Just got back from a quick holiday to scenic and historic Coquitlam to visit my folks.
And like any good journey to the distant east, I come bearing alcohol.
The last time I visited my parents we settled on an evening of Old Fashions. This past weekend almost became more of the same. As I was heading out the door of the Veneto Lounge after a DJ set, head bartender Simon Ogden, asked if I wanted another Bulleit Bourbon Cocktail to add to my skill-set.
The Manhattan is considered one of the 6 basic cocktails. If maybe.,.. you’re my wife for example, and say… maybe have every episode of Sex and the City on DVD, then you know about the Manhattan because that is what the girls drank. (also Frank mutha fucking Sinatra)
The Manhattan is basically 2 parts whiskey; 1 part sweet vermouth; a couple dashes of Angostura Bitter; stirred in ice; strained; with a maraschino cherry for garnish.
Like any great cocktail, the Manhattan is a place for the truly creative bartender to flex their brain and excel at dazzling your senses while remaining true to custom.
I don’t know if this is Simon’s “Manhattan” or just a recipe he threw together for me knowing what I can do and with ingredients that anyone can muster.
Simon’s Quick Manhattan
2 ounces of Bulleit Bourbon
1 ounce Cinzano Sweet Vermouth
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
Combine and stir in ice until very cold. Strain into an ice cold martini glass (or you know, plastic cup as case may be).
Slice off a hunk of orange peel… some spinnster may try and give you a Christmas orange. Slap this person in the mouth, unless its your mother, then politely decline. It should be a real orange.
Flame the peel and spritz the essence onto the cocktail.
Garnish with a Griottines cherry (this might be the challenging product to track down. Historically you can use a Maraschino cherry. Simon says; no cherry is better than anything radioactively red or use a real cherry.)
If you are throwing an “oh wow” party, splurge on the cherry. Both my folks loved the cherries. And the orange peel trick is a crowd pleaser too.
Questions, comments, concerns? Making a cocktail is an easy and fun thing to do but you can always visit the Veneto and ask Simon. He’ll answer your questions and show you how to do it.
And remember: “(David A.) Embury stresses frequently that the drink will never be any better than the quality of the cheapest ingredient in it, and hence he stresses constantly the need for the highest quality spirits, liqueurs, cordials, and modifiers (fresh squeezed lemons, etc.)”
Go with yourself.
The Morning After 
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Well done, young Padawan. You’ve taken your first steps into a larger world.
That is, in fact, the time-tested recipe for the Manhattan, in its entirety, no shortcuts, no substitutions. Its beauty is in its simplicity, and it has earned its title of the Godfather of Cocktails. Drink proud.
Oh, and I think the Sex and the City libidinous libation you’re thinking of is the Cosmopolitan. If they drank Manhattans it would have been an altogether different show, and snobtenders would be happier, and vodka producers and cranberry farmers would be sadder.
That Embury quote is rubbish, btw. Price doesn’t necessarily equate to quality in the world of spirits, you can have a killer home bar set up for much less dough than people think. The most important factors in a superior drink are proportion and technique.
And damn straight Sinatra drank Manhattans. Mostly he drank Jack Daniel’s (boo-ya), but knew a decent Manhattan when he threw one back.
Keep up the outstanding work, JB. We’ll have you flipping bottles a la Bryan Brown in no time.
thanks Simon. good times making the drink!