Dubonnet Manhattan

My new passion is Manhattan. Manhattan is old and classic cocktail with american whiskey (bourbon or rye), sweet vermouth and cocktail bitters. One of the key ingredient of the good Manhattan is vermouth. Unfortunately we have very pour range of vermouth in Ukraine now. There are available Martini, Cinzano and somewhere Gancia. But we have another way to vary our Manhattan expirience – to use Dubonnet instead vermouth in this magnificient cocktail.

The vermouth is fortified wine vwith aromatic plant extract. Dubonnet is fortified sweet wine with hint of quinquina. It is so similar stuff.

The first recipe of Dubonnet Manhattan was founded at CocktailDB. It is so similar to Dubonnet Cocktail with whiskey instead gin.

The Dubonnet Manhattan Cocktail garnished with a red marascniho cherry (Коктейль Дюбонне Манхэттен, украшенный красной мараскиновой вишней)

Dubonnet Manhattan

35 ml bourbon or rye whiskey
35 ml Dubonnet Rouge
Stir in mixing glass with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

First I try this cocktail with bourbon whiskey. I use Maker’s Mark handcrafted bourbon.

The Dubonnet Manhattan Cocktail is realy very good. This cocktail has very interesting taste with sweet muscat entry with a lot of fresh grapes and fruits, so sweet and smooth palate and great bourbon finish. I try this cocktail with canadian whisky also. The result is quite different. The main palate is sweet wine with a hint of whisky. But both of this cocktails are not Manhattan, actually.

Another recipe of Dubonnet Manhattan I found at the great Intoxicologist’s post Make Mine a Manhattan Holiday. This cocktail contain some dry vermouth for good balance.

The Dubonnet Manhattan Cocktail garnished with a amarena cocktail cherry (Коктейль Дюбонне Манхэттен, украшенный коктейльной вишней)

Dubonnet Manhattan #2

50 ml bourbon
20 ml Dubonnet Rouge
7 ml vermouth dry
3 dash Angostura bitters
Stir in mixing glass with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist and cocktail cherry.

Actually this recipe is promo for Evan Williams bourbon and american Dubonnet (both crafted by Heaven Hill). I use Four Roses bourbon and french Dubonnet Rouge. Also I use only 1 my big dash of Angostura for good balance.

The cocktail is excellent! It is very good Manhattan recipe. Dubonnet Rouge and Martini Extra Dry work very well together. The result is great sweet “vermouth” taste. The Dubonnet Manhattan #2 has smooth very good balanced and round piquant taste with main bourbon palate. It is admirable Manhattan!

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Two Manhattan Variations

Angostura bitter is hard available in the Ukraine. But Angostura bitter is essential ingredient of the famous Manhattan. Manhattan is truly magnificient cocktail. As Garry Regan wrote in they The Joy of Mixology Manhattan is King of Cocktail. Actually we can make acquaintance with Manhattan with help of two very interesting special variations.

The Special Manhattan Cocktail was found at the CocktailDB. It contain Campari Bitter instead Angostura.

The Special Manhattan Cocktail garnish with red maraschino cherry (Коктейль Манхэттен Особый, украшенный мараскиновой вишней)

Special Manhattan Cocktail

50 ml whiskey
25 ml sweet vermouth
7 ml Campari
Stir well with a lot of ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cocktail cherry.

Actually a proper whiskey in Manhattan are american whiskeys like rye whiskey or bourbon, but you may substitute with canadian whisky with apropriate results.

I tasted several combinations with all of my canadian whisky – Canadian Club, Black Velvet and my favorite Crown Roal De Luxe. Also I use two of my sweet vermouths – Martini & Rossi Rosso and Cinzano Rosso. IMHO Martini Rosso vermouth is not great choice for both cocktails. The Cinzano works well in both.

The Special Manhattan Cocktail is great man’s drink. It is connoisseur’s choice. This cocktail is too similar to original Manhattan. It is strong bitter sweet and complex cocktail with aromatic profile. The bitternes of this two cocktails are so different.

Our next cocktail is Esquire Manhattan. This cocktail was created by D. Wondrich for Manhattan Experience Contest. This Manhattan contain Fernet-Branca instead of Angostura.

The Esquire Manhattan Cocktail (Коктейль Эсквайр Манхэттен)

Esquire Manhattan (Эсквайр Манхэттен)

50 ml bourbon
25 ml sweet vermouth
12 ml Fernet-Branca
Stir well with a lot of ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and add a orange twist.

Original recipe prescribe Woodford Reserve bourbon and Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth.

The Esquire Manhattan is great cocktail. It has strong bitter-sweet taste with great bourbon palate. The bitter finish are very interesting with a lot of herbal bitter notes of Fernet-Branca. It is great Manhattan expirience.

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Hurricane (original version)

Actually I posted about Hurricane Cocktail some years ago. Hurricane Cocktail (especially Dale DeGfroff’s version) is one of my favorite tiki cocktails. Now I want to try the “original” version of this drink from Grog Log by Beachbum Berry. I’ve found this recipe with very good opinions at two great blogs – Kaiser Pinguin and Looka!

Hurricane Cocktail | ScienceOfDrink.com

The Hurricane Cocktail was invented in 1940-s in a famous New Orlean place – Pat’s O’Brien Bar.

The truth is that Hurricane is an iconic tropical cocktail. There are many different versions of the Hurricane Cocktail. The most described Hurricane is fruit rum punch preferable with a passion fruit syrup of juice. But an original recipe of Hurricane is quite another thing – strong, sweet and balanced. This recipe is so heavy of a passion fruit syrup and it’s sounds exciting.

First I try this native Beachbum Berry’s recipe with two my dark rums – Appleton Estate V/X and cheap White Diamonds Black.

The Original Hurricane Cocktail | ScienceOfDrink.com

Hurricane (Beachbum Berry)

120 ml dark rum
60 ml fresh lemon juice
60 ml passion fruit syrup
Shake well and strain into a hurricane glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a flag – an orange slice with a red maraschino cherry.

Well. It seems that there is no a big difference between this two rums. Both cocktails are very good and balanced with a smooth rum note and a noticeable kick. The Hurricane Cocktail has a very sweet (but acceptable) main palate with a distinguish taste of passion fruit. The drink is so smooth. Undoubtedly the Hurricane Cocktail is a great tropical drink. But I am slightly disappointed with the color of libation. Thus I add some artificial colored grenadine for nec plus ultra result.

Two Hurricane Cocktails | ScienceOfDrink.com

My Hurricane

120 ml dark rum
60 ml fresh lemon juice
60 ml passion fruit syrup
2 tsp. grenadine
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
Shake well and strain into a hurricane glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a flag – an orange slice with a red maraschino cherry on a toothpick.

You can also increase lemon juice instead lime juice to achieve proper balance.

This Hurricane Cocktail is unbeatable! The greatest fruit tropical drink (not tiki, Mai Tai is the best forever!)! Very smooth, very balanced, great cocktail! As for me – It has right smell, taste and color. Admirable!

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