Specialists Agree, the Finest Cocktail to Drink with Burgers Is a Manhattan

There was a time I might have sworn that the right accompaniment for a burger was a martini. However my allegiance has shifted: the Manhattan is the true king.

It’s taken me some time to achieve this conclusion, however then I used to be served a extremely mediocre model of each: a tragic smashburger-style slider and a barely too-sweet Manhattan with a synthetic, neon-pink maraschino cherry on the backside of a V-shaped glass, shoved throughout the bar on a cafeteria-style aluminum tray.

And guess what? It was nonetheless fairly nice.

Whereas I can’t assist however consider this as an extension of the pizza paradigm — the speculation that even dangerous pizza remains to be fairly good — when each the burger and Manhattan are glorious, that’s a second price looking down and savoring whenever you discover it.

However why do Manhattans and burgers work so nicely collectively? The professionals have a couple of theories.

Idea #1: It’s the whiskey

Adam Montgomerie, bar supervisor at New York Metropolis steakhouse Hawksmoor, which makes nice examples of each specimens, provides credit score to the whiskey for elevating the flavors of the burger. (Additionally, search for Hawksmoor’s decadent lunchtime-only cheeseburger served with bone marrow and “beef dripping fries.”)

“I really like a burger with a Manhattan,” says Montgomerie. “I feel there’s one thing about meat and whiskey that works so nicely collectively, and a Manhattan is unquestionably a whiskey-forward cocktail.” He normally opts for rye whiskey, observing “that spiciness the rye brings to the cocktail additionally works nice with the burger.”

Idea #2: It’s the vermouth

My subsequent cease: Ryan Fitzgerald, co-owner of San Francisco’s ABV. Whereas the laid-back bar has been celebrated for its piled-high patty (sure, that’s baseball professional Gabe Kapler’s reel), it’s better-known for its cocktail prowess.

So perhaps I shouldn’t have been shocked when Fitzgerald mentioned he’d by no means really tried pairing the 2. In truth, he stored me hanging whereas he ran out and test-drove the combo himself, even pitting it in opposition to three different drinks. The Manhattan received the present, palms down. His idea: it’s all in regards to the vermouth.

“I wasn’t satisfied on paper,” he admits. “A Martini or Previous-Usual or perhaps a Bamboo sounded prefer it is perhaps higher at slicing the richness, like a fantastic glass of crimson wine would, with its acidity and tannins.”

Nevertheless, since candy vermouth is principally crimson wine, albeit fortified and aromatized with bittering brokers and botanicals , it’s no surprise the drink labored. The richness of the crimson wine base complemented the richness of the meat, however nonetheless offered simply sufficient acidity to chop by way of the fattiness.

“The Manhattan was far and away the very best pairing with our burger,” concedes Fitzgerald.

Additional, he notes that the opposite three drinks had been garnished with a citrus twist, which “clashed” with the burger, including an excessive amount of acidity.

Idea #3: It’s the burger

Frankly, a superb burger doesn’t want a lot embellishment, says George Motz, burger scholar and proprietor of New York Metropolis’s Hamburger America.

“A burger has all you want in your mouth at one time, and the temperature, taste and texture change on a regular basis,” he says. This consists of the satisfying crunch of the skin of a well-griddled beef patty to the acid and salt of a pickle to the richness of a slice of cheese or perhaps a slick of mayo or sauce.

The one factor lacking: a drink, ideally one which helps with digestion.

“I all the time advocate a whiskey cocktail with a burger to raise the expertise,” he says. “A beer will be too bloating, a soda will be too candy.”

The pairing works so nicely, he says, as a result of each parts “seem easy, however they’re actually advanced.” A 3-ingredient whiskey cocktail is the fitting alternative to enhance a humble burger, and vice versa.

Idea #4: It’s the place

Some locations make a stellar burger, others a top-notch Manhattan. However why is it so troublesome to search out eating places that do each nicely?

“[Possibly] it’s as a result of burgers are considered as too easy to be featured on menus the place bartenders care to make a fantastic drink,” says Fitzgerald. “Equally, locations the place burgers are featured are normally locations with drinks are an afterthought, and the Manhattans find yourself being shaken with useless vermouth.”

And simply since you can have each in the identical place, that doesn’t all the time imply that it is best to, Motz warns. At some bars, he may go for “a very nice pilsner,” whereas a drive-through burger ought to all the time be chased with a root beer or perhaps even a chocolate milkshake. However throughout “elevated moments,” such because the kinds of locations you may also discover steak on the menu, a Manhattan is the fitting match. “You’re elevating the standing of the burger, in a approach, to the standing of the cocktail,” says Motz.

To save lots of you from the Unhappy Smashburger expertise, listed here are a couple of extra bars and eating places endorsed by the professionals that may do the pairing Manhattan/burger pairing justice.

Beneficial Manhattan-and-burger joints to hunt out

Lengthy Island Bar, Brooklyn: This Brooklyn mainstay was cited by each Montgomerie and Fitzgerald as a must-visit. “The drinks are a few of my favourite within the metropolis, and their burger is admittedly good too,” says Montgomerie. “Additionally, there’s one thing in regards to the place that makes it really feel such as you’re having the fitting factor, in the fitting place on the proper time.”

Crimson Hook Tavern, Brooklyn: In accordance with Montgomerie, “their burger is unimaginable, and the bartenders additionally know easy methods to whip up a imply Manhattan.”

NOPA, San Francisco: “I do know the burgers are excellent, and I do know the bartenders could make stable drinks,” says Fitzgerald.

Minetta Tavern, NYC: “It’s the last word take-me-now expertise,” observes Motz. “Individuals say you’ll be able to by no means get in for dinner, however you’ll be able to stroll in on Thursday for lunch, sit down and get a cocktail and burger on the bar.”

Hillstone: Sure, the nationwide restaurant chain. “The opposite areas seemingly have a superb Manhattan, however San Francisco positively does,” notes Fitzgerald.