WHAT I’M DRINKING | PEGGY NOE STEVENS
A member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, Peggy Noe Stevens has worked in the spirits industry for more than three decades and was the first female master bourbon taster. Since 2008 she’s headed up her own firm, advising a variety of companies on crafting visitor experiences and brand identity. In 2011 she founded Bourbon Women, the first women’s consumer organization in the industry. She lives in Louisville.
“With so many delicious cocktails in my bourbon mixology repertoire, dare I say that I have gravitated to an all-time favorite: the Black Manhattan! It’s difficult to order at many establishments, unless it’s a special request. Shame on them, as this dark beauty is awash with flavors without disrupting the true essence of the bourbon profile. To boot, it is incredibly simple to make. The secret to a Black Manhattan is adding amaro. A favorite bar of mine created a drink named after me because I pestered them to death about making it when I was there. It’s called the Peggy Knows. The nose is heady with a combination of cherry, almond, and caramel. The flavor has delicate orange notes and spreads evenly across the palate with maturity and just the right touch of whiskey warmth.”
— Wayne Curtis, G&G Contributing Editor
Peggy’s Black Manhattan | (a version of the Peggy Knows)
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. bourbon
- 2 shakes orange bitters
- ¼ to ½ tsp. cocktail cherry juice (I prefer Luxardo or Bada Bing, not the bright red artificially colored cherries)
- Foro Amaro (the only amaro I use)
Directions:
- In a mixing glass, add bourbon, orange bitters, and cherry juice.
- Pour in amaro until the cocktail color changes to dark (¼ to ½ oz., depending on preference).
- Then stir briskly with ice and strain into a Manhattan glass.
Featured in Garden & Gun: Distilled: A Bourbon Lover’s Guide to Louisville.