The Manhootan
Are you a fancy cocktail snob? If so, you can stop reading right here. This version of the Manhattan, deliberately made with what my father called “cheap booze” and referred to as a “Manhootan,” is anything but fancy. But it was my parents’ nightly cocktail for years, and it was always served in plastic “glasses” that my father declared were “so strong you can jack up a car on them.” As my dad was a mechanic, this statement was not made lightly, but also never tested as far as I know.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces blended whiskey
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- ½ ounce dry vermouth
- ½ teaspoon maraschino cherry juice
- A few dashes of bitters (if you must; Don and Virginia didn’t)
- 1 maraschino cherry
Instructions
- Fill a glass with ice, and stir in the ingredients.
Notes
My parents coaxed my husband into the Manhootan fold 39 years ago, when I first brought him home for family approval (full disclosure: I prefer a vodka cocktail). Embracing the family libation was no small thing; they loved him from the get-go. And he still prefers a Manhootan to a Manhattan (and, yep, we still have those damn plastic glasses!). My dad passed away 11 years ago, at which point my mom upgraded to a slightly better brand of whiskey, but she never acquired a taste for a high-end Manhattan. And as for those gourmet maraschino cherries? Don’t even! Those are for people with “more money than common sense.” The supermarket brand was preferred, provided they had stems. A jar of stemless cherries, purchased by mistake, would sit in the fridge for years. At this writing, my mom, who just turned 90, is preparing herself to join my dad, who I’m pretty sure has been shaking an empty glass of ice for, well, 11 years. He’s waiting for his favorite bartender. So, I thought it fitting to toast my parents here with their cocktail of choice, served in their “glass” of choice. Please join me in raising a glass to Virginia and Don. As my dad would say, “Here’s to those who wish us well, and those who don’t can go to hell!”
Photograph by Mark Loader
