As a Manhattan lover (the cocktail and the city) and first time father, I've got some wisdom to share. My new daughter was born in Manhattan this year on February 14th... Valentine's Day! She is our little miracle baby with a perfect heart-shaped birthmark (stork bite) on her forehead. Instead of the traditional cigar, I celebrated the occasion with a well stirred Manhattan, of course. Katherine Rose Van Flandern was perfect in almost every way but one… the poor little thing had gas.

As a mixologist and global beverage consultant, I’ve been teaching my students to stir their Manhattan for years, because shaking alcohol aerates it by forcing little micro bubbles throughout the liquid making it cloudy and filling it with, you guessed it... gas. Additionally, shaking a spirit forward cocktail breaks off those little ice chips which further dilute the drink and compromise the oily viscosity that makes a great creamy Manhattan so wonderful. Those oils coat the back of the tongue and provide all the flavor on the finish.

For this reason, I prefer a smaller four-ounce cocktail, so that the temperature is ideal from the first to the last sip. These "Baby Manhattans" not only taste better, they are more cost effective and increase check averages.

Getting back to poor Katherine... every time I fed her a bottle of formula, she would cry in discomfort, sometimes for hours at a time. It was breaking my heart. We burped her often and got a stomach sensitive formula and then followed the formula directions exactly as written: fill the bottle with water, add formula powder and then shake vigorously before feeding. Yet even the sensitive formula made her inconsolable. My wife and I were at our wits end and getting sleep was a real challenge. Then, one night, during a 3 AM feeding I had an epiphany:

“Why the hell was I shaking the damn formula?”.

Of course, my daughter’s formula has no oils or alcohol, but the reason for stirring instead of shaking remains the same as a Manhattan. I’d been feeding her aerated formula full of gassy bubbles and then was surprised when she cried herself to sleep. Now I stir her formula and then slowly tumble roll back and forth in-order to avoid bubbles. I am happy to report Katherine is now eating and then sleeping through the night without fussing. Which means my wife and I can now relax at the end of the day and marvel at our sleeping Manhattan Baby, while we enjoy a well-stirred Baby Manhattan. Until our next cocktail together...

Happy Fathers Day and Baby Bottoms Up!!

#MyMixologist