Spending time in bars and nightclubs, many prefer to drink all kinds of alcoholic cocktails. Today we will consider the recipe of one of them. The Manhattan cocktail was first made in 1874, since then its ingredients have changed a bit. All possible variations of this drink will be described in the article.
The story of the cocktail
Before talking about the Manhattan cocktail, you need to immerse yourself in the history of its creation. She is quite entertaining and has several versions.
According to one of them, the cocktail first appeared in 1874, and was prepared by Jenny Jerome herself (mother of President Churchill). She was an activist, participated in various social events.
It was rumored that it was she who had a party in honor of her friend Samuel Tildon at the Manhattan Club bar. There she got the idea to mix vermouth, whiskey and bitter.
The second version seems more believable. The cocktail was invented by Dr. Ayan Marshall. He mixed the necessary ingredients and brought the drink to the desired taste. And it all happened in the same Manhattan Club bar.
An article about the novelty immediately appeared in the newspaper The Democrat. It can be argued that from this time began the life of aperitifs.
As you can see, the story of the Manhattan cocktail is mysterious and unusual. One can only say with confidence that in 1961 this drink was officially included in the book of bartenders (IBA).
Classic recipe
The composition of the Manhattan cocktail is as follows:
- Canadian whiskey (rye) - 50 ml.
- Red sweet vermouth - 20 ml.
- Bitter (Angostura) - 3 drops.
- Ice.
The technology for preparing the drink is as follows:
- All components are poured alternately into a special mixing glass.
- Ice is added. At the same time, it should slide along the walls of the glass. This is necessary so that the ice does not immediately melt.
- The resulting mixture is stirred for 20 seconds.
- Through the strainer, the drink pours into a beautiful glass.
- It remains the case for small, an aperitif needs to be decorated. The classic recipe uses frozen cherry or dried, candied orange peel for this purpose.
Can I make a Manhattan cocktail at home? The recipe described above is perfect for this.
Subtleties in cooking
In order for the cocktail to have a bright taste, you need to choose the right ingredients. What you should pay attention to:
- The main role in the Manhattan cocktail is played by whiskey. To make a drink, you need to choose Canadian blend (rye) or bourbon. But you can not use tape. Real connoisseurs of this cocktail immediately distinguish American whiskey from Scotch.
- Why add vermouth to a cocktail? This drink has an unusual, sweet taste. It helps to remove the bitterness of whiskey. Vermouth is used only in which there is no sugar. For a variety of colors, it is better to choose a red tint. It can be Martini, Chinzano or any other brand of vermouth.
- Another indispensable ingredient is bitter. The most popular is Angostura. This is a combination of orange, ginger, herbs and all kinds of spices. Bitter adds strength, astringency and sweetness to the drink. For true connoisseurs of the Manhattan cocktail, it is better to choose the Pescho bitter. But getting it is quite difficult, and pricing is not happy.
If you want to get a delicious Manhattan cocktail, you should never save on the quality of the main ingredients.
We use the Steer method
The key to success of a cocktail is not only in the ingredients, but also in the right cooking technology. It is not enough to connect all the components in a glass and add ice. Professional bartenders know that for the Manhattan cocktail you need to use the Steer method. It is used when more than 3 components are needed to make a drink.
The method is quite simple:
- Ice is poured into the mixing cup of the required volume.
- Then drinks are poured in, starting with a less strong one.
- The components are mixed with a bar spoon (clockwise) so as not to damage the ice cubes.
- Through a special strainer (strainer), the drink is poured into a glass for serving. As a rule, they use a cocktail glass or martinica.
The Steer method allows you to serve a drink without ice, but well chilled.
Perfect Manhattan
Recently, quite a few Manhattan cocktail recipes have appeared. Experienced bartenders try to bring new notes of taste to the drink, experiment with its strength.
One of the most popular variations is the perfect Manhattan. The recipe is as follows:
- Rye American whiskey - 40 ml.
- Vermouth red - 20 ml.
- Dry white vermouth - 20 ml.
- Bitter - 2 drops.
- The drink is served with lemon zest.
In this embodiment, the cocktail has a more astringent, bitter taste. At the same time, its degree decreases slightly.
Ingredient Experiments
If you are fed up with the classic taste of the Manhattan cocktail, you can experiment a bit with its components. Bartenders offer the following options:
- Scotch "Manhattan." In this recipe, whiskey is replaced with scotch tape, which is made from malt and selected barley.
- Cuban Manhattan. Instead of whiskey add dark rum. You can use dry vermouth.
- "The Soul of Manhattan." This drink is for real men. The strength of the drink is more than 50 degrees. Vermouth is replaced by absinthe.
- "Black Manhattan." This option is a real find for women. Whiskey is replaced with herbal, sweet liquor. Amaro Ramazzotti is a good fit. It has a bitter taste with citrus notes.
The bartenders themselves admit that such variants of the Manhattan cocktail take place. But real drink lovers prefer only the classic recipe.
How to have a cocktail
As a rule, it is not customary to have a cocktail, but the Manhattan drink has a rather bitter taste. Black or milk chocolate, muffins with orange zest or pine nuts, fruits are perfect for him.
If you need a more substantial snack, then beef steak is the best option.
Drinking a drink is not recommended, thereby you lose its taste. If it seems too strong, you can reduce the amount of whiskey.
Manhattan cocktail can be attributed to classic drinks. Its taste is rich and unusual. The drink is perfect as an aperitif. Remember that the cocktail is made from strong whiskey, so drinking it on an empty stomach is not recommended.