Must Mix: Tavern on the Green’s Manhattan and The Brooklyn

Putting meaning behind every Manhattan the entire month of October.

Tavern on the Green’s Beverage Director Jordan Tannenbaum has crafted a cocktail menu featuring New York inspired beverages inspired by the five boroughs. Check out his Manhattan and his riff on the Manhattan, The Brooklyn.

The Manhattan features Breuckelen 77 Rye Whiskey, VYA Vermouth and Angostura Bitters.

“We like to keep our Manhattan classic with our main twist being that we use an amazing rye right from New York City to make the boroughs eponymous cocktail. The relatively obscure Breuckelen 77 (based on the original Dutch spelling of the borough it’s distilled in) is one of the best whiskeys made in New York State with a very reasonable price to boot. In addition to that we use VYA Sweet Vermouth to lend it’s powerful aroma to help balance out the rye and finish with Angostura bitters.”
– Jordan Tannenbaum

Jordan Tannenbaum

Also on the menu is The Brooklyn, a riff on the original Manhattan featuring Ragtime Rye, CioCiaro, Maraschino Liqueur, Dolin Dry Vermouth. Jordan continues, “The Brooklyn was born sometime in the 1910s but mostly forgotten after Prohibition, it replaces the Angostura bitters with an amaro and the sweet vermouth with a combination of Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and Dry Vermouth. The cocktail originally called for Amer Picon but due to it’s unavailability in the U.S. at Tavern we use CioCiaro to make for a more than an ample substitute and use the slight sweetness of New York Distilling Co’s Ragtime Rye along with the Luxardo to balance out the satisfying bitterness of Dolin Dry Vermouth.”

The Manhattan

The Manhattan

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Breuckelen Rye
• 1 oz. VYA Vermouth
• Angostura Bitters (barely coat the bottom of the mixing glass)

Preparation: Stir, strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with brandied cherry.

The Brooklyn

The Brooklyn

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Ragtime Rye Whiskey
• 1/4 oz. Dry Vermouth
• 1/4 oz. Maraschino Liqueur
• 1/2 oz. CioCiaro

Preparation: Stir, strain into chilled coupe. No garnish.

A Central Park staple, the historic Tavern on the Green has been capturing the spirit of New York City since 1934. In 2014, co-owners Jim Caiola and David Salama (previously of Beau Monde and L’Etage in Philadelphia) re-opened Tavern with a completely redesigned space and menu that harkens back to the original landmark featuring warm, celebratory dining spaces, seasonal American fare, classic cocktails, and a robust wine list. Jim and David selected Bill Peet (formerly of Asia de Cuba, Café des Artistes & Patroon) as Executive Chef for the revival of Tavern, who has reinvigorated the menu with creative takes on classic dishes. Visit TavernOnTheGreen.com.

To participate in Manhattan Month, visit ManhattanMonth.com.