The Manhattan and the Martini. I have been bartending now for over 20 years and I take great pride in the fact when one of these two drinks hits a patrons lips, they give me a nod of approval and tell me, “you make a pretty good Manhattan”. I still chuckle to myself when I hear this. In my opinion, these two drinks are the easiest to make in the bartending repertoire, besides your simple mixers like Rum & “Cokes” or Gin & Tonics. So whenever I’m complimented on these two drinks, it must mean there are a lot of bartenders out there who don’t take the time, or have the simple knowledge on how to make Manhattans and Martinis the correct way. Don’t worry. I was one of those bartenders many years ago. It wasn’t until someone drank one of my Manhattans and made a face like they just took a sip of gasoline, before I decided to learn how to make them the right way.
Manhattan & Martinis
These drinks are ordered two ways. On The Rocks or Up. On the rocks simply means the drink will be with ice and Up refers to the drink being made without ice. There are two different glasses that are used. For on the rocks, a rocks glass is used, which is a short, stocky glass, typically 6-8oz. For those who want it Up, a funnel shaped, long stemmed glass, called a Martini glass is used. Also typically 6-8 oz. Now don’t get confused. Yes you are pouring a Manhattan into a Martini glass. That’s just the name that the Up glass has been called for years. Manhattans are typically ordered by male patrons and most of the time on the rocks. Martinis are normally ordered Up, by both male or female customers. There are many ingredient variations, especially for the Martini. I will be focusing on the classic versions of both.
Ingredients
The amount of alcohol you pour, for either drink, depends on the size of the glass that your bar chooses to use. Although the ounces you pour may vary, the ratio of you pour should always be the same. The standard recipe/ratio is
Manhattan – 2oz Whiskey or Bourbon – 1/4 oz or .25oz of sweet vermouth (a ratio of 8 to 1)
Martini – 2oz Gin or Vodka – 1/4 oz or .25oz dry vermouth (a ratio of 8 to 1)
Always ask the patron what type of liquor they want and if they want it on the rocks or up. Do not assume. Especially when it comes to Martinis. Although the classic Martini calls for gin, many patrons now assume they are made with vodka, especially with the evolution of so many “specialty” martinis such as the Cosmopolitan. Taking the 5 seconds to ask, will save you from making the drink over and losing valuable tips.
Building/Mixing your drink
Too many bartenders are nonchalant when it comes to pouring On the Rocks drinks. They slap some ice in a glass, quickly pour the liquor in and hand it over to the waiting patron. There is a big problem with this. Even though you are building your drink over freezing ice, it still takes a few minutes for the liquor to get to the correct cold temperature, providing the smooth taste the consumer desires. You want the first sip of every drink you make to be the best sip. Not the 4th or 5th.
Building a Manhattan or Martini should be done the exact same way, whether it be ordered Up or On the Rocks. You will first need the correct type of glass of course, depending on how the drink was ordered. A Martini glass or Up glass should never have ice in it and you should never fill it with ice and water in an attempt to “chill” it, prior to pouring the finished drink into it. This just looks tacky and most Manhattan/Martini drinkers frown upon the idea of water being added to their drink. Just don’t do it. When making a drink On the Rocks, make sure you pack your rocks glass with ice, slightly above the top level of the glass. The level of ice will go down once your pour the ingredients into it. You have your glasses set, now let’s mix our drinks.
Take your mixing glass and completely fill it with ice. I use a clear mixing glass, since our bar does not use portioning devices and the amount I pour is a visual or free pour. Fill the mixing glass with your ingredients, depending upon the size of the drink glass your bar uses. Make sure to keep the 8 to 1 ratio though. Cover your mixing glass with what you use as a “topper” or some device your bar uses to ensure the ingredients don’t fall out when shaking. Shake firmly for 7-10 seconds. You then strain the shaken ingredients into your rocks or Up glass, garnish and wait for the nod of approval and enjoy hearing “You make a great Manhattan!”
If they look like they just took a sip of liquid from their local gas pump or give their drink an initial look of displeasure, then we need to figure out what you did wrong.
