Don’t Judge Me Mondays: The Upper Manhattan
My coworker Kevin loves cocktails and food as much as I do. He lives in St. Louis, so whenever he’s in town we swap recipes, kitchen tricks and restaurant reviews. He was here just a couple of weeks ago and shared a recipe for a drink he discovered called the Upper Manhattan. He describes it as a cross between an Old-Fashioned and a Manhattan and I can already tell it’s going to be one of my favorites! After doing my reviews of orange liqueurs last week, I couldn’t wait to share this drink with you!
Let’s get to it!
This cocktail is fairly simple to make. You’ll start by filling a large cocktail shaker with ice. Add the sweet vermouth, your favorite orange liqueur (after my taste test last week, I recommend Grand Marnier), bourbon and bitters.
Pop the top on the shaker and give it a vigorous shake. There are two different ways you can serve this. You can serve it up, in a martini glass or in a highball over ice. My husband’s preference was over ice. However, I like my drinks to taste more boozy so I preferred mine in a martini glass. Both work, so choose your own adventure. My husband got me these cool sphere molds for Christmas. If you can get your hands on ice cubes or spheres that are large, I recommend using those because they don’t melt as fast.
Whichever way you decide to serve it, you can garnish your drink the same way- with a few amarena cherries on a toothpick or an orange peel. If you haven’t had amarena cherries, they are really tasty! They are Italian cherries soaked in a thick syrup, similar to marachino cherries but with a richer taste. I have found them in the cheese section at Whole Foods- a small container which would be enough to make about 12 drinks, for about $2.
This drink has just the right amount of sweetness from the vermouth and a nice citrusy note from the orange liqueur, rounded out with the warmth of the bourbon. So good!
These drinks are pretty boozy so go slow. This recipe makes 2 large strong cocktails, or 3 smaller ones.
Enjoy!
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Ingredients
- 2 ounces sweet vermouth
- 2 ounces orange liqueur, like Grand Marnier
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 4 dashes of bitters
Instructions
- Fill a large cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add the sweet vermouth, your favorite orange liqueur, bourbon and bitters.
- Pop the top on the shaker and give it a vigorous shake.
- Serve it up, in a martini glass or in a highball over ice.
- Garnish with amarena cherries or orange zest.