Dirty Old Manhattan

I worked in hospitality for nearly 10 years and tried a lot of different cocktails. I had the fortune of being trained by award winning bartender and creator of Aviation Gin, Ryan Magarian. As the “mixology” craze became a thing I noticed that many of the classic cocktails I was trained on were becoming a modern staple again. Old Fashioneds with unique bitters and the large block of ice and various Negronis and Juleps were becoming increasingly popular again.
As my palate became more refined as I got older whiskey drinks started to become more of a go-to for me. I found myself bouncing between Manhattans and Old Fashioneds depending on the strength or flavor profile I was interested in at the time. I started mixing at home and making Old Fashioneds with different Rye whiskeys and different amounts of sugar and dilutions. Meanwhile I was having my girlfriend taste each one of them to provide a softer opinion with a more pedestrian palate. After I perfected the Old Fashioned I switched back to the Manhattan as I longed for the Vermouth and cherry flavors again. She hated the drink. It was too strong and there was no sweetness to her. Even with increased amount of vermouth the drink was too strong. And since I enjoyed it being served ‘up’ there was no continuous dilution to slowly soften it.
I started having to make her an Old Fashioned and my Manhattan separately. I thought to myself, “damnit there needs to be a way to get the orange zest and sweetness out of the old fashioned and combine it with the vermouth and cherry of a Manhattan satisfying both palates at the same time.” I present to you the Dirty Old Manhattan.
“Dirty” because it involves the orange juice that is hinted at in the zest of the orange of an old fashioned as well as the cherry juice that is usually a ghost of a flavor whisping off of the cherry in the bottom of a Manhattan. These two elements combined add the sweetness of the drink and provide the “dirty” element similar to olive juice in a Martini.
“Old” because it’s still partly an Old Fashioned with the accompaniment of the orange bitters and orange zest.
Enjoy this modern take on a combination of these iconic classic cocktails.
Jason Hand