This Modern Classic Cocktail Has Manhattan Bones and a Brooklyn Swagger

Inspired by the Manhattan and Brooklyn cocktail, the Bushwick is a modern classic that combines rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and Amer Picon, a bittersweet French liqueur.

The Bushwick was created by bartender Phil Ward in 2009 for the opening menu of Mayahuel, his (now closed) New York City bar in the East Village known for its pioneering focus on agave spirits. The drink is one of a handful of contemporary riffs on the Brooklyn cocktail created in the early- and mid-aughts, all named for different neighborhoods in the most populous borough of New York City. 

The Brooklyn, a pre-Prohibition classic, was likely created in reaction to the massive popularity of the Manhattan, a favorite of the time. The recipe takes the simple rye whiskey and vermouth formula and adds maraschino liqueur, as well as the complex, bitter orange liqueur, Amer Picon. The cocktail fell out of favor for nearly a century until it was resurrected during the cocktail revival of the early 2000s, when it became one of the biggest inspirations for variations from a new generation of New York bartenders. 

Why the Bushwick cocktail Works

Of all the creations in the family of cocktails modeled after the Brooklyn, the Bushwick hews closest to the original. In fact, according to research within the last ten years from cocktail historian David Wondrich, the original Brooklyn recipe called for sweet vermouth rather than the dry variation that we’re most familiar with today. This makes Ward’s Bushwick an even closer interpretation of the early 20th-century classic.

Because of its rye whiskey base and inclusion of aromatic sweet vermouth, the Bushwick shares qualities with its earliest predecessor, the Manhattan. 

Ward’s original recipe called for Rittenhouse Rye, a bottled-in-bond, 100-proof (50% ABV) bottling, and Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth, both hefty in body and flavor. In this variation, the vermouth is pulled back to account for equal parts maraschino liqueur and Amer Picon.

Maraschino liqueur, made from sour marasca cherries, provides a nutty sweetness and bright cherry flavors. While the Amer Picon lends rich orange peel notes and bitter, quinine qualities. Because the French liqueur is often very difficult to source (it is not imported to the U.S.), substitutions might be necessary. Ward suggests using Amaro Lucano, a more accessible Italian herbal liqueur with similar warm citrus aromatics.