Wednesday night found me at Buca di Beppo for dinner with a few of the guys I work with. I have to tell you that I was extremely disappointed to learn that the place is part of a chain. I’d thought it was a charming, local Italian place. Knowing that it’s not local takes away from the charm in a big way for me. *Sigh*
Fortunately, the cocktails were still good. I hadn’t had a Manhattan in a while and then realized that I have yet to post a Perfect Manhattan here. Viola, my choice was made.
Perfect Manhattan
- 2 oz Maker’s Mark bourbon
- 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
- 1/2 oz dry vermouth
- dash Agnosturo bitters
Combine all the ingredients in a shaker and shake, shake, shake to combine. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
This and the straight manhattan have been favorites of mine for years. The Perfect Manhattan is not quite as sweet since dry vermouth is substituted for 1/2 of the sweet vermouth. The dry vermouth adds another very subtle flavor dimension and actually helps showcase the bourbon. Do you have your own variation of a Manhattan? If so, let me know so I can try it out!
Cheers!