NewYorkFirst.com: Anchor-Hocking Manhattan Glass

Manhattan Revival.

It's rumored that the first Manhattan Cocktail was shaken in 1846, by a Maryland bartender trying to revive an injured duelist. He mixed rye whiskey, sugar syrup and bitters. No word on the duelist, but one can assume he had a fighting chance. From there, the drink traveled to Manhattan, where, in the Gay Nineties, vermouth was substituted for syrup, paving the way for today's recipe.

What makes the Manhattan so great? Properly made, it's sweet but not too; a hint of bitterness appeals to those who drink their whiskey neat. The kick is strong but not overpowering, and only after a few refills do you grasp the potency of the fuel alternative sloshing in your glass. A single maraschino cherry provides enticement to the kid in all of us, like the cherry atop an Ice Cream Sundae.

The Manhattan Cocktail even inspired its own glassware, capturing the play between amber jewel-quality of whiskey and rosy hue of vermouth. This Art Deco Manhattan glassware was first produced by the Anchor Hocking Company in 1938.

The Manhattan pattern is made up of concentric ribs, influenced by the signature skyscrapers of New York. These ribs are pointed so that if you rub your fingernail across them, it will catch on each one and you can hear a little "ting." The 9-ounce Manhattan pieces are heavier than most cocktail glasses because of all the glass that goes into making the ribs, and we are less nervous about using them around clumsy friends.