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Brooklyn
Posted: July 18, 2026
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The Brooklyn cocktail dates to circa 1908 and Hugo Ensslin's 'Recipes for Mixed Drinks,' making it one of the earliest documented borough-named cocktails. A drier, more austere sibling to the Manhattan, it uses dry vermouth instead of sweet, with maraschino liqueur adding floral sweetness and Amer Picon contributing its distinctive orange bitterness. Amer Picon is notoriously difficult to find outside France — Ramazzotti or Torani Amer are the most common substitutes. The Brooklyn fell out of fashion during Prohibition and was largely forgotten until the cocktail revival of the early 2000s, when it emerged as the template for an entire family of Brooklyn neighborhood drinks.
Instructions
- Combine rye whiskey, dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and Amer Picon (or substitute) in a mixing glass filled with ice.
- Stir for 30 seconds until well chilled.
- Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry or lemon twist.