The 3rd Annual Woodford Reserve Manhattan Experience concluded in, where else, Manhattan this week with Joann Spiegel, a bartender from – hey – Manhattan crowned the winner. Here is her recipe:
2 oz Woodford Reserve
1/2 oz vermouth
1/4 oz creme de cacao
1/4 oz Lapsang tea syrup
2 dashes orange bitters
After it went up on Woodford’s Facebook page, several posters complained that, even if it tastes fantastic, this cocktail is not a Manhattan. “Sorry that Woodford does not believe in the sanctity of the Manhattan,” one wrote.
Well, true, a traditional Manhattan does not include creme de cacao or tea syrup. But how much of a competition could you have if every entrant used the same recipe? In a nod to the fact that liberties are being taken, Spiegel’s winning concoction is called “Leaving Manhattan.”
What do you think? Will you give this winner a try, or stick with the tried-and-true?
