Vanilla Bean Manhattan

Story:

Several of us tried this at Flying Fish restaurant during HIMSS 2024. It was a huge hit, so I decided to try and replicate it at home. There was no recipe that I could find online, but I did find this review that listed the ingredients as they appeared on the menu. Rye plus Averna Amaro means that we're talking about a Black Manhattan, so I decided to go with this recipe, which seemed pretty standard. I assumed the vanilla flavor came via an infusion process, so I got a bottle of rye and a couple of vanilla beans and went for it. After about 10 days it seemed to smell and taste about right, so naturally Ieft it to infuse for one additional day before straining it. (Side note: it was really tough trying to taste the rye straight, as it completely overwhelmed the vanilla flavor. Adding a splash of water helped.) The resulting Manhattan was worth the wait.

EDIT: I just learned that the Black Manhattan originated at Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco in 2007 and now I really want to go there.  They have a bar-within-a-bar for 1 to 4 patrons called Wilson & Wilson.  Seriously?  Take my money.

Recipe:

Vanilla Bean Manhattan

2 oz vanilla-infused rye

1 oz Averna amaro

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 dash orange bitters

Garnish: orange twist

-add all ingredients to mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled
-strain into a chilled coupe glass
-express orange twist over the drink. Drop in or discard.

Vanilla Rye Infusion
Open 2 vanilla beans lengthwise with a paring knife. Fold open.
Drop into 750mL bottle of rye (I used Bulleit 95).
Let it sit on the countertop for 10-12 days. Agitate several times each day (I just turned it over a couple of times whenever I walked by).
Strain through coffee filter to remove vanilla bean debris, then rinse bottle.
Return rye to bottle and cap.