{From left to right: Four Roses Small Batch with grapefruit bitters and a Red Vine garnish in the Me O’ My style (blanc vermouth and Big O ginger liquor); Bulleit Rye with Angostura bitters and a flamed orange in the Deluxe style (sweet vermouth and Luxardo liquor); Four Roses single barrel with orange bitters and a maraschino cherry in the Devil Red (rouge vermouth and Cherry Herring)}
Does the thought of shopping today send you into cold sweats? Me, too. I would much rather drink a cocktail this afternoon and possibly shop online if I start to feel ambitious (tipsy). Maybe it’s the cold winter air, or maybe it’s because I always watch the Macy’s Day Parade, but for me, Thanksgiving weekend screams Manhattans.
If you also find yourself hankering for a whiskey cocktail this weekend, I recommend sampling Boogaloo’s new Manhattan menu. The menu, released just two weeks ago, centers around a four-step process: pick your spirit, bitters, garnish and style. Sounds simple? Yes, but if you do the math, there are more than 10,000 different variations. Justin Mills, Boogaloo’s bar manager, summed up the concept nicely when he said, “It’s specific, but simple.”
Step 1: Pick your bourbon or whiskey
Right now, there are seven bourbons and whiskeys on the menu, ranging from $8 to $10 (The price reflects the final cocktail no matter what garnish or style you choose.). There also is a bourbon or whiskey of the month available; this month’s is Pure Kentucky bourbon.
Step 2: Pick your bitters
There are eight types of bitters on the menu along with a bitter of the month (This month is grapefruit.).
Step 3: Pick your garnish
The garnish options are fun and a little all over the place. Go safe with a flamed orange or maraschino cherry, or go weird with a segment of Red Vine or black licorice.
Step 4: Pick your style
By style, the staff at Boogaloo means type of vermouth and liquor. The staff created 12 different styles because, according to Mills, this is the step you might accidentally screw up, like pairing an absinthe wash (pictured) with a blanc vermouth. The menu also warns you that two of the styles are quite a bit sweeter, “for non-Manhattan drinkers” (like the Manhattan pictured below, right).
{From left to right: High West Silver with Swedish herb bitters and black licorice in the Green Fairy style (Genepy Des Alpes vermouth and an absinthe wash); High West Silver with baked apple bitters and an orange twist in the Caribbean style (blanc vermouth and X-Rated Pineapple Liquor)}
In addition to the thousands of iterations available, the bar also has 25 different types of cocktail glasses. So even if you’re like my husband, aka the Antonin Scalia of Manhattans, and just want your drink to taste how it has always tasted (see the cocktail pictured in the top photo, center), the same drink may be served in a different glass every time you order.
Happy Thanksgiving and happy drinking!
This article appears in Guide to the Holidays 2013.