Two Stars & A Wireless
Apple brandy Manhattans are one of the most delicious (and fall-appropriate) branches of the family tree. We have a great triumvirate here: the dry Star (Harry Johnson, 1900), the sweet Star (George Kappeler, 1895), and the Marconi Wireless (Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book, 1935). They’re all incredible, but I included Johnson’s Star (pictured) to represent the robust tradition of dry Manhattans in the decades before Prohibition.
INGREDIENTS
Star (dry)
1½ oz. apple brandy
1¼ oz. dry vermouth
¼ oz. Curaçao
3 dashes cardamom-heavy bitters (or Angostura, etc.)
Orange twist, for garnish
ABV LEVEL
Combine everything in a mixing glass. Fill three-quarters with ice and stir for 20 seconds. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
To make a STAR (sweet), drop the Curaçao and dry vermouth in favor of 1½ oz. sweet vermouth (or my favorite for this, Punt e Mes), and use a dash each of Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters. Garnish with a lemon twist.
To make a MARCONI WIRELESS (Fort Defiance version), keep the apple brandy at 1½ oz. and split the vermouth between Carpano Antica and Cocchi di Torino; use 1 dash Peychaud’s bitters and garnish with a lemon twist. The Waldorf recipe is 2:1 with orange bitters and no garnish.
