Manhattans

Moderators: mistah willies, NYDingbat, Judge, oettinger, Badfellow, Mr Boozificator, Bluto, Smatter Noguts, Patchez

User avatar
Jiggers McCoy
Inebriate Savant
Inebriate Savant
Posts: 891
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 6:41 pm
Location: Tampa

Re: The Glory That Is The Manhattan

Post by Jiggers McCoy »

I can't take all the credit. Though the men of my family have been trying to drain Kentucky dry for generations, they just keep making more, God Bless 'em.
• "Avoiding the darker alcohols like bourbon, red wine and dark rum might lessen [a hangover] and you might also dance better if you wear a tutu instead of trousers." - FKR

• "If you wanna 'talk about' my drinking, it better be about how fucking awesome it is." - Me

User avatar
Savage
Juicing Like Jackie
Juicing Like Jackie
Posts: 25434
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2003 1:16 am
Location: All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go

Re: The Glory That Is The Manhattan

Post by Savage »

BBoozer wrote:
Savage wrote: Listening to Halloween music. .
What, exactly, is Halloween music, Savage? Please share.
http://halloweenradio.net
http://halloweenradio.com
http://www.13thtrack.com
like tears in rain

User avatar
Judge
Moderator
Posts: 7725
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:01 pm
Location: Can't find my ass with two hands

Re: The Glory That Is The Manhattan

Post by Judge »

Savage wrote:
BBoozer wrote:
Savage wrote: Listening to Halloween music. .
What, exactly, is Halloween music, Savage? Please share.
http://halloweenradio.net
http://halloweenradio.com
http://www.13thtrack.com
Damn you I almost forgot to change my name and avatar. You are a bit tardy yourself.
Proverbs 31:6&7

"Pain is sometimes the price of laughter."-Oggar

CPE1704TKS

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"-Marcus Aurelius

And afterwords we can run amok! Or if you're too tired, we can walk amok.

User avatar
Badfellow
Juicing Like Jackie
Juicing Like Jackie
Posts: 10724
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 3:05 pm
Location: Republic of Drunkardia

Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by Badfellow »

One of my truly, truly favorite cocktails. Inspired a bit by the Oracle Savage, I thought it appropriate to dredge up a thread in devotion to some serious discussion as I mix myself the first of the day.

A well made Manhattan is a bit like the town itself: it has it all. In that artful mix of complexity you find sweet, bitter, sour (even saltiness if you elect a nice, briny Scotch as your whiskey option) as well as a myriad of other compound flavors. Quite simply, it is perhaps the most well balanced cocktail ever created. Bourbon and Scotch can both be employed in Manhattan form with favorable results. But I think we all know that Rye Whiskey is in charge of this show. Start throwing down Sazerac, Handy or Stagg and you're bound for a mystic cocktail experience. The fact of the matter though is that there are tons of quality rye labels emerging from US distilleries. North America grows and malts the finest rye in the world. Why not capitalize? Bulliet and Templeton Rye are two examples of recent entries that have charged out of the gate. If you can't find the more obscure stuff, Jim Beam or even Old Overholt do their job with honors. My personal favorite though for inexpensive, easy to find Rye would be Rittenhouse 100.

Basically, Rye adds a certain peppery depth and bracing dryness to a Manhattan that Bourbon or Scotch does not.

Next comes the sweet vermouth. Spend a couple extra pennies on Noilly Prat. Your cocktail will thank you, and you'll undoubtedly use it for other applications. If you can find it, there is a fine micro label out of California called Vya. I believe it was bluebottle who suggested it to me. Their sweet vermouth tastes like the orgasms of angels. I sometimes drink it on its own as a digestif after dinner.

Bitters? Nobody really bucks Angostura. But that's all about to change. People make a valid argument with Peychaud's, which is a fine bitters, although some find the high ratio of gentian and orris roots to be overbearingly medicinal in flavor. Avoid Fee's Brothers. The bottle looks cute and they do a wide range of flavors. But if you read the fine print, they use artificial flavoring, which is shit I don't need.

Cherry? Lost mine long ago.

Mix a Manhattan, and please discuss. I'll be here until closing.
ພາສາລາວNONE GENUINE WITHOUT MY SIGNATUREພາສາລາວ

User avatar
Smatter Noguts
Boozing Like Bukowski
Boozing Like Bukowski
Posts: 4948
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:05 pm
Location: blackout island

Re: Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by Smatter Noguts »

Isn't a Scotch and sweet vermouth a Rusty Nail?

My love and affection for the old toddy are well documented here; except to say that you can never say enough about how wise and attractive the drink makes you.

User avatar
Wingman
Chugging Like Churchill
Chugging Like Churchill
Posts: 5078
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:44 pm
Location: on my way to a bar

Re: Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by Wingman »

you talked me into it. think we have some old overholt around here somewhere....
Stupid should hurt.

