Saturday, August 21, 2021

pennsylvania

2/3 Rye Whiskey (1 3/4 oz Rittenhouse)
1/3 Italian Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat Sweet)
1 dash Sherry (1/4 oz Lustau Amontillado)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Two Saturdays ago, I delved into Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 and spotted the Pennsylvania. This Manhattan-like number featured a hint of sherry, and I wanted to see if I could replicate the great effect observed in Wit's End's It's A Long, Long Way. In the glass, the Pennsylvania proffered nutty, rye, and fruit aromas. Next, grape and plum on the sip was followed by rye, cherry, and clove flavors on the swallow.

3 comments:

Chris said...

Have you never mixed with a Maryland style rye? I wonder how it’s floral palate would work.

CocktailVirgin said...

It's a vague historical term at this point meaning using other grains like corn and barley like how Old Overholt is made (almost Bourbon-like). Pennsylvania style is a higher rye content -- often Rittenhouse is put into that category due to its more aggressive flavor but the stuff coming out of MGP at 95/5 works.

Chris said...

Interesting. The name of the cocktail and the rye made me think of Pennsylvania and Maryland styles. Leopold brothers out of Denver did an interesting one which almost had a sort brandy roundness to it.