Common Mistakes made when making Manhattans/Martinis
Shaking – Remember I said firmly shake. You do not need to work up a sweat when making these drinks. Do not over shake. A good shake results in the drink being slightly cloudy, due to the cold temperature. If your drink has bubbles or froth, you have shaken to hard. Make sure you shake. Do not simply swirl the ingredients around in your mixing glass. If ice falls into your Up glass, do not try and pick it out with your fingers. Simply pour the ingredients from the Up glass, back into your mixing glass and re-strain.
Ice – If you don’t pack your rocks drinks with ice, two things will occur. You end up with a drink that looks like you didn’t add enough alcohol and you will have to add more ice, which looks tacky and the customer will feel “short changed”, leading to a small or no tip at all.
Amount of Vermouth used – The most common mistake in making a Manhattan/Martini is the amount of vermouth that is poured. The worst thing you can do, is pour too much. I have seen bartenders simply pour ingredients over rocks (without using my shake method) and pour the Vermouth last. This is the worst thing you can do, since the first sip of the drink will taste like vermouth. Remember, a quarter ounce at the most, unless the customer tells you differently. If you are on the lazy side when making drinks on the rocks and the taste of your drink or gaining better tips is not important to you, than make sure you always pour the vermouth first, followed by your main liquor.
Garnishes – garnishes are simply the fruit that you use when decorating the drink. With Manhattans, a cherry or lemon twist is used, while lemon twists or green olives are the normal garnish for Martinis. Make sure you use the correct garnish for the right drink. When someone asks for a lemon twist, give them a twist, not a slice or wedge that contains the “flesh” or fruit of the lemon. A lemon twist, is simply a small strip of the peel of a lemon. To prep lemon twists, cut of both ends of a lemon, revealing the flesh on both ends. Then make quarter inch slices on the peel, down the length of the lemon, making sure not to cut into the flesh. You will be left with a full lemon with approximately 20 long slices on the outside peel. Do not take off the slices until you need them, they will dry up quickly. When you need a twist for a drink, carefully remove the peel slice from the lemon, twist the peel until you see a drop of lemon juice form, run the twist around the rim of your glass, then drop into drink.
Pouring the wrong liquor – Don’t assume that when someone orders a Martini, that they want gin. Yes, gin is the classic liquor and most widely used in Martinis but vodka is becoming more popular. A lot of the time, patrons will order a drink, not realizing there are more common forms or variations of that drink. So make sure. If someone orders a Manhattan, simply ask them if they want whiskey or bourbon. Gin or vodka if a Martini.
Glossary
On the Rocks – made in a rocks glass, with ice
Up – chilled, poured into a funnel shaped, Martini glass
Sweet Vermouth – vermouth made with red grapes, red in color
Dry vermouth – vermouth made with white grapes, clear in color
Dry Martini – a Martini made with just a drop or two of dry vermouth. Less than the standard 1/4 ounce. Normally garnished with a lemon twist
Dry Manhattan – a Manhattan made with dry vermouth, 1/4 oz, rather than sweet. Normally garnished with a lemon twist
Perfect Manhattan – a Manhattan made with equal parts of dry & sweet vermouth, totaling 1/4 – 1/2 oz
Sweet Manhattan – a Manhattan made with extra sweet vermouth. Usually 1/2 – 3/4 oz
Dirty Martini – a Martini made with adding green olive juice to the ingredients, giving the drink a green/cloudy color. Usually 1/4 – 1/2 oz
Topper – any device used over the top of a mixing glass to create a seal, so when shaken, ingredients stay safely in mixing glass.
Strainer/Strain – a metal hand held device put over the top of a mixing glass to stop ice from falling into the drink when the ingredients are poured. Some mixing glasses have strainers built right into the “topper”
Garnish – the fruit used to decorate or add flavor to a drink. Cherries, Olives and lemon twists are the normal garnishes for Manhattans/Martinis
Flesh – the inner part of a fruit, underneath the peel
Twist – a slice of lemon peel (no flesh), normally 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. Normally used in Dry drinks.
Building – another term for mixing or pouring your ingredients
