We always love experimenting with fun new cocktail ingredients. We shared a little about our adventures at Napa Valley Distillery here a few week ago. We came home with some really interesting bitters and cordials, one of which was these Pecan, Magnolia, and Habanero bitters.
As soon as we tasted these bitters, they reminded us of Clayton’s aunt and uncle’s house in Seabrook Island, and warm, late nights sipping “Makers and a Splash” in Charleston. They were destined for a whisky cocktail. We made a variation on our classic Manhattan with Lost Republic Rye. Clayton recently discovered this distillery based in Healdsburg and he loves their Rye (how cool is the bear on the label?!). It’s earned a permanent place on our bar cart!


We served these Manhattans to some friends a few weeks ago and they were an immediate hit. We mixed them in this beautiful cocktail shaker from Ralph Lauren. We love the classic, all-American design of it. It’s better made than our more industrial shakers, and definitely looks prettier on the bar cart. The leather band slides off for washing.
We stirred our normal ratio of 3 oz rye and 1 oz of Carpano Antica vermouth, along with 5 drops of bitters, which we found gives the cocktail the perfect amount of subtle spice, and garnished the cocktail with our go-to Italian cherries.


If you’re looking for new cocktail glasses (or even if you aren’t!), we highly recommend these etched plaid ones from Orrefors. We have several pieces from Orrefors around the house and we’ve always been really happy with them. The design of these cocktail glasses is classic, and they are heavy, wide, and super luxurious to use.


- 3 oz Rye whisky
- 1 oz Carpano Antica Vermouth
- 5 drops Crude Bitters "Lindsay" Pecan, Magnolia, and Habanero Bitters
- Luxardo cherries, to garnish
- Stir the rye, vermouth, and bitters in a cocktail shaker over ice until very cold (approx. 40 revolutions).
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with cherries. We like to serve it with three cherries on a cocktail pick.