Carmen told me about this quaint little bar in downtown Cary after she and her girlfriend went there a few weeks ago. She ordered a Manhattan and said it was marvelous. So, I took her back there last night to see for myself. We took seats near the bar's prep station, so we could be sure to watch our cocktails being made.
The bartender asked what we'd like. Carmen requested a whiskey sour while I asked him to make me his best Manhattan (of course). That gave him pause. I could tell he was thinking about that a bit, then he asked if I had a whiskey preference. Strike one. I said I wanted him to choose. He said he thought ryes made better Manhattans and I agreed with him. He asked if I had a rye preference, and again I said I wanted him to choose. Strike two. He nodded and pulled Templeton Rye off the shelf. I've had it before and it does make for a nice cocktail. Admittedly, a really nice rye shouldn't be used in a Manhattan since any subtleties of character will be lost amongst the bitters and vermouth. You want a good, strong choice, though, that can stand up for itself yet blend well with the other ingredients. Templeton is a good choice.
He set aside a martini glass filled with crushed ice to chill. Very nice touch. Really, I prefer that over a bartender pulling out a chilled glass from the refrigerator. It makes for a better visual display during the preparation of a cocktail, and it shows the bartender is more frugal with his refrigeration space, choosing not to waste any of it for chilling glasses. The only thing he might have done better would have been to add a little water to the ice to speed the chilling effect.
He then filled the beaker with block ice (not crushed - good), a couple of dashes of Agnostura bitters, the Templeton, and an ounce of Cocchi vermouth - my favorite! He redeemed himself from the question asking with that move. He stirred vigorously and tested it along the way. Very attentive to his craft, I must say.
Lastly, he emptied the ice from the glass, poured the concoction in, and then added the drunken cherry. That's a good idea, I think, to add it at the end or else pouring over the cherry may make the drink too sweet. The result was very pleasing. He hit the mark.
Carmen noted to me later that she thought that bartender did a very nice job remaining focused on creating the perfect cocktail even after the bar started to fill and the staff became extra busy. Once he made a whiskey sour and was unhappy with how the stripe of bitters landed on the meringue as he swiftly swung the bottle across the top, so he corrected it with a toothpick. And when Carmen ordered another whiskey sour later, he manipulated the stripe for her again with a toothpick to form a leaf in the meringue. He knew she had seen the plain stripe before and added a bit more flair to the second round. That is the sign of a great bartender - one that focuses on his or her craft instead of cutting corners to serve the patrons faster. I'm quite certain the patrons appreciate that and one reason why the bar was full.