I've really gotten into Manhattans lately, and the classic cocktail is an ideal drink for winter, made with the ruddy warmth of rye whiskey and modified by the bitter-sweet flavors of sweet vermouth and bitters. At least that's how it works traditionally, as in the Manhattan I made during my cocktail bitters week last summer. The nice thing about a Manhattan is that its simple formula presents a lot of room for experimentation. In the Death & Co book I discussed yesterday, for example, there are 13 variations on the Manhattan, including drinks made with rum, pisco and even tequila.
Browsing through the PDT Cocktail Book looking for a good drink, I happened upon the two Manhattan variations on page 105: the Deshler, made with orange liqueur, and the Dewey D., made with sherry and Aperol. I couldn't decide which sounded better, so I made both. And liked both. The Dewey D. is the stronger of the two, since it has more whiskey and the sweetness of the cointreau mellows the Deshler more. But I love the use of Aperol, my favorite Italian aperitif, in a Manhattan.
Deshler
Adapted from a classic 1916 recipe by Hugo Enslin in the PDT Cocktail Book
1 1/2 oz. rye whiskey
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1/4 oz. Cointreau
2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
Orange twist garnish
Combine whiskey, sweet vermouth, Cointreau and bitters in a cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with orange twist.
Dewey D.
Adapted from a recipe by Don Lee in the PDT Cocktail Book
2 oz. rye whiskey
3/4 oz. East India Sherry (lacking this, I substituted Amontillado Sherry)
1/2 oz. Aperol
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Orange twist garnish
Combine whiskey, sherry, Aperol and bitters in a cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with orange twist.
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