When the Bistro by Airways Brewing closed in downtown Kent, I wrote an email asking for the recipe of one of my favorite cocktails (brands in parentheses):
Hi, Hal. It’s one of my favorites, too. Glad you like it, and thank you for coming in and supporting us. Here is the recipe:
MIDNIGHT MANHATTAN
Glass: Coupe
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. (Blue Spirits) Rye Whiskey
- 1 oz. (Sidetrack Distillery) Nocino Walnut Liqueur
- 1 oz. (Dolin) Rouge Sweet Vermouth
- 2 Dashes (Scrappy’s) Orange Bitters
Preparation:
- Add ingredients to mixing glass, STIR with cubed ice.
- Strain into coupe glass, no ice.
- Garnish with a brandied cherry on pick across the top.
Dione Dittmar
General Manager
Both Airways and Sidetrack Distillery appear to be out of business, alas. Airways’ home base was in an industrial part of Kent, WA. That area had a lot of railway sidings, and one can easily see why it might have given rise to “Sidetrack.” My google-fu is too weak to confirm this, but I think Sidetrack was an offshoot of Airways. So they may well have been serving a Nocino from their own still, and when Airways went under, Sidetrack went as well.
Don Ciccio & Figli nocino claims to stick to the tradition of gathering walnuts on June 24th, San Giovanni’s day. The result is very dark, and looks wholly appropriate for something called a “Midnight Manhattan,” so it should work admirably as an alternative.
