Servus, Manahata! Our reinterpretation of a beloved cocktail classic is built on coolness, Japanese flair and that certain something.

A good bar is like a church in which the faithful sin while praying. It is a place where forgetting everyday life becomes easy when every detail is right: the interior, the drinks menu, the way guests are welcomed and the volume of the music. At best, a metaphysical quality emerges – one that is difficult to grasp and even more difficult to create. A bar either has it, or it does not.

The same applies to a good cocktail. Although it is merely a fusion of liquids and aromas, it opens the door to new worlds of taste, often on a classic foundation. One of these is the Manhattan, which represents a milestone in cocktail history. It was the first drink in which sweet vermouth was used to modify the recipe.

The name reveals where the drink, especially beloved by whiskey drinkers, was invented: in the 1870s or at the beginning of the 1880s in the New York district of the same name. Historians are not certain whether it was first served in the then fashionable gentlemen’s club, the Manhattan Club, or in a bar near Houston Street called the Manhattan Inn.

There is greater certainty about its composition. A mention in a column called Gotham Gossip described it in 1882 as follows: “It is not long since a mixture of whiskey, vermouth and bitters came into fashion.” Since then, the ingenious pairing of smoky, bitter and sweet has provided the ideal basis for countless variations found on every serious bar menu in the world.

The original version is mixed with rye whiskey. It creates a full-bodied Manhattan with a bold, spicy kick – one might describe it as Frank Sinatra in a glass. Bourbon gives it a somewhat sweeter, caramel-like note. Whichever type of whiskey one chooses, the Manhattan is always a sure winner, says Patrick Metzger, head of the Mizu Bar at the Spa & Resort Bachmair Weissach.

“You can drink it plain, but also fancy, sweet, dry or extra dry. There are classic and modern variations. In fact, you can always drink a Manhattan, because it can be perfectly adapted to your mood, the occasion and the time of day.”

As a homage to his location, he has chosen a third option and developed a recipe with an East-West orientation.

Inspired by the bar’s Japanese theme, the award-winning mixologist replaces the rye with a delicate blended Japanese whisky, composed of malt and grain whisky. He combines it with a spirit called Mugi Shochu, which contributes notes of barley, and a cherry blossom vermouth with an almond-like flavour.

The result, he says, is a “drink that could easily be served in a bar in Ginza”. The name of the subtly elegant Toki Whisky he uses for his Manhattan means “time” in German. Patrick Metzger sees this as a good omen.

“We are currently experiencing a new golden age of bar culture. It is so exciting because today’s drink design combines all techniques from both the bar and the kitchen.”

KATHARINA HESEDENZ