This cold Wednesday is a good day to take a look at a warming cocktail. The most popular new addition to the PRINT. cocktail menu is the Smokey Manhattan. Our spin on the classic quaff, it gets a rinse of full-bodied and peaty Laphroaig whisky — hence the smokey — and the classic combination of vermouth and rye whiskey. We don’t use just any vermouth or rye whiskey, both are small batch, microdistilled spirits. The vermouth is Atsby Armadillo Cake Vermouth, which is a complex mix of local wine spirits and 30 different botanicals. Some of the herbs and barks that they use are the ones that are traditionally used in red vermouths, like quassia and cardamom, but there are also some more unusual choices in the mix including wild celery, dried shitake mushrooms, and nigella seeds. The result is an intricate and unique. It pairs particularly well with Dark Horse Rye Whiskey from Kansas, where they grow their own rye for their handcrafted spirit.
The result is a drier Manhattan, with an intense complexity from the vermouth, toasted notes from the rye, and cozy smokiness from the Laphroaig.
