Happy Repeal Day!

On December 5th, 1933 the infamous 18th Amendment was repealed, ending prohibition and legalizing what most Americans had been doing anyway: Drinking.  It also cut the incomes of famous, upstanding citizens such as Al 'Scarface' Capone, Bugs Moran, Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson, Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll, Owney Madden, Big Frenchy De Mange, and a host of other upstanding citizens who made their fortunes on illegal liquor (the manufacture, wholesaling, retailing and import of same) and often came to an untimely demise.


I'm celebrating with a perfect manhattan, which is half rye whiskey, half sweet vermouth and a dash of Angostura bitters.  Chill the glass, assemble the ingredients in your favorite cocktail shaker along with a handful of ice cubes, shake it and strain it into the chilled glass.  Alternately, just dump it into a highball glass and enjoy your manhattan on the rocks.

Perfect Manhattan

The traditional garnish for a manhattan is a Maraschino cherry and a slice of orange.  I lack the orange slice, but I've made up for that discrepancy by using a real Maraschino cherry instead of the artificial junk served at bars everywhere.  These are Luxardo cherries, and there's a world of difference between the Luxardo originals and the common, everyday cherries I had before.  The taste is amazing, and inspires me to make another drink.

My thanks to Big Mike who provided this generous gift.

Bottom's Up!