Brooklyn – Recipe from David Embury’s ‘The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks’
Every borough of Greater New York has to have its special cocktail. You have had the Manhattan and the Bronx. Here is the
BROOKLYN
1 part French Vermouth
3 parts Whisky
1 dash Maraschino to each drink
1 dash Amer Picon to each drink
Stir with large cubes of ice. If you do not have Amer Picon, you can substitute Angostura.
You will note that the Brooklyn is nothing but a Dry Manhattan with a dash of maraschino. It is supposed to be a speciality of that grand old Brooklyn hotel, the St. George. I would be willing to wager, however, that even in Brooklyn there are at least five to ten times as many Manhattans consumed as there are Brooklyn’s. Try both and you will understand why. Note that the Silver Bronx (page 142) is also sometimes called the Brooklyn.
I like that there’s a drink named after each of the boroughs, I do a cocktail class on it, which as I’ve said before normally descends into cosmopolitans and apple martini’s.
The borough to avoid at all costs is a Staten Island, which is a Malibu and pineapple, which I like to think of as less of a cocktail, and more a way of life.
Embury alludes to a Brooklyn being less of a drink than a Manhattan, which is (unsurprisingly) a little harsh as this is a great drink, and I’m a big fan of Amer Picon, something I feel should get a lot more love in drinks. I find the maraschino peaks through nicely as well and is a flavour which generally works wonderfully with bourbon. Most Manhattans are served with a cherry, and unless this is washed, which I don’t think it should be, you get a nice slight cherry flavour wafting through the edges of the drink, a Brooklyn is a little more upfront about this, and I kind of think that maybe a Manhattan would benefit from a healthy addition of Maraschino, and to be honest would be a little surprised if I was the first person to think of this.
Please try this drink, it’s a little lighter and drier than its more illustrious sibling, but by no means a lesser drink.
