This drink came about because so many customers were ordering manhattans over something from our house cocktail list that I decided to develop a version that was unique to us, but would still satisfy people’s need for a manhattan-style cocktail. I wanted it to have more richness and complexity, and to use an amaro, too, because I’ve always felt that amari have a greater depth of flavour than vermouths. This all coincided with that time of year when everything gets (dreaded phrase) “pumpkin-spiced”, but I felt that, used in the right way, those seasonal flavours could accent the flavours of the amari. The drink’s name comes from an old nightclub that used to be on the same street as our sister restaurant, Skua. It burned down in the early 1990s, but it’s a great name for a drink, plus, with the Manhattan Rockefeller connection and the Cinderella-pumpkin link, it was just kismet.
Cinderella Rockefella
Serves 1
For the spiced honey syrup
375ml honey
1 long cinnamon stick
8-10 whole cloves
5 slices fresh ginger
2 star anise
For the cocktail
45ml good rye whiskey, preferably 100 proof
15ml Cynar
15ml Amaro Montenegro
10ml spiced honey syrup (see above and method)
To make the syrup, put everything in a saucepan with 15ml water, bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes. Leave to cool and infuse for 24 hours, then fine strain into a clean jar, seal and store in the fridge, where it will keep for four to six weeks.
To make the drink, measure the liquids into a mixing glass filled with ice, stir and strain into a chilled nick & nora glass.
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Ben Mansour, general manager, Cardinal, Edinburgh
