Manhattan

The Manhattan Cocktail, by George Sinclair.

The Manhattan occupies a place in cocktail purists hearts, right next to the Martini cocktails; to these purists both cocktails have but one recipe each, and that recipe has never changed. Even if they never actually states this in such a manner, it is definitely what they are inferring. The earliest known recipes for the Manhattan differ greatly from the stripped down versions that are made today, in bars around the world. The attitude these days is that the whiskey is the main ingredient, as it appears to be in most cocktail recipes, however this was not always the case. It is hard sometimes to place cocktail recipes into their historical context; And think of a time when the ingredients that we take for granted, which every bar must have on their shelves, were just being introduced, to an awestruck drinking public. Vermouth, of which Manhattans were once 50% comprised, was a rarely used product in cocktail bars, this was due to its limited supply; however this all changed in the 1870s, and Vermouth became the "must-have" ingredient in cocktails. The default vermouth of choice was the sweet vermouth, commonly referred to as "Italian Vermouth"; the dry vermouth was referred to as "French Vermouth".

And so, Whiskey cocktails were augmented with vermouth; not, as is so prevalent today, just a splash, but a sizeable portion.

The Manhattan cocktail was all about the vermouth, not about the Whiskey; The Whisky was just there to bump up the alcohol content of the overall compound drink.

In the "Bartender's Manual of How to Mix Drinks", of 1884, written and published by Harry Johnson, there are two Manhattan recipes, one dry and one sweet:

Manhattan Cocktail, No. 1.

(A small wine-glass.)

1 pony French vermouth.

1/2 pony whisky.

3 or 4 dashes Angostura bitters.

3 dashes gum syrup.

Manhattan Cocktail, No. 2.

2 dashes Curacoa.

2 dashes Angostura bitters.

1/2 wine-glass whisky.

1/2 wine-glass Italian vermouth.

Fine ice ; stir well and strain into a cocktail glass.

Johnson's Manhattan Cocktail, No. 1, is two thirds Italian Vermouth (sweet vermouth), while the Manhattan Cocktail No. 2 is much lighter on the vermouth, with only half of the glass being taken up with French Vermouth (dry vermouth).

Not only were the proportions of the ingredients, used in the Manhattan Cocktail, drastically difference, compared to their modern day counterparts, but they also used other ingredients, in dash amounts:

"The Flowing Bowl: What and When to Drink" by William Schmidt, 1892:

Half a tumblerful of cracked ice,

2 dashes of gum,

2 dashes of bitters,

1 dash of absinthe,

2/3 drink of whiskey,

1/3 drink of vino vermouth.

(A little maraschino may be added.)

Stir this well, strain, and serve.

William "The Only William" Schmidt, was not the only mixologist with a perchance for "a dash of this, and a dash of that" (so to speak); Jerry Thomas, in the 1887 edition of his book, advocated small amounts of Curacoa [curacao], and dashes of Maraschino [liqueur, not syrup].

The Modern Manhattan is an unadventurous caged animal of a drink, take a look, it is nothing more than a regular Whiskey cocktail served in a dirty glass, previously used for vermouth:

Modern Style Manhattan.

2 1/2 shots Whiskey,

1/2 shot Sweet Vermouth,

dash of Angostura Bitters.

Stir with ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Yes, a regular Whiskey cocktail would have sugar in it, but whiskey these days is so smooth that hardly any sugar is needed.

And so, Vermouth mixed with Whiskey is a Manhattan, right? There can be no confusion on that point surely? Well, back in the late 1800s, when Vermouth was all the rage, people were mixing it into every cocktail (brandy, gin, genever etc) they could get their hands on. And of course, with Whiskey Cocktails being so popular, it was inevitable they several people would come up with a Vermouth and Whiskey combination:

"THE DEMOCRAT", NEW YORK, 5 September 1882

"Talking about compounders of drinks reminds me of the fact that never before has the taste for "mixed drinks" been so great as at present and new ideas, and new combinations are constantly being brought forward. It is but a short time ago that a mixture of whiskey, vermouth and bitters came into vogue. It went under various names-- Manhattan cocktail, Turf Club cocktail, and Jockey Club cocktail. Bartenders at first were sorely puzzled what was wanted when it was demanded. But now they are fully cognizant of its various aliases and no difficulty is encountered."

Despite the inevitability of whiskey and vermouth being mixed together, there still seems to be a need for the creator, and circumstances of this creation, to be ascertained.

The Manhattan Cocktail legend states that the mother of Winston Churchill, Jenny Jerome, was attending a banquet in honour of the election win by Samuel J.Tilden in November of 1874, it was during this banquet that the Manhattan was created. However Lady Churchill was in England giving birth to Winston Churchill on the 30th of November 1874.

And to finish:

Personally I think there is a need for vermouth heavy Manhattan recipes; it does come down to what it is you are trying to highlight in the flavour profile of the mixed drink. The older recipes did not shy away from vermouth; so this should be seen as a sign that vermouth is to be highly regarded in this drink, and not relegated to a mere whisper; simply present so as to

allow it to be technically called a Manhattan, rather than a Whiskey Cocktail with a dash of Vermouth.

What follows are my suggestions for guidelines to the constructing of Manhattan style cocktails, and what they should be termed as:

Heavy Manhattan

1 1/2 shot of 50%abv American Whiskey (Bourbon or Rye).

1 1/2 shot of Vermouth (Sweet or Dry).

dashes of Angostura Bitters (non-optional)

dashes of Absinthe (optional)*

dashes of Grenadine Syrup(optional)*

dashes of Orange Liqueur*

dashes of Maraschino Liqueur (not the syrup)*

Stir with ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass; Garnish with a twist of Lemon.

*any, all or none of these ingredients can be used.

Light Manhattan

2 shots of American Whisky (Bourbon or Rye)

1 shot of Vermouth (Sweet or Dry)

dashes of Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass; Garnish with a twist of Lemon.

Very-Light Manhattan

2 1/2 shots of American Whisky (Bourbon or Rye)

1/2 shot of Vermouth (Sweet or Dry)

dashes of Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass; Garnish with a twist of Lemon.

For anyone wondering, there is no room in my recipes for so-called "Perfect"

Manhattans; its either or, not both; choose the type of vermouth you want; sweet

or dry; with default being the Sweet Vermouth.