Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Manhattan-ish

Hello and happy Friday once again. We’re now 10 days into March, and coming up on St. Patrick’s day which is some sort of unofficial drinking holiday? Or so I’m told…

With that in mind, I felt it was appropriate to lean into the celebration and find something appropriate to make. Especially since I have a bottle of Jameson on hand which would make the perfect seasonal base for something delicious. Looking in the cocktail book library, I found the Weeski. It’s a Manhattan derivative credited to David Wonderich in the Please Don’t Tell book.

I’m treading lightly here, especially after last week. Will this be good? Or will it turn out like a more of a fake “Manhattan”, like in some movies that looks suspiciously like other major cities.

Weeski

2 oz. Jameson 12 year old Irish Whiskey

.75 oz. Lilet Blanc

.5 oz. Cointreau

2 dashes House Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with an orange twist*

*Note the lack of garnish. My last orange had…expired so no peel to be found.

My first impression is just how considerably lighter this drink looks vs. a regular Manhattan usually is. Though, the Cointreau and Lilet are both much lighter in color than sweet vermouth so the lightness makes sense based on the addition of those. The nose is dominated by orange aromas, and that’s even without the garnish. Surprisingly, I get little to no notes of the Jameson. Going back a couple more times, I’m pretty sure I can pick up some of the Lilet as well. It’s hidden but I can get little bits here and there.

The sip isn’t as dry as I would have hoped. I don’t really get much of a flavor at first, mostly just sweet. It’s not quite “shave your tongue” level sweet, but it’s up there. Going back in, I still have a hard time picking up the Jameson. I think I’m getting a lot of the curacao and the Lilet, which produces a light, orange citrus flavor that carries the sip. Where I think the Irish Whisky really makes it’s mark is in the latter stages and the aftertaste. Towards the end I get the distinct whiskey mouth feel (light burn? It’s hard to describe) that stays on the palate all the way to the finish, and then some. I think it probably takes a good minute or two before the aftertaste and mouthfeel leave and the taste buds return to normal. It’s like the base spirit is doing all the behind the scenes work to lift up the other ingredients without overpowering them.

I had high hopes for this one. Jameson has such a distinct flavor, that I’m actually impressed this drink manages to snuff out most, if not all of the flavor it has. I tend to like my drinks on the drier and stronger side, so while I don’t dislike this, I don’t think I’ll be coming back to this one, unless it’s to workshop it into something that suits my tastes more.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)