Stravinski's Italian Restaurant
Chapter 6 | Scene 5
Shirley and Tom Montefiore shuffle up to the bar and begin moving the bar stools around so they can get in a better position to hoist themselves up into them.
Nick the bartender slowly makes his way down his side of the bar to meet them. "Mr. and Mrs. Montefiore – how are you this evening?" He's using a white bar towel to dry the same wine glass that he's been drying for the past 10 minutes.
"Nick! How are you young man?" half shouts the 76 year old to the 82 year old bartender. Tom has gotten his wife successfully up into the barstool and is now trying to sit next to her.
"Nicholas, did you lose some weight?" asks Shirley with a smile.
"I hope not," says the borderline obese bartender. "I certainly haven't stopped eating." He pauses and places a couple of cocktail napkins in front of each of them. "What brings you two kids out this evening?"
"Oh, just our usual wild Thursday night out," she says. "You know – the famous Stravinski pasta night special."
"But there's someone sitting at our table," says Tom, thumbing in the direction of the dining room. "Vinnie's gonna kick 'em out soon and let us know when it's ready."
Nick nods. "Vinnie's good at kicking people out. What can I get you while you wait?" pretending he didn't already know what the Montefiores always order.
Tom turns to Shirley and said, "Manhattans?" It wasn't really a question.
Shirley's eyes widen. "Hmmm, that sounds good. But not too sweet, okay Nick?"
Nick nods again. "Couple of Manhattans. Light on the vermouth. Got it." He turns to look for the rye on the bottom shelf.
"Hey, who's the snappy dresser?" asks Tom, pointing with this chin at a tall, younger man unpacking liquor bottles towards the end of the bar.
The man is dressed as a bartender, but has a much more modern white shirt on than Nick. No bowtie. Open collar. Gold chain. Black vest with shiny metallic buttons.
Nick looks down the bar. "Oh, that's Larry. New bartender. Hotshot from the city. Hey Larry!"
The young man looks back at them, puts the last bottles behind the bar and starts to walk down to Nick.
"Larry. This is Mr. and Mrs. Montefiore," Nick says.
Larry smiles and nods at Tom and Shirley. "I prefer Lawrence, actually. Nice to meet you both."
Nick rolls his eyes. "Yeah, well, do you know how to make a Manhattan, Lawrence?"
"I do," he says. "But I make it a little different. Care to try it?"
Nick is already shaking his head. "No, no, no. Make it like it's supposed to be made."
But Shirley is intrigued. "I think I'd like to try something different," she says.
Lawrence smiles. "Great!" He pulls a couple of Martini glasses from underneath the bar and starts to gather the ingredients. "First – I like to start with Rittenhouse rye whiskey."
"That's what I use," Nick says.
"Yes, but probably for a different reason. It's inexpensive. But it's not inexpensive because it's a poor whiskey. Rittenhouse Rye was originally made in Philadelphia in 1934, but is now distilled in Louisville Kentucky by Heaven Hill Distillery, and in large amounts. You can get a bottle of Rittenhouse Rye for about $25. I like Rittenhouse because it mixes well, but would also serve it 'neat'. It's got a nice classic rye spice flavor to it, with some hints of dried fruit and a nice oak finish." He quickly pours four shots into a cocktail shaker.
"Today I'm mixing it with Wild Moon Birch, a Hartford Flavor Company liqueur." He pulls the Wild Moon bottle off the shelf. Before Nick can protest he says, "I know, sweet vermouth is the traditional sweetened botanical used – and is a good ingredient for Manhattans. Sweet vermouth has a more fruity sweetness, which makes sense since it's really a fortified wine that's been infused with botanicals. Wild Moon Birch offers a more smooth sweetness to it with hints of vanilla or sassafras. Something a little different." He winks at Shirley and pours two shots into the cocktail shaker.
"Now, instead of the usual Angostura aromatic bitters, which have a bit of a cinnamon spice flavor – I like to use orange or cherry bitters – depending on what we plan to use as a garnish. Today, I'm feeling like orange bitters with an orange peel twist." He adds several shakes of the orange bitters to the cocktail shaker and stirs them briskly with a long bar spoon.
He takes another cocktail shaker and scoops some ice from the ice bin and pours the ingredients over the ice – and starts to mix them again. "The key to a good Manhattan is to make sure it is chilled properly, without it getting too watered down." He continues to stir, longer than Nick felt is necessary.
Finally – he stops stirring, places a strainer on top of the cocktail shaker and pours the concoction into the glasses. He then expertly peels off a couple of orange twists, quickly spears a few together with long bamboo picks and lays them across the tops of the glasses.
"I really think you're going to like these," says Lawrence. He delicately picks up the martini glasses by the stems and places them on the cocktail napkins in front of Tom and Shirley.
"Oh my…" is all Shirley can say as she stares at the drink in front of her.
Tom takes a sip. Gives it a few seconds to register, then says, "Well done my boy," with a nod and a smile.
"Next time I see you, I'll introduce you to my version of the classic Old Fashioned drink – but using old tom gin."
Nick's eyes went wide in horror.
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Larry's Wild Moon Manhattan
2 ounces Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
1 ounce Wild Moon Birch Liqueur
2 dashes orange bitters
Stir ingredients with ice, strain into martini or coupe glass and garnish with an orange twist.
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