Featured Cocktail: 1860 Manhattan

The classic cocktail renaissance, which started a decade ago, has shaken up the mixology scene worldwide. In cities as far flung as Sydney and Stockholm, Cape Town and Manhattan, Madrid and Buenos Aires, bartenders, heavily influenced by their predecessors of the 19th and 20th centuries, are serving libations whose roots date as far back as middle ages. Not to be out done by those who have gone before, today’s crop of mixology masters are busy reinventing the old, as well as creating new classics of their own.

Frank Caiafa, Beverage Manager, Peacock Alley, The Waldorf Astoria, New York, New York

Caiafa is a heralded cocktail creator and educator whose repertoire includes innovative libations that are simultaneously fresh and classic. His inventive use of ingredients, house made infusions, and bitters resulted in recipes that have been published in numerous periodicals and books, including Wine Enthusiast, Time Out New York, The Bartenders Gin Compendium, The Annual Manual for Bartenders 2011 and 2012, and the recently released 901 Very Good Cocktails.

“One of our most popular cocktails, the 1860 Manhattan is our take on the classic Manhattan from Professor Jerry Thomas' original 1862 Bartenders Guide. The base for our cocktail is Elijah Craig's Small Batch Bourbon. For the other ingredients, the Professor’s recipe left the reader a little room for interpretation. Orange liqueur and cherry liqueur are both suggested as modifiers; we leaned toward the orange flavor, letting the rich Grand Marnier add not only the orange note, but the what is that? character that most of the best cocktails possess.”

1860 Manhattan

2 1/2 oz Elijah Craig 12 year-old Single Barrel Bourbon
1 oz Noilly Prat Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Combine ingredients into mixing glass. Add large ice cubes and stir well for 50 revolutions. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a brandied cherry.