This Balcones Lineage Manhattan was my first Manhattan where I used D.O.M. Benedictine and I will never go back.
I first had a Balcones Manhattan at the Saltgrass Steakhouse while on vacation, and went wild over it. It was just an excellent Manhattan, so I had to find the ingredients, which were surprisingly difficult in my area, so I could reproduce this lovely sipper.
The original recipe on the menu is:
I found a bottle of Balcones Lineage Single Malt Whiskey first, but I’m not sure if it is the actual bottle they use, or if it is one of the other bottles that Balcones makes. I had to special order the Benedictine DOM, but I’m not sure if that’s because I’m in the sticks or its really that hard to find?
The main reason I say that is I’ve got it close, but not quite exact. But maybe things just taste better when your on vacation?
I’ve played with the mix, and the closest I can get is good, but not quite as good as what I had at the restaurant.
My recipe is 2 parts Balcones Lineage Single Malt Whiskey, 1 part Sweet Vermouth, and then, I had to buy a graduated jigger so I could play with how much Benedictine Dom to add in. My final result is 15ml of Dom.
Balcones Lineage Manhattan Scoring
This resulted in a wonderful Manhattan that scored a 92/100, which puts it at the absolute tops of Manhattan as of today (October 29th, 2021).
If you like a good Manhattan, you have to find the bottles and make this happen.
| Bottle | Score | Price | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basil Hayden’s Manhattan | 95 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Balcones Lineage Manhattan | 92 | $40 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Blade And Bow Manhattan | 90 | $50 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| On The Rocks Knob Creek Old Fashioned | 83 | $15 / 350ml | Old Fashioned |
| Fistful of Bourbon Manhattan | 80 | $40 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Death’s Door Manhattan | 74 | $40 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Wild Turkey Manhattan | 73 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Knob Creek Small Batch Manhattan | 69 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Maker’s Mark Manhattan | 65 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Redemption Bourbon Manhattan | 53 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Stillhouse Black Bourbon Manhattan | 50 | $20 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Agitator Kentucky Bourbon Manhattan | 49 | $35 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Breaker Manhattan | 35 | $55 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| American XXX Born Bourbon Whiskey Manhattan | 35 | $25 / 750ml | Manhattan |
