Mastering the Manhattan Cocktail

Most people today have some familiarity with the AMC television series Madmen and the Manhattans drunk on that show all of the time. It is a very hip cocktail to serve at your next cocktail party.

 

The Manhattan’s evolutionary path is parallel to that of the Martini’s. It has the same kind of simplicity as a Martini but its flavors are much more complex.  Like the Martini, it is also made with vermouth, but unlike the Martini, bitters play an important part in the recipe.

 

According to renowned cocktail aficionado Robert Hess, “Making a Manhattan without bitters is like making a soup without salt.”

 

The Manhattan is an antique cocktail. It was invented in the 1870’s at New York’s Manhattan Club from which it gets its name.  Originally the Manhattan was made with Rye.  Today it is more commonly made with bourbon.

 

Unfortunately, we will never taste the Manhattan that was enjoyed in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century.  This is because the bitters of choice to make a Manhattan were Abbott’s bitters that are no longer manufactured.  Angostura bitters works fine, or you could try Fee’s Aromatic Bitters or you could try to chase down a sixty year old bottle of Abbott’s.

 

While the Maraschino Cherry is the common garnish used in a Manhattan, it was not the original garnish. It was traditionally garnished with a fresh or pickled cherry.  A popular garnish for martinis in those days was Queen Ann cherries that had been soaking in a fine brandy or whiskey. spirits of some sort.

 

Keep in mind too that it is important to use fresh Vermouth. Vermouth is a wine and it can go off out of time. Make sure you use at least a four to one ratio of Vermouth or it will not taste right. This is not like a martini where the vermouth is just grazing the flavor of the drink.  Vermouth is a full component of the recipe in this case.

 

Manhattan

 

2 ounces rye or bourbon whiskey

1/2 ounce sweet vermouth

1 dash of Angostura bitters

 

Stir with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.  Serve with a fresh, pickled or maraschino cherry.  Do not spill syrup from the cherry jar into the glass; this is a tacky tradition that makes the drink too sweet.

 

To make sure the drink is perfect make sure that you never ever shake a Manhattan.. This is a drink that is better stirred and not shaken.

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How to Make the Perfect Martini

Making the perfect martini requires that you have a little knowledge about the role that Vermouth can play in the resultant taste. Technically the perfect martini would be one that uses equal parts of dry and sweet vermouth in one part to three parts gin (not vodka!)  Only poseurs call a vodka martini a martini.

 

To understand the history of vermouth’s role in martini making you need to understand that the original martini was made with Italian (sweet) Vermouth.  Dry cocktails came along much later when French (dry) vermouth was invented.  So for the longest time, when people ordered a “dry” martini or a “dry” Manhattan they meant a cocktail that was created with French vermouth.

 

The invention of French (dry) Vermouth also created another Martini called “the Perfect Martini.”  A perfect martini is made with equal parts of BOTH French (dry) and Italian (sweet) vermouth.  When they ordered a “dry martini” the cocktail was made with French vermouth only.

 

Somehow over time, the term “dry martini” also came to mean adding less and less vermouth.   This is has evolved to the extent that in the 21st century bartenders are now putting vermouth in “misters” and simply spraying the glass with Vermouth.

 

As rule of thumb remember that a glass of chilled vodka is not a martini.  It is just a glass of vodka.

 

The second aspect of making a perfect martini has to do with “tuning” the flavors.  The sharp alcoholic bite of straight gin or vodka does not count as a flavor; it is more of a texture. The reason gin is preferred is because it is a blend of botanical and sometimes spicy flavors in itself.  A true martini gets its ‘nip” from the juniper in gin.

 

One of the secrets to making a great martini is to mix these ingredients so that they achieve a perfect balance.

 

First make sure you are using high quality ingredients: gin and vermouth.

 

Make sure you are using high quality water.  Chlorine is not a tasty element in a martini.

 

Whether you are making a Martinez, a Dry Martini or a Perfect Martini make sure you follow your recipe to the letter.

 

Estimate the amount of ice you want to melt into the water before you load the ice into the shaker. Remember that if you shake a Martini, there will be more water melded into the water than if you stir it.

 

Be sure to strain the drink before you pour it into a chilled glass and garish it with the appropriate onion or olive

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