Lucius Beebe, an Edwardian at heart, was a journalist and newspaper publisher. In 1946, he authored the “Stork Club Bar Book” and listed the Manhattan as a morning drink to be drunk before noon because of its unrivaled tonic qualities as a restorative and element for firming the moral fiber. He’s absolutely right. I would never have imagined it until the New York Times did a story about the Manhattan and my neighbor Tim on Columbia Avenue began hosting impromptu mid-morning Manhattan parties. Its mildly decadent, especially if there’s some goody-goody among your crowd who gasps out loud and looks at his watch when he sees the silver tray of frothy amber cocktails. Something about sipping a Manhattan or two on a big screened porch shaded by the pines and hollies on a hot summer morning and fanned by the old lazy ceiling fans that just transports you back to another era.

Recipe for a Mid-Morning Manhattan
Bitters
Maker’s Mark bourbon
Sweet vermouth
Maraschino cherry