Brooklyn

You’d be a Dumbo not to love this cocktail. 

The Brooklyn cocktail is a riff on the famous and classic Manhattan cocktail. But as the saying goes, “Anything Manhattan can do, Brooklyn can do cooler” or at least that’s what we’re saying. The Brooklyn first appeared around 1908, most likely as a direct response to the Manhattan’s creation and popularity in the 1880s. 

The classic Manhattan is a chilled combination of whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters served in a cocktail glass. While the Brooklyn follows this “whiskey + vermouth + bitterness = a great time” format, the two could not be more different. The Brooklyn is a rye-based cocktail that swaps out sweet vermouth for dry vermouth and uses Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur for sweetness. And then things get really crazy with the addition of Amer Picon. 

Amer Picon is a truly unique French apéritif with a bitter, yet orangey flavor. This bold little liqueur has no real substitute and gives the Brooklyn its signature flavor. There’s just one little problem – Amer Picon is hard to find. In fact, historians believe that Amer Picon’s obscurity on both shelves and other recipes is the reason the Brooklyn fell out of popularity in the first place. Essentially – the Brooklyn was too cool for its own good.  

If Amer Picon does evade you, there are a few options. You can add two dashes of Angostura bitters instead, swap Amer Picon for Bigallet China-China Amer (as if that will be easier to find), or give up entirely and make a Jockey Club instead. 

But if none of these options appeal, and you’re feeling truly disrespectful, you can always cross the Brooklyn Bridge and settle for a Manhattan.