Intimate Spaces

Intimate Spaces

I created a tribute to a cozy little bar recently, and thought the drink was also a fitting toast to this tiny little treasure box, too. The basic drink template is the Manhattan, that classic cocktail invented some time around 1880 at New York City’s Manhattan Club. This is one classic whose name makes an ounce or two of sense. The original recipe, chronicled in the club’s 1916 edition of its official history, calls for equal parts rye whiskey and sweet vermouth, with a few dashes of orange bitters. The original was thus a mellower and softer version of what you will usually find today, made with two parts rye to one part vermouth, and I stick closer to the original proportions in this particular creation, although you might not recognize it as such since I’m using aged tequila rather than rye.

Byrrh - it's cold outside! This should warm you up.

In place of traditional vermouth, I’m using the French aromatized wine Byrrh, a specialized aperitif from Thuir, France created by the Violet brothers in 1876. They blended regional Roussillon with local plants, herbs and quinine to create a tonic that they named “Byrrh”, apparently from code letters they found on cloth from their haberdashery shop. “Byrrh Grand Quinquina” has a recognizable historic label and the wine can be seen adorning decades of beautiful old poster art. It’s delicious on its own with fruit and strong cheese, and works well in cocktails of all kinds. I’ve added a touch of rhubarb liqueur to the drink for a pinch of complex sweetness that also turns the drink into a hybrid Manhattan / Old Fashioned. It’s perfect for enjoying a few small moments with something, or someone, unassuming and surprising. Cheers!

This pair is rather intimate

Intimate Spaces

2 oz anejo tequila

1 ½ oz Byrrh Grand Quinquina

¼ oz rhubarb liqueur

Dash of lime bitters

Stir ingredients together with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Lemon twist.

Find more variations on this drink: