Cheers,
John Apodaca
The Old Fashioned
1 1/2 oz Bourbon or Rye Whiskey ( Rittenhouse Rye or Buffalo Trace )
2 - 4 Dashes of Angostura bitters
1 Sugar cube
1 Splash of soda water
Flamed orange peel
Place the sugar cube at the bottom of an old fashioned or double rocks glass. Soak the sugar with 2 - 4 dashes of Angostura bitters and add a splash of soda water and muddle (crush) the ingredients until dissolved with a muddling stick or with the back of a bar spoon. Add the whiskey, slice an orange peel very thinly
(about 2 inches long), light a match hold it underneath the peel with a back and fourth motion for a few seconds, turn it over and do the same for a few seconds while holding it over the glass. Pinch the peel while still holding the lighted match it to release oils, you should see a spark from the release of the oils. Put out the flame and wipe the rim of the glass along with the peel and place it in the glass and enjoy the drink.
