Manhattan | 2 down 273 to go

This one is a tumbler of laziness with a jigger of shame. The Partner & I pride ourselves on having a fully -- I mean fully -- stocked wet bar. Right down to the clear icemaker and mini-dishwasher and about 18 different kinds of glassware. So imagine our shame when we had no juices or fresh fruits in the house with which to mix & garnish our 2nd cocktail. Really? Our second drink and already we're punting? So we had to mix up something with no juice or fruit (Quel frommage. What? Yes, it's a joke.  I know it's "dommage".) As far as Hail Marys go, though, a Manhattan ain't too bad!

This cocktail is rich in history for me. My grandparents would make them by the pitcher for family gatherings. I remember all the relatives of that generation sipping these amber elixirs with little Maraschino orbs dancing in the glass bottoms. My mother tells the story of my first giggly, dancing buzz after one family dinner when I got away unchecked from the adults at the dining room table. I scampered into the living room and ate all the cherries out of the bottoms of their abandoned Manhattan glasses. What's past is prologue.

These days it's the mixed drink preference of my sister. On her 40th The Partner & I bought some Willett bourbon & mixed up a batch here in Chi, then dialed Scranton and sipped them while we chatted with her, also sipping one at the other end.

Using dried or marinated cherries gives a contemporary twist to this venerable bev. As of this mixing, I think I'm developing an appreciation. Bitters definitely take the sweet edge off, which is nice. Perhaps I'll take them up in homage to my grandparents. Santé, papy et mamie!

Manhattan
2 oz. rye
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
1 to 2 dashes Angostura bitters (optional)


Stir with cracked ice; strain into chilled cocktail glass; garnish with a maraschino