This article is part of the guide to FT Globetrotter in New York
Manhattan cocktails – a powerful and precise combination of whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitter – were born in the New York City Borough about 150 years ago and were later named. It shines amber. For decades, cocktails have beckoned urban saloons with thirst, especially when lit by tabletop candles in low-lighted bars (which should have been) and acted as a beacon of sorts.
The exact origin of drinks is apocryphal. (The drinks were playing, and memories were blurred.) It was first mixed in 1874 at the Manhattan Club, perhaps due to a party thrown by Jenny Jerome, known as Mrs. Randolph Churchill, Winston Churchill’s mother. But the drink story is before Bash. Anyway, by the time David solidified the mother of six cocktails in his basic book, the art of mixing drinks in 1948 was Manhattan.
Manhattan is a strict cocktail, and well-made cocktails are proportional paragons. Whiskey forms the backbone, which gives it structure, smokyness and shape. Sweet vermouth obscures the edges of whiskey, infusing it with a sweetness and its own assertive flavour. The bitterness adds a powerful herbal aromatic. A bit of cherry and its syrup gives the drink a little celebration. It’s practice to make one thing better than another. The bartender must stabilize his hands and be keen on vision to measure the jigger. Drinks should be stirred with large enough ice (to not be diluted by the rapidly melting cubes), the cherry blossoms should be crimson and soaked in brandy if possible. There are no foodafaraw or frippery.
Manhattan flourished in the middle of the century, and was an age of strong drinks and rolled wood. Over the years it has been replaced by martinis and offers a higher degree of loose goosey experiment. Perhaps one reason is that martinis bring innovation and Manhattan is more strict. Each element is an integral. Swapping vermouth for simple syrup is what’s old-fashioned now. Add cognac and benedictine. That’s Vikale. Is Manhattan like that, or Manhattan isn’t, but this is why I love it. It is the Old Testament God in the world of cocktails. It is strict but fair and gives praise, but the commandments are engraved on stones.
However, form-by-form contractions are not always the enemy of innovation. Sometimes it encourages creativity. Around the city, bartenders are tweaking Manhattan and making their drinks theirs. Or mostly mine.
The Absolute Best Manhattan: Hillstone
378 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10010
I’m not a permanent person. I have poor fashion, temperament, poor relationships, careless and indifferent to lovely things (headphones, watches, home). But I have at least a drink. Perfect rye Manhattan, up, cherry.
In this case, you need to know what in this case means “perfect” and “perfect”, so it’s a hassle to order drinks. Rye also produces a slightly ascetic drink, in contrast to bourbon. This is alleviated by cherry. This prefers to twist the lemon. Because I’m still a child. They understand the meaning of “perfect” in Hillstone.
Hillstone is one of the steak and sushi restaurants with few culinary ambitions but many accomplishments. Perhaps the best way to spend the night in these declining days in our world is to have this French dip sandwich and this rye Manhattan with cherry blossoms. Drinks arrive generously poured into a glass of martini. It’s like ice. The sandwiches are overflowing with roast beef, and the ramekin is full of juice. Dip, chew, bite. You are at the top of the world. Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 11:30am to 10pm. Sundays, from 11:30am to 9:30pm. Website; Directions
Il Padrino at Locanda Verde Hudson Yard
50 Hudson Yards, New York, New York 10001
Black Manhattan is a traditional Manhattan variant in which amaro, a bittersweet herbal liqueur, is used as a sweetener instead of sweet vermouth. Black Manhattan tends to have a heavier mouthfeel than silk and is more velvet.
In the new Locanda Verde Hudson Yard, a sparkling derivative of Andrew Calmerini’s Tribeca restaurant, bartender Daryl Chang uses black Manhattan as his base, but tilts his hat to an old-school drink made of another cocktail, the Godfather, scatch and amareto. The Scotch in question is the Johnnie Walker Black label. To this he adds Lazzaroni Amaretto, Foro Amaro and Sagrantino Passito (sweet wine from Umbria) and Fino Sherry, a silky smooth drink that is slightly nutty and silky. It’s decadent – the smoky manifested. The aromatics are overcharged, but under all of them, you can see the soul of Manhattan. It’s an offer you cannot refuse. (IL Padrino is also available at the original location of Locanda Verde.) Opening hours: Monday through March, 11:30am to 3pm, 5:00pm to 10pm. Fridays from 11:30am to 3pm and 5pm to 11pm. Saturdays, from 5pm to 11pm. Sundays, from 5pm to 10pm. Website; Directions
La Pont de ol la tete de ol
318 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10010
Perhaps it’s a wink to the New York nickname, the Big Apple. Perhaps it would simply include Calvados, a Normandy apple brandy that softens the drink. But French chef Daniel Boulede’s new steakhouse Latte Tedoll, Manhattan riffs – Lapomedoll, or Golden Apple – steal the show. Made with 12-year-old McCarlan (giving a richness to whiskey), sweet vermouth (traditional), mole bitter (adds spice hints), and Calvados, this drink is strong enough to compete with the prime rib trolley touring around the dining room. But thanks to Calvados’ tendency, it’s calm enough to keep the flooring out after a few bites. Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 5pm to 11pm. Sundays, from 5pm to 10pm. Website; Directions
Mini-Manhattan at Tusk Bar
7 East 27th Street, New York, New York 10016
Manhattan is a strong drink. I’m attractive after one. Sloppy after the second. Thankfully, at Tusk Bar, which opened at the Evelyn Hotel in late 2023, impressively bearded bar director Tristan Brunel created two sipper menus of classic, miniaturized cocktails. Among these best is Manhattan, made with two parts of old Forester bonded rye, and one part A is a blend of vermouth (Calcano Antica and more herbal cocchi di Torino) with a bit of angostura bitterness. The drink is a fully-made scale model of Manhattan, and is a well-balanced classic. I have it. There are two. Still standing! Opening hours: 4pm to half night. Website; Directions
Le b
283 West 12th Street, New York, New York 10014
I don’t get mad at Le B’s bar. One won’t rise until the white coating server pushes the luxurious high stool backwards and gently and reliably pushes it like a hydraulic press. Le B is small, but on the corner of West Village, the restaurant ambitions of chef Angie Mar are spectacular. The chandelier once hung in the Grand Prospect Hall in Brooklyn. Pichibier and Wellington come out of the kitchen. You can only order Le b burgers at the bar, quantity is limited and rules are strict. One hamburger per seat per night. He has it along with Samkas, an attractive version of Manhattan. It is named after Antanas Samkas, the longtime lead bartender of Maa, who passed away last year, and combines the taste of Manhattan with its Asian heritage of Marhattan. Whiskey is in Japanese, vermouth is exchanged for sherry and barley shuchu, and oolong tea smoke is finished on the tableside. It is a simple, aromatic, elegant run. The chandelier glowed as the smoke cleared, and Manhattan didn’t seem so perfect. Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm to 1am. Website; Directions
What do you think about Manhattan? And who do you think will make the best in New York? Please let me know in the comments below. Follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @ftglobetrotter
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