The Brooding Manhattan

Keeping up with the previous posts's theme, I return this holiday weekend with yet another concoction I first had at a Disney property. Located adjacent to Disney's Boardwalk Resort, the AbracadabraBar is a small space themed after a 1920s speakeasy, a favorite haunt of the magicians that work the boardwalk's various venues... or so the Disney story goes. While the theming story is a bit of Disney magic, the actual space is indeed well worth a visit - intricate and interesting decor in a fairly small space. The cocktail menu, in keeping with the theme, features many brown-liquor based cocktails - negronis, side cars, whiskey sours, and manhattans.

It was here at AbracadabraBar that I was introduced to a cocktail I'd never heard of - the black manhattan. After enjoying one (or three) on that trip, I returned home inspired to master the drink myself. 

Most, but not all, Manhattan recipes (black or not) call for rye, but I've found bourbon works to my tastes in this drink a tad better than rye. The next variable is the amaro - there is no standard amaro and in fact I am led to believe that the variance among amaros is quite high. Thus far I've used Montenegro Amaro with good results, but as soon as that bottle is finished, I'll be trying other amaros out of sheer curiosity.

Below I've listed two different proportions for a black manhattan that I came across on the Internet. The first is a 3:1 bourbon:amaro ratio, the second is a 2:1 ratio. Because I enjoy the herbal bitterness that the amaro brings to the drink, I tend to stick with the 2:1 version. If however that does not sound to your liking, give the 3:1 a whirl.

Ingredients

1.5 ounces (3:1 ratio) - 2 ounces (2:1 ratio) bourbon
0.5 ounces (3:1 ratio) - 1 ounces (2:1 ratio) amaro
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes orange bitters

Cocktail Cherry Syrup as desired

Composition

Because I garnish this drink with Luxardo cherries, I typically prep the garnish first and then put a small amount (~1/2 teaspoon) of the cherry syrup in the bottom of the cocktail shaker. Add all ingredients to the shaker, stir and taste. Adjust to your preference in terms of sweetness, booze, bitters, etc. 

Once the drink tickles your fancy, add ice to the shaker and stir until well chilled. Strain into your preferred glass. Here I deviate from tradition and serve in a double old fashioned glass with a large chunk of ice. Garnish with cocktail cherries.

Cheers to the holiday weekend(s) conclusion to 2020 - a truly remarkable year...