Your Video Guide to Making the Perfect Cocktail

{ and what to pair with it }

The recipe:

2 ounces straight rye whiskey

1 ounce sweet vermouth

2 dashes Angostura bitters

maraschino cherry, for garnish


Stir in pitcher half-filled with ice for 30 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Add cherry.

Watch Paul make a Manhattan and Steve some bacon-wrapped dates. (Click ► to play.)

{ If you cannot view the movie, you must download Quicktime. }

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Shaken or stirred? Well, if you shake your Manhattan, you’re going to get a lot of air bubbles throughout — and a slightly foamy head. Some people like it that way. When using rye, we definitely enjoy the cocktail more when it’s stirred; however, shaking up a Manhattan made with certain bourbons somehow mitigates the slightly “peanuty” flavor you get from mixing certain bourbons with certain sweet vermouths. You should experiment with different whiskeys, but we cannot recommend rye highly enough. Try Rittenhouse, our preferred, but most ryes will do. Also, the sweet vermouth you use will affect the flavor. Perhaps an Italian sweet vermouth would be more to your liking.

For our perfect Manhattan (not to be confused with a Perfect Manhattan), we recommend rye whiskey (try Rittenhouse), sweet vermouth (Noilly Prat, e.g.), and Angostura bitters. The maraschino cherry is optional, but we like it more for looks than for taste.


For more Manhattan recipes, and for other New York City borough recipes, click here.

Tired of using standard day-glo maraschino cherries? Use what we use: Luxardo marasche cherries. Their softer texture and more natural flavor and color will add a newfound burst to your last sip.

The recipe:

2 dozen dates

12 slices bacon (we like regular or low-sodium)

almonds


You can either preheat oven to 350°F or use an outdoor grill, with hot coals.


Cut the bacon in half and wrap a strip around each date. You can push an almond into the dates if you desire for added flavor.


Place the bacon-wrapped dates (with the seam side down) onto a lined baking sheet, or a grill pan if using an outdoor grill. Bake for 15 minutes, until the bacon looks crispy. If using an outdoor grill, flip the dates, cooking about 5 minutes on each side, or until the bacon looks crispy. Remove from heat and add toothpicks if you desire.


Serves 6.

Click here for printable version.../../../../Printable_Manhattan.html

“The important thing is the rhythm. Always have rhythm in your shaking. Now a Manhattan you shake to fox-trot time, a Bronx to two-step time, a dry martini you always shake to waltz time.”


— Nick Charles in The Thin Man

Ah, the Manhattan. Named after the greatest place on earth. Its rich amber-red shimmer lights up any dark room. The anticipation of the first sip is high, so high in fact, that hardcore Manhattan tipplers will tell you instantly not only what kind of whiskey was used (rye, bourbon, blended), but what brand.