Arthur Schwartz is an old friend of mine–I was guest on his radio show a few times and we moved in the same circles when I lived in Manhattan.   He got in touch recently to tell me about a story that appears on page 86 (how appropriate) of his book, New York City Food, that details the birth of the Manhattan cocktail.  And it’s a tale I’ve never heard told before.

For all the details you’ll have to buy the book, but what I will tell you here is that cookbook author, Carol Truax, claimed that it was created for her father.  Go figure.

Arthur Schwartz’s New York City Food: An Opinionated History and More Than 100 Legendary Recipes by Arthur Schwartz and Chris Callis