The Classic Manhattan Cocktail
Posted on September 24, 2009 by Leslie Blythe No comments
The Bitter Truth
All of my life, my father’s favorite drink has been the Manahattan–that classic cocktail made with whiskey, sweet red vermouth, a dash of bitters and a cherry. Traditionally made with Bourbon or Rye whiskey and Angastura bitters, I am told that they are delicious–I never touch the stuff, myself. My father, being a purist, has refined his Manhattan over the years and only uses Crown Royal Canadian whiskey and Peychaud bitters. Peychaud, Angastura, Fee Brothers…..what does it matter–they are all the same, right? Bitters are bitters, aren’t they?
Bitters are highly concentrated alcoholic beverages containing herbal essences like angostura bark, quinine, cassia, orange peel and gentian and they are–by definition–extremely bitter. Only a few drops or a dash at most are used to flavor cocktails. What makes one better than the other?
Angostura has the distincion of being the”original” bitters. It was created as a tonic by German Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, a surgeon general in Simon Bolivar’s army in Venezuela who began to sell it in 1824. Siegert was based in Ciudad Bolivar which was then known as Angostura, and used locally available ingredients, like bark form the angostrura tree. Angostura bitters are a key ingredient in many cocktails like the Old Fashioned and the Champagne Cocktail. Originally used to mask the flavour of quinine in tonic water along with gin, the mix stuck in the form of a Pink Gin. Typical of the Brits, to take something medicinal and turn it into a cocktail. I was told by a flight attendant years ago, that a dash of bitters in a coke is a cure for the common hangover!
Peychaud, on the other hand, originated from a family recipe brought to America by Antoine Amedee Peychaud when he fled Haitian in 1795 and settled in New Orleans. Antonie was an apothecary by trade, and around 1830 he produced the first known version of his secret bitters. Peychaud bitters is an integral part to that most New Orleansian cocktail, the Sazerac (which is also whiskey based). Peychaud is harder to get and for the more “in the know” bar keep and is said to have a lighter, more floral flavor than Angostura.
Older cocktail recipes call for orange bitters and just about the only place you can still get orange bitters is from Rochester-based Fee Brothers who make flavored bitters as well as their own classic “Old Fashioned” bitters.
I still say that bitters are bitters. For those in the know, whoever, there are clearly two highly-polarized camps. Personally, I say, “When in New Orleans…….”
The Classic Manhattan Cocktail
2 oz whiskey
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
2-3 dashes bitters
Maraschino cherry for garnish
Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
Shake well.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with the cherry.
