The Manhattan

The Manhattan
We're kicking off this round of drinks with a quick history of the Manhattan, one of six classic cocktails featured in David Embury's cocktail encyclopedia The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks and a shout-out to one of the boroughs nearest and dearest to our hearts.  Despite its solidified place in cocktail history, the Manhattan's own history has some discrepancies. In one account, Dr. Iain Marshall of NYC's Manhattan Club invented the drink in the 1870s.  He's even said to have done so for a banquet hosted by Winston Churchill's mother in honor of presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden, although this detail is contested (she was apparently giving birth to Churchill at the party's said time!).  In another version of the drink's origins, it was first mixed at a bar called Broadway near Houston St. in the 1860s. [Photo via]
1 of 6