Ruby Manhattan
Recipe:
- 45ml rye whiskey
- 30ml tawny port
- 7.5ml apricot brandy/liqueur
- 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
Stir everything on ice until sufficiently chilled. Strain into a prechilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange zest.
An easy twist on a Manhattan from the early 2000s and thus the early days of the bar renaissance. Therefore, not surprisingly, from NYC. There is little to explain, spicy rye is tempered with fruity-sweet tawny and a little apricot. The key here is the dilution, not too sweet, but not too watered down either.
The subtle aniseed note of Peychaud's Bitters is the ideal accent. Even if you might think so: Not every pairing is ideal here, with the Rye I wouldn't get too experimental and rather go with typical Christmas flavors, like Rittenhouse, or a nutty note. The Tawny should be more old-school red-fruity and smooth, not too spicy and rather play the velvety pillow. Then it can be a top Manhattan twist.
Source: Michael Waterhouse, Devin Tavern, NYC, USA
