Recipe

• 2oz rye (my go-to Rittenhouse)
• .75oz Cynar
• 2 dashes black pepper tincture
• 2 dashes 5×5 Tonics barrel aged vanilla bitters

Stir with ice, then strain. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and orange peel.

About

Speaking of Cynar….I made some black pepper tincture recently and was eager to try it out, so here’s a twist on a Manhattan with a bit more kick.

A word on tinctures – they’re similar to extracts except they use a higher herb/spice to alcohol ratio (about 3:1 instead of 1:1). Depending on the substance, infusion time can vary between hours to weeks, during when the alcohol will draw out the flavor compounds (the higher the proof, the quicker/stronger the extraction). For this, I used 1 part whole peppercorns to 3 parts vodka and let it sit for 3 days before straining.