I made some cocktails with brandied cherries before. As good as they were, I kept thinking about the original Manhattan. And since I still had a bunch of brandied cherries left, I thought, why don’t I try some variations on the original Manhattan?
The Rob Roy, a classic drink that’s basically just a Manhattan with scotch whiskey instead of bourbon.
Rob Roy
1.5 oz scotch whiskey
0.75 oz sweet vermouth
dash of Angoustra bitters
brandied cherries
I much prefer the original Manhattan. The taste of scotch whiskey just doesn’t sit well with me. Even if I used good scotch, I doubt it would make a difference.
Next, I tried using brandy instead of the bourbon.
Brandy Manhattan
2 oz brandy
0.5 oz sweet vermouth
1 teaspoon maraschino cherry juice
2 dashes of Angoustra bitters
brandied cherries
Well, the taste of brandy is definitely better than scotch whiskey for me, but I still think I prefer bourbon, somehow. Perhaps this one needs more vermouth, and also some more cherry juice. And better brandy would probably help.
Finally, dark rum in place of the bourbon.
Cuban Manhattan
1.5 oz dark rum
0.5 oz sweet vermouth
dash of Angoustra bitters
brandied cherries
The dark rum was actually not that sweet to me. It was a pretty potent drink. I was hoping for something a bit more caramel-flavored, but it wasn’t, sadly.
In the end, it actually turns out that I might actually like bourbon. Just a little bit.