Brooklyn
Rye, dry vermouth, maraschino and a bitter orange amaro, stirred. The Manhattan's forgotten sibling — drier, more aromatic, and the parent of a whole family of Brooklyn-neighbourhood drinks.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add the rye, dry vermouth, maraschino and amaro to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 25 to 30 seconds.
Strain into the chilled coupe and garnish with a brandied cherry, or nothing.
A thoughtful finish
- Amer Picon is hard to find outside France and is no longer what it was in 1908. A bitter orange amaro — China-China, CioCiaro, Ramazzotti at a pinch — gives the right orange-and-gentian note.
- Fresh dry vermouth. This drink is nearly half modifiers, and tired vermouth shows.
- Keep the maraschino at a quarter-ounce; it is the perfume, not the sweetener.
Common mistakes
- Sweet vermouth by reflex. That makes something closer to a Manhattan with extras; the Brooklyn is a dry drink.
- A heavy hand with the maraschino, which turns it cloying.
- Skipping the amaro because it is hard to find. Substitute it; do not omit it.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between a Brooklyn and a Manhattan?
Vermouth and modifiers. A Manhattan is rye and sweet vermouth with bitters; a Brooklyn is rye and dry vermouth with maraschino and a bitter orange amaro. The Brooklyn is drier and more aromatic.
What is Amer Picon?
A French bitter orange aperitif, popular in the 1900s and now scarce and reformulated. Most modern Brooklyns use a bitter orange amaro in its place.
What are the Red Hook and the Greenpoint?
Brooklyn variations from the 2000s. The Red Hook uses Punt e Mes and maraschino; the Greenpoint uses yellow Chartreuse and sweet vermouth; the Bensonhurst uses Cynar and dry vermouth.
Can I use bourbon?
Yes, for a softer, sweeter version. Rye is the original and suits the dry vermouth better.
Variations
- Manhattan — Rye and sweet vermouth with bitters.
- Red Hook — Rye, Punt e Mes and maraschino.
- Greenpoint — Rye, yellow Chartreuse and sweet vermouth.
- Bensonhurst — Rye, dry vermouth, Cynar and maraschino.
Where it comes from
1908 · New York City · Jacob Grohusko · Baracca's
The Brooklyn appears in Jacob Grohusko’s Jack’s Manual of 1908, from a bar on Wall Street, as rye, dry vermouth, maraschino and Amer Picon — the French bitter orange aperitif — in roughly Manhattan proportions. It never caught on the way its borough’s namesake did, partly because Amer Picon was reformulated and then became nearly impossible to find in America. The drink was revived in the 2000s by New York bartenders who built a series of variations named for Brooklyn neighbourhoods — the Red Hook, the Greenpoint, the Bensonhurst, the Little Italy — each swapping the amaro and the vermouth, and those spin-offs are now more common on menus than the original.
Sources
- Jacob Grohusko, Jack's Manual, 1908 (book)
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
Strength. About 1.93 US standard drinks at an estimated 29.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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