W hat do you order at a quintessential Manhattan bar? A Brooklyn, of course! I left New York City decades ago, but Brooklyn, the borough that's become globally hip, is still truly home. So, the maroon-colored cocktail named after it is on my list of favorite New York things.
I now live in Hamburg and work for DIE ZEIT, but when I'm back in New York on assignment, there are a few after-work musts. A late-night run across the Brooklyn Bridge, an off-Broadway show, a visit to Bar Pisellino in the West Village. (Their Americano Sbagliato is to die for.)
To really clear my head after a grueling deadline, I walk over to 30 Hudson Yards and ascend 101 floors to Peakaboo. Settling into one of 12 comfy leather seats at the bar (reserve in advance!), I'll sip a Brooklyn. It's a riff on the classic Manhattan cocktail that replaces Angostura bitters with maraschino liqueur and Picon.
Is this drink new? As Brooklynites say, "Fuhgeddaboudit!" It dates back to 1905, when Jacob Grohusko, the city's first prominent Jewish bartender, mixed it up at a bar on Wall Street, hoping to attract bankers from the boroughs on their way home.
The Brooklyn offers shaved lemon peel instead of the Manhattan's maraschino cherry. Set on the bartop at Peakaboo, framed by the city outside, the cocktail is picture-perfect but with an edgier taste — just like the Brooklyn I know and love.
Brooklyn
- 2 ounces rye whiskey
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth (or dry if you prefer)
- ¼ ounce Amer Picon
- ¼ ounce maraschino liqueur
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Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass half filled with ice. Using a long spoon, stir until the ingredients are well chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist or maraschino cherry.