Cherbourg – Recipe from David Embury’s ‘The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks’

This is a Medium Manhattan, pure and simple—1 part French vermouth, 1 part Italian vermouth, and 6 parts whisky—with a dash of Angostura and a dash of lemon juice to each drink. Shake.

Cherbourg has some history behind it. A small town on the channel coast of France its been used as a key port for decades. Initially developed in the late 1700’s by a French king before they lost their heads, and later by Napoleon. It was the penultimate stop for the Titanic, and many other transatlantic cruises filled with party goers preparing for 7 days of champagne and making Gatsby look like a killjoy. Then after Europe went crazy it was used by American troops as the main landing point on D-Day and the glamour which launched ships like the Titanic, and drinks like the Cherbourg faded into the package holiday landing point for cross channel ferries it is today.

The drink itself is a perfect Manhattan, only with the addition of a splash lemon juice, which works damn well, if you like a Manhattan, you really should try this, the citrus helps bring out some of the flavour of the vermouth, cuts through some of the sweetness, and ‘lifts’ the drink.