The Manhattan

Introduction

The Manhattan is by far my favorite drink of all time, so it seems only natural that I make it the topic of my first post. We’ll kick things off with the recipe and then go over the history of the cocktail, as you sip your masterpiece.

History of The Manhattan Cocktail

The precise origins of The Manhattan cocktail are highly controversial, and several theories exist as to where the recipe was invented and by whom. It is widely agreed by theorists and historians that The Manhattan cocktail originated in New York City, in or around the 1860s-1870s, but beyond that the theories of the cocktail’s origin begin to differ.

Perhaps the most well-known theory of The Manhattan cocktail’s origins states that the infamous recipe was first crafted specially for a banquet that Lady Jennie Jerome held at the Manhattan Club, in New York City, to celebrate the gubernatorial election of Samuel J. Tilden. Although an attractive tale, this account of the cocktail’s origins is easily disproven by the fact that at the time of Governor Tilden’s victory celebrations Lady Jerome was well-documented to have been in Oxfordshire, giving birth to none other than Winston Churchill. With that said, there are several well-documented accounts from the late 1880s-1910s stating that the Manhattan was invented at the Manhattan Club, including published interviews, multiple newspaper articles, the Manhattan Club’s official history (published 1915), and others (David Wondrich, Imbibe, Page 252).

Another well-known theory of The Manhattan cocktail’s origins was given in 1922, by William F. Mulhall, a former bartender of the Hoffman House who worked there from 1882-1915. He recalled that The Manhattan cocktail was invented by a man named “Black” running a saloon on Broadway, just 10 doors from Houston St, in the late 1860s. Public records somewhat disprove Mulhall’s account, given that the only man named “Black” running a saloon in the 1860s was nowhere near Houston St. Interestingly however, records do show that in the 1870s there was a man named George Black who ran a saloon called The Manhattan Inn, on Broadway, just 2.5 blocks from Houston St. While 2.5 blocks is substantially farther than 10 doors, it’s conceivable that the discrepancy is attributable to the fact that Mulhall’s account was based on his recollection of events that happened 40 years earlier (David Wondrich, Imbibe, Page 254). Additionally, there isn’t much supplemental evidence to support Mulhall’s theory, while there are numerous accounts – many of which were published 30+ years before Mulhall’s – that attribute the invention of The Manhattan to the Manhattan Club.

Although its exact origins remain a mystery, the rapid popularity of The Manhattan is indisputable. By the start of the 1880s, The Manhattan could be found in saloons across the United States. The recipe first started appearing in published newspapers, bartenders’ manuals, books and beyond in the early 1880s, and by the end of the decade numerous documented variations popped up, including the famous Dry Manhattan – involving dry vermouth instead of sweet, and a lemon twist instead of a brandied cherry.

A Brief Note on Variations

Excluding simple changes in recipe proportions or swapping of bitters, I’ve come across nearly two-dozen variations of The Manhattan that I consider to be unique variations. There’s the Dry Manhattan, the Fourth Regiment, the Metropolitan, the Black Manhattan, the Tijuana Manhattan, the Rob Roy, and beyond…Death & Co, one of New York City’s most well-renowned craft cocktail bars, boasts 13 different variations of The Manhattan, not including the original!

Of course, an exhaustive analysis of the history, recipes and tasting notes from so many variations would make this post far longer than would be reasonable, so I’ll save the variations for future posts and will focus on the more mainstream recipes in this post.

Making a Manhattan Cocktail

Fundamentally made with only two ingredients plus bitters, the Manhattan is one of the simplest cocktails to make at home, and one of the better cocktails for both novices and experienced bartenders to riff off of and get creative with. The Manhattan is traditionally made with Rye or another 100-proof whiskey, but if this doesn’t suit your preferences then feel free to use your whiskey of choice (minding that using Scotch makes your cocktail a Rob Roy, a popular variation of The Manhattan). Fortified wine, most often sweet vermouth, is used to bring sweetness, texture and additional flavors from the wine to modern versions of the Manhattan, while bitters are used to add a hint of spice. It is worth noting that The Manhattan is very similar to the Old Fashioned, except that sweet vermouth or a combination of a less sweet vermouth and gum syrup are used in place of sugar as a sweetener. While gum syrup is still used in many variations of The Manhattan today, the ingredient is far less common in modern mainstream versions of the cocktail than it was in the 1800s and early 1900s.

