Perfect Baklava Manhattan

By Chilled Magazine

In Nashville, Sadie’s serves American fare with Mediterranean influences, 

so the Baklava Manhattan is the perfect complement to the inspired menu. Director of beverages, Trudy Thomas created the not-too-sweet drink to complement the dessert menu.   

 

Here’s what Trudy tells us about her drink: 

 

“A Perfect Manhattan has equal parts Sweet and Dry Vermouth, so it’s one of my favorites to put on a dessert menu. This whiskey cocktail has many of the attributes of true baklava. While it was created to complement Sadie’s most popular dessert, it is balanced and delicious to drink on its own, especially if you’re like me and prefer a cocktail instead of dessert.” 

 

“For this cocktail, we use Verino’s Tentura Antica Cinnamon Liqueur from Greece as the substitute for Sweet Vermouth, as it adds sweetness usually derived from honey in true baklava. As is the case for Verino’s, it adds layers of spice to this cocktail. Tentura is very popular in Greece. It’s a brandy-infused liqueur that gets its taste, aroma, and color from spices, mostly cinnamon.  If you can’t find Verino’s, there are other Tentura’s available like Root’s. We also use, Lustau Dry Vermouth, another Mediterranean spirit, which is a beautiful dry vermouth from Spain. It has become one of my go-to vermouths for mixing. Lustau Dry Vermouth is made with two wines—a Fino sherry for its base and Moscatel. It is dry with a soft bitterness that keeps the final cocktail from being overly sweet and overpowering, which is important when pairing with dessert.

 

In addition to the bourbon, we add Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, as all true baklavas have a nut component—typically walnut or pistachio, which is the case for Sadie’s signature dessert. We chose Bitter Queen’s Chocolate Walnut as our bitters as it adds just a little extra layer of flavor to the final cocktail.”  

 

“Traditionally, Manhattan’s are stirred, but if you like your Manhattan’s shaken, this cocktail can hold up to the extra dilution. The garnish is a long orange peel pinched over the top to add a brightness to the cocktail before drinking.  For home bartenders, I would suggest you play around with the Perfect Manhattan using different vermouth’s, whiskeys, and bitters. Don’t be afraid to use liqueurs for the sweet or amaros for the bitterness, as long as you keep the portions in balance so no one item overpowers the final cocktail.” 

 


 

Perfect “Baklava” Manhattan

Ingredients 

  • 1 oz. Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 
  • 1 oz. Verino’s Tentura Cinnamon Liqueur 
  • ½ oz. Maker’s Mark Bourbon 
  • ½ oz. Lustau Dry Vermut 
  • 2 dashes of Bitter Queen Chocolate Walnut Bitters 

Preparation: Build all ingredients in a mixing glass, stir and strain into a Coupe Glass garnish with orange peel sidekick

 

 

 

 

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