In loving memory of my Nanny: “1 perfect manhattan please, in an on the rocks glass.”

I learned from the best of them.

April 7, 1927 – February 4, 2015

This journey began, like so many of my wild goose chases do, when I was reading my newest issue of Bon Appétit a little over 3 years ago. They had a page featuring a jar of vanilla bourbon cherries that apparently was the only cherry to have in a Manhattan. Now, I had never tried a single Manhattan, but I decided then and there that I was going to find those cherries and make my very own Manhattan.

I didn’t have the first clue about where to start when it came to making a Manhattan, seeing as I hadn’t even really tastes bourbon. Sure, I’d had a whiskey and Coke or ginger when I was out at the bar, and in college people would order shots of whiskey, but I couldn’t tell you what whiskey or bourbon actually was, other than it usually burned. So, I decided to start this new challenge finding my garnish. The cherries featured in the bon appetite were nowhere to be found in Seattle, but my mom and I stumbled upon a gem one day when we stopped by Metropolitan Market. At the cheese counter there were containers of cherries in a syrup that was so dark it looked black.  They were Italian Amarena Cherries.  We asked the man at the counter about them and we made his day; he could not tell us enough how amazing these cherries were and decided we should probably try them for ourselves. He was right, they were out of this world.

The recipe for our manhattan has undergone quite a few changes, mainly being what kind of bourbon we use.  We have used Bulleit Rye, which is very strong and definitely burns at the end, Eagle Rare, and Pendleton Whiskey.  We love Angel’s Envy, but save that for on the rocks; now we like to use High West.  The bourbon or whiskey one chooses to use is highly personal, and depends on how big of a bourbon fan you like.

Our own personal touch with manhattans is making them ahead of time.  I love cold drinks, and my mom likes ice cold beverages even more than I do.  So, when we first started making manhattans, some of them weren’t amazing, and it felt like we were drinking fire.  But over time, we discovered that the colder the manhattan, the smoother it went down.  This made those not so great ones drinkable, and the goods one became out of this world.  So yummy!  Stirring in a cocktail shaker though, we could only make a manhattan so cold.  We now make our manhattans in batches ahead of time, even divide them into jars and keep them in the freezer, so they get extra cold.  Since a manhattan only has alcohol in it, the liquid doesn’t freeze; it becomes viscous, almost like a syrup, and it is oh so good.

Manhattans made cocktail fans out of my wine and beer only parents. and I now find them sipping on manhattans after my dad gets home form work, and keeping jars of pre-made manhattans in the freezer.  We still garnish them with the Italian Amarena Cherries from Metropolitan Market, and a twist of orange when we have one in the house.

Manhattan | makes 1 drink

• 2 oz bourbon
• 3/4 oz sweet vermouth, I recommend Antica Formula or Cocchi
• 2 dashes bitters, aromatic or orange
• Amarena cherry
• Twist of orange, optional

1 batch | makes 8 drinks

• 16 oz (or 2 cups) bourbon
• 6 oz sweet vermouth
• 16 dashes bitters, aromatic or orange
• Amarena cherries
• Twist of orange, optional

Measure out the bourbon and vermouth and pour into a measuring cup.  Add the bitters and gently stir.  If storing in jars, evenly pour the manhattans into jars and store in the freezer until ready to drink.  If drinking immediately, add ice and again stir gently.  If I don’t have time to put my manhattans in the freezer, I like to use a large ice cube in my glass to keep the cocktail cold.  Using a large cube melts slowly, so the drink does not become too diluted.  When ready to drink, pour into a coupe glass, or an old fashioned if you don’t have a coupe.  Garnish with an Amarena cherry and a twist of orange and serve!