The downtown-chic Urbane restaurant and bar, located in Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle, celebrated its eighth anniversary this month the only way the crew knew how: through eight nostalgic cocktails. One of which was the NW Manhattan, a signature cocktail created for the anniversary and sticking around on the fall menu for the season.
A fusion of a rotating local whiskey or bourbon, sweet vermouth, Scrappy’s Bitters and booze-infused huckleberries, Urbane bartender Chris Swindle found his muse for the cocktail in his own backyard.
“The inspiration behind this cocktail was to showcase good local flavors, not only just by using local bourbon, but also using local huckleberries for a unique take on a traditional Manhattan,” Swindle explains. “My Northwest spirit of choice for this is the J.P. Trodden bourbon because it has a great complexity of flavors,even if you just have it with a splash of water. Over time, it really opens up and develops flavor after delicious flavor.”
For this mixologist, the spice of the bourbon complements the bitters, and the freshness of the huckleberries ties the whole bevvie together.
If he wasn’t behind the bar mixing this cocktail for you, where might you find Swindle enjoying a NW Manhattan? “My ideal situation to be drinking this cocktail would be in my Lazy Boy with a fire going watching the Seahawks on a Sunday afternoon.”
We can drink to that.
NW Manhattan
By Chris Swindle
Makes 1 cocktail
2 ounces J.P. Trodden bourbon
1 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes Scrappy’s Bitters
Garnish: drunken huckleberries*, to taste
Combine all of the ingredients with ice, stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass, on the rocks or straight-up. Garnish with the huckleberries to your taste.
*For the drunken huckleberries, soak fresh huckleberries in a sealed container filled with vodka for about 1 week. Strain and use. Then drink the now-infused vodka.
