Learn How To Make The Perfect Old-Fashioned Cocktail in Less Than 3 Minutes
The old-fashioned is one of the oldest mixed drinks in the cocktail canon. (Original name: whiskey cocktail, which became old-fashioned whiskey cocktail, and then just old-fashioned.) It is a stirred drink, usually built in the glass in which it is served. Both rye and bourbon are suitable base spirits. For the sweetener, purists muddle up a sugar cube with water and a couple dashes of bitters, but simple syrup works as well. Twists can be orange, lemon or both (known as “rabbit ears”).
A fruited version of the drink came into vogue after Prohibition and involves the muddling of a cherry and orange slice along with the sugar. That version remains widespread, but we advocate the more elemental rendition that took hold in the late 1800s, one that allows the flavors of the whiskey to shine.
Muddle the sugar cube and bitters with a bar spoon of water at the bottom of a chilled rocks glass. (If using simple syrup, combine bitters and one bar spoon of syrup.)
Add rye or bourbon. Stir.
Step 2
Add one large ice cube, or three or four smaller cubes. Stir until chilled and properly diluted, about 30 seconds. Slip orange twist on the side of the cube.
The Manhattan was the most famous cocktail in the world shortly after it was invented in New York City’s Manhattan Club, some time around 1880 (as the story goes). Over the years, the whiskey classic has dipped in and out of fashion before finding its footing as one of the cornerstones of the craft cocktail renaissance.
Classic Manhattan cocktail in coupe glass garnished with brandied cherries
Amazingly, the drink that socialites tipped to their lips in the 19th century looks and tastes pretty much the same as the one served today at any decent cocktail bar. The Manhattan’s mix of American whiskey and Italian vermouth, perked up with a few dashes of aromatic bitters, is timeless and tasty—the very definition of what a cocktail should be.
Aromatic Bitters
Early versions call for rye, with its spicier, edgier profile. Purists claim that it’s not a Manhattan without it, but who has ever had fun drinking with a purist? We find that bourbon creates a beautiful, if mellower, drink. And while Angostura bitters are a must in any variation, a single dash of orange bitters helps brighten the cocktail’s edges, bringing the whiskey and vermouth together seamlessly.
Ingredients:
• 2 oz Bourbon or Rye (try it with Bulleit Bourbon)
• 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 dash Orange bitters
• Garnish: Brandied cherries
• Glass: Coupe
How To Make the Perfect Classic Manhattan Cocktail
• Add all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice, and stir with a cocktail mixing spoon until well-chilled.
• Strain into a chilled coupe.
• Garnish with a brandied cherry.
A Martini is one of the most iconic and classic cocktails around. It’s also one that not a lot of people agree on when it comes to making it the best way. Gin or vodka? Stirred or shaken? Ice shards or double strained? Lemon twist or olives? Blue cheese stuffed? Dirty?
Point being, how you like your Martini is probably different than how your aunt likes hers. Despite this, you and your aunt can both agree that crafting a great Martini at home can make you feel as classy and sophisticated as they come!
Because there are so many options, it’s always good to start with the tried-and-true classic recipe for a Martini before you get to customizing your own. As we dive into the recipe, let’s take a look at how such an elegant two-ingredient cocktail can have so many people divided.
Gin or Vodka?
A classic Martini calls for gin. Some people love it, while others feel like drinking gin is like biting into a pine cone. Gin is full of botanical flavors, most of which are juniper-forward. It’s like the friend who’s always wearing a bright, funky-colored shirt and despite how you feel about it, it just works. Gin works because it pairs really well with the herbal qualities of dry vermouth, the next key ingredient in a classic Martini. If you’re going the gin route, I recommend using something high-quality. Some common ones are Beefeater, Plymouth Gin, Tanqueray, or Hendrick’s.
In the other camp, we have vodka. It’s a neutral spirit that tends to take a little bit of a beating amongst cocktail enthusiasts for being flavorless. Yet, it’s smooth and a lot of people prefer it over gin. If you like vodka, I recommend purchasing a premium bottle like a Belvedere or Ketel One. Don’t skimp on ingredients here because every drop matters. I’d say $25 to $35 is a great price range for a quality bottle.
Who Is This Dry Vermouth Character?
The second ingredient in a Martini is dry vermouth. It’s a type of fortified wine, blended and infused with different herbs and botanicals. Use a quality, well-preserved bottle of vermouth. By well-preserved I mean refrigerated after it’s opened. It’s still a wine and begins to oxidize after opening, so be sure you keep it cold. There’s nothing worse than a left-out bottle of vermouth that has turned to vinegar. Not tasty. A recommended bottle of dry vermouth is Noilly Prat or Dolin.
By rule of thumb, if your cocktail contains only booze, then you stir. By this rule, a Martini should be stirred. James Bond would probably disagree. On any other day I wouldn’t fight him, but on this matter I advise you to stir your Martini, especially when going with gin. Shaking can “bruise” the gin and mask the botanicals you want to taste.
Want an Ice-Cold Martini?
The reason people shake their Martini is because they don’t feel stirring the cocktail yields a cold-enough martini. If you want your cocktail arctic cold with ice shards floating on top, shake it.
Lemon twist or olives?
A martini should always be served up in a chilled glass, but the garnish you use is up to preference. Squeeze the back of a lemon peel over the glass to release the lemon oils into the martini, then rub the peel around the rim of the glass. This enhances the aroma and brings a fresh zest to it. Either drop the lemon peel in, or discard and garnish with several fresh olives.
Most importantly, drink your martini pinky up because now you’re fancy!
Now Let’s Make The Perfect Martini
Ingredients
• 2 1/2 ounces of gin or vodka
• 1/2 ounce of dry vermouth
• Lemon peel twist or olives, for garnish
• Ice
• Before you build your Martini, put your Martini glass in the freezer to chill.
• Build the drink: Place the gin or vodka and dry vermouth in a mixing glass.
• Stir and strain: Add cubed ice and stir for 30 seconds until the Martini is chilled. Strain the drink into your chilled Martini glass.
• Garnish the drink: Pare a lemon peel, and express (pinch) the back of the lemon peel over the martini. Rub the lemon peel around the rim of the glass and drop it into the glass. Alternatively, garnish with speared olives.
Shaken
• Chill the glass: Before you build your Martini, put your Martini glass in the freezer to chill.
• Build the drink: Place the gin or vodka and dry vermouth in a cocktail shaker.
• Shake the drink: Add cubed ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
• Strain the drink: If you prefer ice shards floating at the top of your Martini, then simply strain the drink into your chilled Martini glass. If you don’t want the ice shards, then strain the drink through a fine-mesh strainer to catch the ice shards.
• Garnish the drink: Pare a lemon peel, and express (pinch) the back of the lemon peel over the Martini. Rub the lemon peel around the rim of the glass and drop it into the glass. Alternatively, garnish with speared olives.
