Last night I finally mixed a Black Manhattan. This is a whiskey and amaro drink that was developed at Bourbon and Branch in San Francisco. I’d seen the recipe (published in the Washington Post in July 2008), but was a little worried that it would taste too hot, as the Averna has about twice as much alcohol as the vermouth it would replace. But once I inhaled the aroma of the finished cocktail my concerns were dissuaded.
Black Manhattan
In a shaker, pour over ice
2oz rye whiskey;
¾oz Averna;
1 dash Angostura bitters;
1 dash Regan’s orange bitters.
Stir until chilled,
strain into a cocktail glass,
garnish with a candied cherry.
Since I had just gotten a bottle of W.L.Weller wheated bourbon, I used equal parts of that and Sazerac rye whiskey. Each whiskey presents an appealing spiciness tasted along the sides of tongue. Also I garnished with a lemon twist, which I thought was much nicer than a cherry.
The sweet spice of the Averna is very smooth over the whiskeys, and extends through their rougher spiciness. This is another excellent cocktail!
