We’ll Take Manhattan(s)
A COCKTAIL AUDIT
The classic cocktail is famously forgiving. Yet an upgrade here or there—a pricier premium whiskey, better bitters—can prove surprisingly worthwhile.
MANHATTAN may be the birthplace of the Manhattan, but the drink also has a happy home in Chicago.
“We are a big rye and bourbon town,” said Dan Garrett, assistant general manager of Longman & Eagle, an established anchor in Logan Square, a neighborhood teeming with cocktail bars.
The bar carries more than 700 different whiskeys, most of them American. Its cocktail menu has the usual whiskey-cocktail classics— Manhattan, Boulevardier, Old-Fashioned, Sazerac, Gold Rush—but offers two versions of each, the house standard and the upgrade.
The regular Longman Manhattan is made with Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon and Punt e Mes, a spicy sweet vermouth. That version will set you back a tolerable $15. But you can bump up your bourbon to Russell’s Reserve, another product from the same distillery, for an extra $16 (or $31 total). The Russell’s Reserve comes from a barrel that Longman picked out specially.
This begs a question that has teased my mind for years: Does a more expensive whiskey make for a better Manhattan? I’ve always considered the drink very forgiving. I’ve had some excellent versions made with high-end bourbons and ryes. But a mix of plain Old Overholt rye and Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth has never treated me badly either. Is Longman’s premium Manhattan really $16 better?
There was only one way for me to decide. I ordered both and sipped them side by side.
Rocks and Roll
Before I even got to comparisons, I had to adjust to Longman’s choice of format. On the East Coast, where I live, the cocktail is more commonly served “up”—that is, in a stemmed cocktail glass sans ice. But this is the heartland. Here, the Manhattan on ice, a style that emerged in the 1950s, is still a common sight. Longman serves its Manhattans in a rocks glass on a single rock of clear ice.
“Our Manhattan cocktail was grandfathered in before my time,” said Garrett, who has been with Longman seven years. “One of the reasons we serve it on the rocks is we use Wild Turkey 101.” The “101” in the name refers to the proof, a relatively high one. “We believe that 92 to 105 proof is the sweet spot for cocktailing,” added Garrett. “Having that cube dilutes the cocktail, which changes over time.”
The Wild Turkey Manhattan had that classic, warming Manhattan profile. Manhattans are typically composed of two ounces of whiskey and one ounce of vermouth. But Punt e Mes vermouth, a burly customer, makes Longman’s decision to use only ¾ ounce of it to 2 ounces of the whiskey perfectly sensible.
The ingredients in Longman’s upgraded Manhattan differ only in the whiskey. But what a difference that makes. Russell’s Reserve is less alcoholic than Wild Turkey, but aged longer, making for a much richer cocktail. You could actually taste the extra money.
Try This at Home
Back at my own bar, I duplicated the build of the two Longman Manhattans— easy enough, given the availability of the spirits and the simplicity of the recipes. (Since Longman uses a special barrel pick of Russell’s Reserve, my approximation of the luxe Manhattan was not exact, but still in the same ballpark.)
I admire Russell’s Reserve as one of the best buys in the bourbon and rye world. It’s hard to complain about a 10-year-old whiskey that goes for under $50.
If you don’t find the Russell’s/ Punt e Mes combo to your liking, there’s more than one way to elevate a Manhattan. Among my own preferred pairings: Michter’s Straight Rye—in the same price range as Russell’s—and Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, a pricier and more elegant vermouth option.
One thing Longman doesn’t emphasize: the cherry and the bitters.
I would argue that these, too, are critical matters, contributing significantly to a Manhattan’s final taste. I typically make my own cocktail cherries, using the sour cherries that hit the New York farmers markets every July. I make enough to last a year. Only when I run out do I turn to commercially sold cherries.
And by cherries, I mean real jarred cherries, not the miniature maraschino clown noses sold next to the mustard at the supermarket. Longman uses the Luxardo brand. The best I’ve found—lighter and more complex in flavor—are made by St. Agrestis, a Brooklyn company that macerates cherries in its own amaro for 12 weeks.
As for bitters, Longman uses a house blend, but I find it near impossible to improve upon Angostura. As chance would have it, the Trinidad-based bitters company is celebrating 200 years in business this year and has released a limited- edition anniversary bitters, much more bitter than the standard, employing wormwood and gentian as botanicals. If you can find a bottle and are willing to part with $70, it’s a fun ingredient to play with. Try two dashes combined with two of the regular bitters for a more fully rounded accent.
And why shouldn’t bitters get in on the Manhattan-upgrade game?
$1 6
$31
