I thought since it is the holidays, that my first post back should be about Christmas night cocktails this year. After a wonderful morning of opening presents, my Mom’s Christmas quiche, Bloody Marys, and of course the obligatory nap, my Mom, Dad, Aunt, and myself reconvened at my parent’s house for dinner. As my Mom and Dad worked to prepare the feast, I pondered what cocktail I wanted to imbibe. I was only sort of interested in the idea of a martini and perked up a little more when I thought about the French Kiss, but something about the two drinks was not completely piquing my interest. Then suddenly it came to me: a Manhattan! My Father always keeps a well stocked bar, but I had never asked for a Manhattan, so it was with some trepidation that I requested one. Much to my delight, he had the makings for the drink–but with some variations: 1) Bourbon instead of Whisky; 2) Old Fashioned glass instead of a martini glass (no one felt like getting out the shaker); 3) ice instead of straight up; and 4) orange rind instead of cherries. A little skeptical, my Dad set about making this concoction (recipe below) and served it up. I immediately deemed it not only drinkable, but delicious–in fact it was so good my Mom abandoned her wine in favor of this new found cocktail treat.
After the fuss had died down, the cocktail sparked a bit of a debate–is this really a Manhattan or is it in fact an Old Fashioned? The Manhattan is traditionally served straight up in a martini glass and is made up of 50ml Rye or Canadian Whisky, 20ml Sweet Red Vermouth, Dash Angostura Bitters, and a Maraschino Cherry for garnish. The Old Fashioned, on the other hand, is served over ice in an aptly named Old Fashioned glass and is concocted of 40ml Bourbon, Scotch, or Rye Whisky, 1 Sugar Cube, 2 Dashed Angostura Bitters, and is finished off with a splash of water. Upon learning this we realized that what we had created was a mix of the two cocktails and simply dubbed our new concoction “The Old Fashioned Manhattan” –seemed aptly named given that it melded the best parts of the two drink recipes into a new cocktail.
The Old Fashioned Manhattan
1. Fill an Old Fashioned glass 3/4 with ice cubes
2. Next add 1 1/2 shots (3oz.) Bourbon (Evan Williams Bourbon works best), 2 drops Angostura Bitters, and 1 tablespoon Sweet Red Vermouth; stir
3. Next cut a small wedge of orange, removing the flesh from the rind drop it into the drink
4. Run the peel around the edge of the glass and drop into the drink
5. Stir and serve
Hopefully you all will enjoy my newly discovered cocktail treat. I must say that it is perfect for the holiday season and/or when it is cold outside. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Note: Sorry for the hiatus dear readers–work and life got a bit busy, but not to fear, I am back with several post ideas for the coming weeks, some of which will be spent in London.
