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!

White light, white heat

White whiskey. It's one of those things that seems to have a bad reputation and filled with images of outlaws working on secret stills in the hills. Such was life and some would say still is... apparently illegal distilling takes place in areas where people take imbibing in certain "nip-joints". Illegal whiskey is apparently (not that our imbibing hero here would know) one of those products that could basically contain... god knows what. Have a barrel out in the woods.. yeah a few bugs wont hurt... need someway to make a still... yeah that old lead car radiator I found will work out well... Such were the stories I heard... never mind that the XXX rating found on "artisanal moonshine" involved names such as Tangles (XX) I forget what the first and third Xs were called, but they signified the times the whiskey went through the still, causing a higher proof (alcohol) content. 1 2 3... just like that. Fours Xs... and your still was launched allegedly to the moon... Before I go any further I 'll just say this right away.

The three bottles here I have acquired are all LEGAL PRODUCTS THAT ANYONE OF LEGAL DRINKING AGE CAN PURCHASE. YOU SHOULD NOT PURCHASE ILLEGAL MOONSHINE. Thank you... lecture over.... now...

However, living in DC I have nearby Virginia to sometimes enjoy and there is only one (I believe) legally available bottler who makes white whiskey. The product is called Virginia Lightning and it is made on Belmont Farms (you can find out more about them here http://www.virginiamoonshine.com/home.html ).

I picked up their product while visiting in the area, and also a second product they make which is a 2 year Kopper Kettle aged whiskey with applewood and oak chips and charcoal filtered. Those are the only 2 things they make.

I also tasted with this a second young whiskey called Mountain Moonshine Old Oak Recipe which is from West Virginia. They also make a white whiskey. Thoughts and comments about all these whiskeys are in the video below.

Stay tuned also, I will make for your pleasure soon with white whiskey... a White Manhattan.