Deshler

About the Deshler

A close cousin of the Manhattan family, the Deshler stirs Timber Creek Florida Black Rye Whiskey with Dubonnet Rouge and a small measure of Cointreau, seasoned with Peychaud’s Bitters and finished with an orange twist. Where a classic Manhattan leans on sweet vermouth, the Deshler swaps in Dubonnet, a French aperitif wine fortified with quinine and botanicals, which gives the drink a slightly more bitter, medicinal edge underneath its sweetness, and the small pour of Cointreau adds a clean orange lift that keeps that bitterness from feeling heavy. Timber Creek’s black rye whiskey provides the drink’s backbone, and its production matters here: the distillery’s PureBlend process distills and barrels the grain components separately before blending them together, which builds a whiskey with real peppery rye spice and darker roasted notes that hold their own against Dubonnet’s fortified wine intensity rather than getting absorbed by it.

To build it, combine two dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters with the Dubonnet, the whiskey, and the Cointreau in a mixing glass filled with ice, and stir until well chilled and properly diluted, aiming for a good thirty seconds of stirring to soften the wine’s edges. Strain into a chilled coupe and finish with an expressed orange twist. The result drinks drier and more herbal than a standard Manhattan, with rye spice up front and a lingering bitter orange finish.

This is a strong choice for a holiday table, pairing naturally with roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and baked ham, and its bitter orange notes also complement pecan pie nicely if serving it after a meal. Because this is a fully stirred, spirit forward cocktail with real strength behind its subtle sweetness, it is best sipped slowly, and pacing yourself is worth keeping in mind over the course of an evening, particularly if you are serving it as part of a larger holiday spread with several other pours on the table.

A close cousin of the Manhattan family, the Deshler stirs Timber Creek Florida Black Rye Whiskey with Dubonnet Rouge and a small measure of Cointreau, seasoned with Peychaud’s Bitters and finished with an orange twist. Where a classic Manhattan leans on sweet vermouth, the Deshler swaps in Dubonnet, a French aperitif wine fortified with quinine and botanicals, which gives the drink a slightly more bitter, medicinal edge underneath its sweetness, and the small pour of Cointreau adds a clean orange lift that keeps that bitterness from feeling heavy. Timber Creek’s black rye whiskey provides the drink’s backbone, and its production matters here: the distillery’s PureBlend process distills and barrels the grain components separately before blending them together, which builds a whiskey with real peppery rye spice and darker roasted notes that hold their own against Dubonnet’s fortified wine intensity rather than getting absorbed by it.

To build it, combine two dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters with the Dubonnet, the whiskey, and the Cointreau in a mixing glass filled with ice, and stir until well chilled and properly diluted, aiming for a good thirty seconds of stirring to soften the wine’s edges. Strain into a chilled coupe and finish with an expressed orange twist. The result drinks drier and more herbal than a standard Manhattan, with rye spice up front and a lingering bitter orange finish.

This is a strong choice for a holiday table, pairing naturally with roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and baked ham, and its bitter orange notes also complement pecan pie nicely if serving it after a meal. Because this is a fully stirred, spirit forward cocktail with real strength behind its subtle sweetness, it is best sipped slowly, and pacing yourself is worth keeping in mind over the course of an evening, particularly if you are serving it as part of a larger holiday spread with several other pours on the table.