Rye, stirred
Bensonhurst
Barline 2,1,h,b,c
The code is the shorthand off my printed menu; the Key tab decodes every letter.
- 2 oz Rye
- 1 oz Dry vermouth
- 1/2 oz Maraschino liqueur
- 1 barspoon Cynar
Stir with ice until cold, then strain.
Coupe.
Taste
Two ounces of rye, a full ounce of dry vermouth, half an ounce of maraschino, a barspoon of Cynar. The dry vermouth keeps the whiskey lean, and the maraschino carries the sugar as cherry pit and almond. The barspoon of Cynar is the artichoke bitterness that arrives last and stays. Stirred, coupe, no ice.
History
Chad Solomon made the Bensonhurst in 2006 while working at Milk & Honey in Manhattan, and named it for the Brooklyn neighbourhood near where he lived. It is a riff on the Brooklyn, which is itself a Manhattan built on dry vermouth and maraschino, with Cynar taking the fourth slot. Dozens of Brooklyn variations came out of New York in the years after, and this is one of the few still ordered by name. This menu pours two ounces of rye, an ounce of dry vermouth, half an ounce of maraschino, and a barspoon of Cynar, stirred, coupe.
Same shape, other bottles
The Martini family, with the bottle that changed.
- Yacht Clublight rum and sweet vermouth for rye and dry vermouth
- Fanciullibourbon and sweet vermouth for rye and dry vermouth
- Bobby Burnsscotch and sweet vermouth for rye and dry vermouth
- Red Hooksweet vermouth for dry vermouth
- El Presidentelight rum and orange liqueur for rye and maraschino liqueur
- Corpse Reviver No. 1cognac, apple brandy, and sweet vermouth for rye and dry vermouth
This is one drink on my home bar's menu. Tick the bottles you own and the menu lists which of all 185 drinks they pour.