Rough Draft Atlanta's Beth McKibben shares the history of the iconic three-ingredient cocktail, the Manhattan

Atlanta’s cocktail culture is expanding beyond traditional spirits, with the rise of zero-proof beverages and non-alcoholic drinks. In this month’s Beverage Beat segment on “City Lights,” Beth McKibben, editor in chief and dining editor at Rough Draft Atlanta, explores the three-ingredient classic cocktail the Manhattan.

“This spirit-forward, stirred whiskey cocktail is bold and robust, mellowed by warm notes of caramel, vanilla and black fruit from the sweet vermouth, which gives the drink its signature ruddy hue. A couple of dashes of Angostura bitters marries intensity with subtly, instantly transforming the Manhattan into a perfectly composed drink and the embodiment of confidence and sophistication in a glass. This seemingly simple recipe now serves as the foundational formula for countless riffs on the Manhattan,” said McKibben.

The Manhattan was created sometime between the 1860s and 1880s in New York City. She continued, “Considered by many as the first “modern cocktail,” initially concocted in the latter half of the 19th century, the Manhattan would go on to define an entire category of drinks.”