MIKE AND THE MANHATTAN

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One popular theory about the Manhattan’s origin is that it was created by Dr. Iain Marshall for Lady Randolph Churchill (Jennie Jerome, mother of Winston Churchill) for a banquet she hosted in honor of politician Samuel Jones Tilden. Another account, from the 1923 book Valentine’s Manual of New York, mentions that the cocktail was “invented by a man named Black who kept a place ten doors below Houston Street on Broadway in the [eighteen] sixties.” No matter its origin, the name “Manhattan” has remained with the drink over the decades.

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BY PATRICIA RANFT Mike and the Manhattan

Lexington mixologist shares the finer points of the classic cocktail

As evident by its name, the Manhattan cocktail was not conceived in the Bluegrass State, but with whiskey as its primary ingredient, it’s no surprise that the drink enjoys a following among Kentuckians.

The cocktail’s origins are somewhat muddled, although a story that the Manhattan was invented at New York City’s Manhattan Club around 1880 carries some merit. Consisting of whiskey, vermouth and bitters, the Manhattan has enjoyed a strong following since.

“It’s one of the first drinks I ever learned to make,” Blue Stallion Brewing Company General Manager Mike Tate Abbott said. Based in Lexington, Blue Stallion is the thirdoldest craft brewery in central Kentucky and—offering the best of two worlds—boasts a full-service bar. A veteran mixologist, Abbott has 19 years of experience under his belt, along with a passion for the craft. He first learned about wine and cocktails at a food-service job in a fine-dining restaurant. “It was like a whole new world was opened up to me,” he remembered.

When he decided to try his hand at bartending, Abbott, a Frankfort native, picked up a copy of The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks by Dale DeGroff at the local public library and became hooked on learning about the art, science and technique of mixology. A self-professed cocktail nerd, Abbott then

“When you drink a Manhattan, you’re gonna taste the vermouth. It’s a fortified red wine, so you’re getting that natural berry flavor,” Abbott said. “But with the coffee and cocoa bitters [of The M.T. Abbott Manhattan], it takes that berry and rounds it out to a berry covered with chocolate—a chocolate berry.”

CLASSIC MANHATTAN THE M.T. ABBOTT MANHATTAN

GARNISH CHERRY GLASSWARE COCKTAIL GLASS OR COUPE

2 ounces rye whiskey (preferred) or bourbon 1 ounce sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica preferred) 2 dashes angostura bitters Ice, for mixing

Add whiskey, vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass over ice. Stir with a barspoon until chilled. Strain into glass and garnish with cherry on a pick.

GARNISH ORANGE PEEL GLASSWARE LARGE ROCKS GLASS

2 ounces Pikesville Rye or Buzzard’s Roost Rye 1 ounce Carpano Antica Vermouth 1 dash angostura bitters 1 dash Crude Big Bear Coffee & Cocoa Bitters Ice, for mixing

Add rye, vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass over ice. Stir with a barspoon until chilled. Strain into glass and garnish with orange peel.

checked out more books. on the subject. During a stint running the bourbon and cocktail program at Goodfellas Pizzeria in Lexington’s distillery district, he honed his craft, elevating his cocktail game by working with fresh produce to concoct homemade cordials and elixirs as well as creating specialty drinks.

Regarding the Manhattan, he said, “Picking the vermouth is the most important thing—not your whiskey.” For Abbott’s favorite Manhattan, “There’s no other option than Carpano Antica. I could have a bottle [of it] in my fridge and drink it alllll day long. In my opinion, it’s the best sweet vermouth out there. “You can do bourbon or rye, but I prefer the rye,” Abbott said of mixing a Manhattan. He recommends 2 ounces of rye combined with 1 ounce of vermouth, plus bitters. “The bitters are like the spice cabinet. With a rye whiskey, traditionally you have those bready baking spices, and the aromatic bitters—like angostura—work best with it. The angostura has so much gentian root, cloves and cinnamon, so those pair nicely with the rye whiskey. With the bitters and the spice of the rye, the sweet vermouth balances it out.”

Abbott generally mixes up a classic Manhattan when serving customers, but he developed a special recipe for Kentucky Monthly—one with notes of chocolate. Q