The White Manhattan Cocktail... twist on a classic standard. You can teach an old white dog new tricks!

Sometimes, everything comes together in life. When it comes to a good cocktail, it's also the finer things and the patience involved to make it, that somehow makes it more rewarding.

I had done a previous whiskey tasting of young whiskey as part of my series. While tasting the whiskey I realized that much of it sat on the shelf and I cared not often to bring it down for my liquid pursuits.

However, after finishing the tasting I went back to some old articles and came across one for white whiskey in the Washington Post, and there it was ... there was included a recipe using white whiskey in a classic standard cocktail favorite of mine... a "white Manhattan".

I love Manhattans. I am normally a Bourbon fan with them and particularly like them on the rocks. What my biggest pet peeve with them though was, were the ubiquitous companionship of cocktails.. those things that I could not escape no matter how hard I tried... the dreaded red fake cocktail cherry.

But even then I fixed that solution purchasing Italian Wild Cherries that were just DIVINE. I was all set, I even decided to order some other French Vermouth, only to receive dry vermouth instead of Blanc (white/sweet). My plans were put on hold, I would have to wait... WAIT to make this drink... My temptation to just make one, sans true cocktail cherry, sans Dolin Blanc (perhaps even ruining it with an old long shelved bottle of Martini Rossi Bianco), no I would have to be patient... A true good cocktail need EVERYTHING just right. And the wait was well worth it.

Subtle, sweet glycerine taste, orange slight bouquet, Benedictine... oh what a great liqeur you are... and then topped with a great tasting cherry. This is a great sweet drink, which you white whiskey fans may be all over... Benedictine is not a normal component in a classic Manhattan. Put here with the sweentess of a Blanc Vermouth it really adds a great texture along with orange bitters. Definitely worth a look.

I present to you... the White Manhattan. Cheers!

The Old Fashioned Cocktail, Old is new again and will never die...

It seems like when you discover something that is old and been around for a long time that you really enjoy, but not many people seem to know about, that's when you know you've hit something special.

When I first got into cocktails intently and spirits many years ago, I realized that many of them went past the ones we probably have all heard before such as the Martini.

The reality is that cocktails had their start long time ago and were concoctions mostly out of apothecaries, medicine shops, filled with bitters and tonics that were to be cure-alls if you will. I wont repeat much of that history but it's a fascinating one going back quite some time ago.

When I started jumping into the land of Bourbon, I discovered a classic old cocktail that I had never heard before that really fit in this realm. What??? There's something more to cocktails than Martinis??? Really??? you better believe it.. and it's a classic standard.

Below is a classic Old Fashioned recipe. I took this after much playing around and practicing and felt that the recipe provided by Chris McMillan (someone put YouTube videos of him up) was the best I've ever tasted. I duplicate it here for your pleasure with the exception of the Whiskey I used. I make some comments based on a previous recipe and give my thoughts on this great drink which is a favorite of mine. I found a great book that was recommended by Mr. Booze (see previous Blog postings) that was written by Ted Haigh (Dr. Cocktail!) called Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. Ted is also one of the developers of http://www.cocktaildb.com/I plan to make more of the drinks in this book, some of which you probably never heard of, but it's always good to make some basics first. Like I say... you have to learn to crawl first before you walk.

Yes I did it very much like Chris did, but the reality is this is how it's suppose to be done with I feel these correct measurements, which were also echoed in many other recipes I found also for this drink. Many other bartenders make this drink the same way on YouTube as well, some slightly varying it... but not by much. Regardless... it's fantastic and you should make one.

Check the video below to learn how! And stay tuned for another cocktial classic... the Whiskey Sour.

Cheers!