Ranked No.21 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023 and No.63 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2023, grand hotel bar Manhattan needs no introduction. It’s well-known for its brand of old New York glamour, served through classic and forgotten concoctions from the 19th century’s Golden Age of cocktails. Each one is crafted from house-made ingredients from Manhattan’s in-hotel rickhouse, the first in the world. It features over 100 American oak barrels from Minnesota.
Now in its tenth year, Manhattan’s newest menu concept introduces a star-studded Broadway Spirited cocktail menu. It pays homage to New York’s legendary Broadway musicals while celebrating the theatre of bartending. It also welcomes to the stage the bar’s new head bartender Zana Möhlmann from Amsterdam, who was part of the opening team of Super Lyan, a Ryan Chetiyawardana bar, and winner of the 2023 World Young Mixologist Award.
In Broadway Spirited, the story of theatre unfolds over 34 drinks in five categories. Choose from The Play (10 cocktails with flamboyant presentations and layered nuances, $28 each); The Orchestra (four cocktails from visiting luminary guest bartenders from the Friends of Manhattan series, $30 each); The Backstage (seven cocktails paying homage to the hardworking rickhouse that ‘works’ silently behind the scenes, $32 each); The Curtain Call (eight classic Manhattan cocktails, $28 each); and Off Broadway (featuring four, zero-proof creations, $20 each).
In her debut act in Manhattan, Möhlmann shows the evolution of cocktails with the bittersweet Anagram ($28, from The Play). In a twist of ingenuity, she blends the serious Sazerac and the more youthful Piña Colada, laced with coconut oil-washed Cognac no less. Möhlmann thus skillfully injects a sense of the musical’s playfulness into her creation, one that reflects her own intuitive and original approach to bartending too.
Other must-tries include the bright-red Land of Lola ($28), a highball with cascara-infused tequila, fermented strawberry wine, and Akashi-Tai junmai daiginjo sake, an ode to the most flamboyant personality in the musical sensation Kinky Boots.
The Majestic ($32) is a nod to The Backstage at Majestic Theatre (home of the Phantom of the Opera since 1988), with beeswax-washed Bols Genever, vermouth, sherry, and balsamic vinegar.
The digestif-style, Cognac cocktail Razzle Dazzle ($28) pays homage to Chicago, with bitter melon and hibiscus-infused Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac, black sesame-infused Mancino Chinato vermouth, and Luxardo Espresso liqueur, and spritzed tableside with gold dust.
A cast of gourmet bar bites complete the show. Indulge in iconic New York eats like New York hot dogs; The Manhattan Lobster Taco for butter-poached lobster, sweet corn tomato concasse, and citrus remoulade in a crispy wonton shell; vegetarian truffle mac ‘n’ cheese; classic Big Apple cheesecake; bourbon caramel peanut coffee tart and Brooklyn chocolate cake.