Shaken or Stirred, Up or on the Rocks

The Manhattan cocktail is traditionally a stirred drink, though many mainstream versions as well as variations do call for shaking. There is nothing wrong with a shaken Manhattan, but you will produce a different result: the shaken variation will have a different taste and texture. Shaking your Manhattan will result in three key changes in the cocktail:

• Tiny air bubbles will form within the mixture, resulting in a slightly cloudier drink
• The same tiny air bubbles will add a different texture
• Additional dilution from the chipping of the ice will result in a slightly less boozy flavor

The Manhattan is traditionally served up (without ice) in a coup or martini glass, though the type of glass you use has little impact on the favor of the drink itself. Some people prefer their Manhattans on the rocks, in which case the drink is served in a rocks glass or a low ball.

The Manhattan is also my father’s favorite cocktail and he prefers his on the rocks. To make his, I stir until chilled and then serve in a rocks glass with a single clear ice sphere. If you plan to serve a Manhattan on the rocks you should avoid shaking the cocktail or else you will have a difficult time accounting for the extra dilution introduced by both shaking and serving the drink with ice. As will be discussed in a different post, varying the amount of ice you use has little impact on the level of dilution in your cocktail and ice at rest takes much longer to melt than ice in motion, thus helping to stave off dilution for a short time. Unfortunately, however, based on my experiments comparing shaken Manhattans served on the rocks with those served up (sipping them at regular intervals), it takes only about 2-3 minutes for the increased level of dilution in the shaken drink served on the rocks to become noticeable. Bottom line: if you shake and then serve with ice then drink quickly!

Bitters

The bitters in The Manhattan cocktail are an essential part of the drink and have been since it’s earliest documented recipes. As Death & Co. says in their namesake cocktail book, “The bitters connect [the rye and the vermouth] harmoniously and add just a hint of spicy bite…and serve a more important function in bridging the other flavors” (Death & Co, Page 115). The choice of bitters to use is up to you. It’s rumored (since the true origin of the cocktail is still unknown) that the original recipe called for orange bitters to be used. Today, Angostura is perhaps the most popular bitters used for The Manhattan, as well as many other cocktails.

Garnishing

The earliest known recipes for The Manhattan cocktail actually called for the masterpiece to be served naked, or sans-garnish. Clearly they originators had never tasted the exquisite flavor of a Luxardo Maraschino or brandied cherry!

Impress Your Friends: maraschino is pronounced “mar-as-keen-oh” though North American English speakers often pronounce it “mar-a-sheen-oh”.

Today, the most typical garnish for The Manhattan is a Luxardo Maraschino or brandied cherry. To be clear, these are not the same as the bright red candy cherries commonly found atop an ice cream sundae. Rather, these are actual cherries soaked in brandy or Luxardo Maraschino Liquor and other ingredients for a long enough period that the cherry becomes infused and candied. With all that said, if the bright red candy cherries are what you have and want to use then don’t let me or anyone else stop you from using them. I do, however, recommend that you first try to experiment with some of the popular alternative garnishes for The Manhattan too though.

For those who aren’t a fan of cherries or aren’t willing to shell out $20 per jar on bougie cherries, the next most popular garnish for The Manhattan is the orange twist. Dave Arnold, author of Liquid Intelligence and co-owner of Existing Connections, in New York City, is one of the most renowned of modern-day mixologists, and he’s unfortunately deathly allergic to cherries. As such, instead of a cherry, Dave slices a wide strip of orange peel and twists it into his glass as a garnish. It can completely change the drink and you might even like it better than the cherries! David Wondrich – author, magazine correspondent, founder of the current craft cocktail movement and widely regarded as one of the most renowned experts in the world on cocktails and their history – states in his book, Imbibe, that he actually prefers the twist (David Wondrich, Imbibe, Page 258).