The Manhattan might be an obvious choice, but it’s an old classic worth revisiting. Tony Edgerton is the lead mixologist and beverage co-director of New York’s Festivál Cafe, a “farm-to-bar” concept spot at the entrance of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, just a few blocks east of the base of Central Park. After his years of designing and executing cocktail programs at some of New York City’s most prestigious locales, it might come as a surprise – or perhaps not – that his ultimate choice for the most New York cocktail dates back over a century.

“Obviously, the name helps, but this cocktail has withstood the test of time, not just in New York, but all over the world,” Edgerton said. He provides some background: “Rumored to have been created in the Manhattan Club in the late 1880s by Dr. Ian Marshall, this cocktail offers a deliciously balanced and elegant approach to any night on the town.”

Combining rye with other strongly flavored, boozy ingredients like vermouth and Angostura bitters produces a powerful, warming, slightly spicy and bitter beverage. Edgerton adds the liqueurs Benedictine and Amaro to amplify and round out that flavour with some herbal and citrus notes.

Edgerton particularly likes serving and sipping this drink during the colder months, which is appropriate considering its wintry, warming spice notes. Furthermore, with only bar ingredients required, this is a drink you can make even when there’s no decent produce in season.

“I’ve made many Manhattans and variations of Manhattans in my life,” he said, “and this is my personal recipe that I return to time and time again.”

60 mL Rye (Michter’s preferred)

15 mL Ramazotti Amaro

15 mL La copa Vermouth

1 bar spoon Benedictine

2-4 dashes of Aromatic bitters

Combine ingredients, stir, and serve up in a coupe. Express the oils of one orange peel over the cocktail and discard. Garnish with a brandied cherry.

Italian-born New Yorker and bartender Michele Alfonso voted for the Negroni as the cocktail that best represents New York City, for its “bittersweet taste, same as the city.”

The classic cocktail, like Alfonso, hails from Italy, but has in its century-long life grown to international significance in the world of cocktails. “It is the drink that truly represents the concept of ‘aperitivo’ and a must in every worldwide bar menu,” Alfonso told ASW, pointing out that a search for the hashtag #negroni on social media currently yields over half a million results.

“Not only does it taste great, but also: who can resist that beautiful ruby color?” Indeed, the Negroni manages to be eye-catching with only three ingredients: gin, vermouth rosso, and Campari. The classic drink stands out among clear and brown beverages, which is befitting of New York, where style accompanies substance – and where classics will always be cooler than trends.

Alfonso recommends Carpano Antica Formula for vermouth, and for a base spirit he likes Plymouth Gin, “a London dry with a ton of spice, as it brings some balance between the bitterness of Campari and the sweetness of vermouth,” in his words. Finally, he prefers to garnish with lemon rather than the traditional orange peel, which might be due in part to his upbringing in southern Italy. He feels the lemon contributes more freshness than orange can.

As a final note, the most traditional way to make a Negroni is to build it directly in the drinking glass and stir, rather than shake. Alfonso prefers to stir the mixture with ice, then strain it into the drinking glass in order to allow the ice to melt a bit and balance out the drink.

“I personally choose the stir and strain technique every time because I prefer to give some dilution to the drink, in order to eliminate that bite that alcohol can give to your mouth.”

30 mL London Dry gin (Plymouth preferred)

30 mL sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula preferred)

30 mL Campari

Lemon peel for garnish

Combine all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir, then strain into a glass over ice.