"We're better than mere people, we're DRUNKARDS."
--ThirstyDrunk

BigIzz
Booze Head
Booze Head
Posts: 33
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2010 9:48 pm

Re: Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by BigIzz »

Cherry is a must for me. Every time I get to the end of a Manhattan I eat the cherry and flash back to being a toddler, hanging out at the bar where my father worked and eating maraschino cherries. I've had the designer ones, but I need the cheap, mass produced, soaked in bleach or whatever other chemical they use. The perfect end to a perfect drink (and the precursor to another usually)

User avatar
fiyah
Drinking Like W.C.
Drinking Like W.C.
Posts: 6778
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 4:04 pm
Location: Boozing Bodhisattva
Contact:

Re: Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by fiyah »

Rye!

God I love rye.

I tend to nip at the rye, then forget to mix in the rest of the ingredients.

My bad.

Tonight, High West Whiskey Rendezvous Rye. Really long name, really nice rye.
22:21 Thirsty i was too drunk to be high
[13:22] <@Veen> I need to find the penis monster
[23:03] <@fabric> dont masturbate to me

User avatar
Savage
Juicing Like Jackie
Juicing Like Jackie
Posts: 25434
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2003 1:16 am
Location: All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go

Re: Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by Savage »

Well, I like Makers Mark. You see, since a classic Manhattan uses Rye, my favorite should be called a Bourbon Manhattan. Or perhaps, a Kentucky Manhattan. Half again sweet vermouth, the best you can find. And there is something good to be said about using orange bitters. And a cherry? Nah. Splash a bit of Maraschino syrup in the glass, and stir well. It's a drink that is sweet, without being cloying. You can drink more than one, and that is the measure of a good sweet cocktail.
like tears in rain

User avatar
Miklo
Inebriate Savant
Inebriate Savant
Posts: 711
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:12 pm

Re: Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by Miklo »

Rye is a must. I also like to put the cherry in along with a small splash of the juice. Agnostura bitters over pechayds. Last night I made a few of these with Fighting Cock bourbon, it was delisious.
“And in my mind, this settles the issue. I would never drink cologne, and am therefore not an alcoholic.”
― Augusten Burroughs

User avatar
Jiggers McCoy
Inebriate Savant
Inebriate Savant
Posts: 891
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 6:41 pm
Location: Tampa

Re: Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by Jiggers McCoy »

Smatter Noguts wrote:Isn't a Scotch and sweet vermouth a Rusty Nail?
A Rusty Nail is Scotch and Drambuie-the Euro SoCo.

No cherry juice for me, though I do like eating that rye-tinged cherry at the bottom of the glass.

I like to shake the hell out of it, too. The froth makes the first few sips have a creamy, Guinness-like texture that really compliments the whiskey's vanilla notes. Like a dreamsicle.
• "Avoiding the darker alcohols like bourbon, red wine and dark rum might lessen [a hangover] and you might also dance better if you wear a tutu instead of trousers." - FKR

• "If you wanna 'talk about' my drinking, it better be about how fucking awesome it is." - Me

User avatar
Wingman
Chugging Like Churchill
Chugging Like Churchill
Posts: 5078
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:44 pm
Location: on my way to a bar

Re: Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by Wingman »

Savage wrote:Well, I like Makers Mark.
that makes a damn fine manhattan, and mixes well in general. but rye...rye is just magical. i don't know how they get it to be so manly and smooth at the same time. it's the keith stone of liquors.

i throw a cherry in mine, but no extra juice. it usually lasts for about 3 manhattans, unless i'm feeling peckish.
Stupid should hurt.

"We're better than mere people, we're DRUNKARDS."
--ThirstyDrunk

User avatar
Savage
Juicing Like Jackie
Juicing Like Jackie
Posts: 25434
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2003 1:16 am
Location: All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go

Re: Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by Savage »

When I do insert a cherry, I like to save them up. 'Round about the third or fourth Manhattan, those cherries acquire a lovely flavor. Savored one a drink, they are the little treats. Of course, as time marches on, the ratio of bourbon to vermouth increases slightly. Which is as God intended. When I wake up at lunchtime, curled under my desk, I have happy memories of singing with Alvin and the Chipmunks.
like tears in rain

User avatar
Miklo
Inebriate Savant
Inebriate Savant
Posts: 711
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:12 pm

Re: Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by Miklo »

Smatter Noguts wrote:Isn't a Scotch and sweet vermouth a Rusty Nail?
No, its a Rob Roy.

What ratio do you all use for bourbon to vermoth. I usually use 3:1, sometimes ill put a little less vermoth maby 1/2 to 3/4 of a shot.
“And in my mind, this settles the issue. I would never drink cologne, and am therefore not an alcoholic.”
― Augusten Burroughs

User avatar
John Barleycorn
Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof
Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof
Posts: 1009
Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2011 3:03 pm

Re: Okay, let's talk about Manhattans

Post by John Barleycorn »

Smatter Noguts wrote:Isn't a Scotch and sweet vermouth a Rusty Nail?
No, Scotch and sweet vermouth is a Rob Roy.

edit: didn't see Miklos post. Was bothered by the idea of a Scotch Manhattan in the OP even.

Post Reply