The Bensonhurst

Name: The Bensonhurst
Ingredients: 2 oz Rye whiskey — preferably Rittenhouse; 1 oz Dry vermouth — preferably Dolin; 2 tsp Maraschino liqueur — preferably Luxardo; 1 tsp Cynar

manhattan · rye

Late in the evening, when a Manhattan sounds right but the sweetness doesn't. The maraschino and Cynar go in by the teaspoon because they're seasoning, not ingredients — heavier and it turns into a cough drop with ambitions. The dry vermouth is why the second one feels reasonable.

Ingredients

2 ozRye whiskey — preferably Rittenhouse
1 ozDry vermouth — preferably Dolin
2 tspMaraschino liqueur — preferably Luxardo
1 tspCynar

Method

Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled (but you can shake). Strain into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass.

Steve’s notes

When it comes to replacing ingredients, remember that like replaces like. For example, if you're short on Cynar, you could easily swap out with a similar potable bitters like Campari (although it's much fruitier than Cynar), Fernet Branca or Punt e Mes -- a dark, bitter Italian vermouth produced by Carpano.