A few things have happened since having kids. My patience has increased, my tolerance has decreased, and my willingness to spend precious party time making cocktails has all but been eliminated. Luckily brands like Hoste are there to fill the void for lazy people like me with cocktails like the Perfect Manhattan.
Hoste added the Manhattan to their lineup that currently includes a Japanese-inspired Martini (from one of my favorite bartenders, Julia Momosé) and a Mezcal Negroni (from bartender Pablo Jiménez). This was admittedly my first foray into the brand, and I was not disappointed.
Much like the previous two cocktails, they skipped the run-of-the-mill Manhattan recipe that’s in a dozen different batched bottles at this point, and went rogue with a Perfect Manhattan. Granted the 3 parts sweet vermouth to 2 parts dry vermouth makes it not actually a “perfect” Manhattan, but who’s counting?
The Hoste Perfect Manhattan was created in partnership with Julieta Campos, a staple of some of Chicago’s top cocktail bars. It’s made from 5-year-old Kyrö rye whiskey, vermouths from Little City Vermouth, and house-made cherry bitters. The even include citrus atomizer (think of a cologne sample bottle) to add a nice finishing touch.
At $8 per cocktail, it’s not a cheap date. It’s definitely less than the $18 you’d pay for it at the bar though.
