Cocktail enthusiast Adrienne Stillman’s Spirited.Handout
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If the classic Manhattan is your go-to tipple on a cold night, cocktail enthusiast Adrienne Stillman’s Spirited features page after page of variations that can help you shake – or, actually, stir – things up
REVERSE MANHATTAN
A lower alcohol alternative to the classic Manhattan, this reverse cocktail gives vermouth the starring role.
1 oz (30 ml) rye or bourbon
2 oz (60 ml) sweet vermouth
4 dashes Angostura bitters
Brandied cherry (to garnish)
Opt for a full-bodied vermouth and higher-proof whiskey to give the drink some backbone. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir for 25 to 30 seconds or until well chilled. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with a brandied cherry.
PALMETTO
An equal-parts rum-based Manhattan from the early 20th century, this drink is also known as the Cuban Manhattan. Palmetto is a dwarf palm tree native to Cuba.
1½ oz (45 ml) aged rum
1½ oz (45 ml) sweet vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters
Orange twist (to garnish)
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir for 25 to 30 seconds or until well chilled. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
LEFT HAND
Left hand.Handout
This modern classic was created by Sam Ross of New York’s Attaboy. He describes it as “the love child of a Negroni and a Manhattan.”
1½ oz (45 ml) bourbon
¾ oz (22 ml) Campari
¾ oz (22 ml) sweet vermouth
2 dashes chocolate bitters
Brandied cherry (to garnish)
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir for 25 to 30 seconds or until well chilled. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with a brandied cherry.
Excerpted with permission from Spirited: Cocktails from Around the World by Adrienne Stillman, $59.95 at bookstores and online (phaidon.com).