Named for the famous borough in New York, a popular story suggests it was invented for one of the booziest of famous families, the Churchills. Winston had so much champagne he got one labelled with his name, and his mother liked the mixed drinks and got a cocktail made for her. Definitely a fun story to think about, but since Lady C was pregnant with Winston and not in the country at the time of the banquet it’s unlikely to be true, it certainly points to Winston’s destiny as an alcohol aficionado.

The Manhattan was written about all over New York in the late 1800s and has many riffs on it through the entire history. As a cocktail it showed up in many recipe books and with a few different names before Manhattan was finally settled on. Very few of the original writings specified which whiskey it contained, rye was the most popular of the time, and of course through prohibition Canadian whisky was used, but bourbon was also a prominent ingredient for mixed drinks. Because of this rye is generally the main one listed, but certainly bourbon is the most popular. Made with scotch it becomes a Rob Roy, you could make it Blonde with a white dog or moonshine, or Perfect with a bit of dry vermouth. There are so many ways to make it how you’ll enjoy it the most.

The Manhattan

2oz Whiskey Wild Turkey 101

1oz Pureta Sweet Vermouth

3dashes Angostura Bitters

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass

Stir with ice

Fine strain into a chilled martini glass 

Garnish with a bourbon cherry

(Aaron’s Notes: Generally speaking vermouth cocktails should be stirred instead of shaken to avoid damaging some of the delicate herbal flavours.)

The Black Manhattan

2oz Whiskey Wild Turkey 101

1oz Averna Amaro

2dashes Angostura Bitters

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass

Stir with ice

Fine strain into a chilled martini glass 

Garnish with an orange peel 

(Aaron’s Notes: This is a drier and more bitter version of the cocktail. If it’s too bitter for your palate add a bar spoon of the honey syrup you had from last month to balance.)