Blaine and I were in Keene last weekend for my mother-in-law Kim’s 60th birthday, and she insisted we make this cocktail. We were initially skeptical…but you have to give the birthday girl what she wants, right?

Glance at the ingredients, and you’ll probably agree that this cocktail seems bizarre. But the drink is delicious, and after tasting, we realized it’s basically a spin on a Manhattan — instead of sweet vermouth, here it’s maple syrup and red wine. It’s a pretty drink for Valentine’s Day, or any celebration really, like Kim’s 60th 🙂 We named the drink in honor of her — indeed, 60 never looked so sexy!

FYI, we initially didn’t float the red wine, and decided it makes a huge difference in the drink.  SO DON’T MESS IT UP!

The method:
Shake 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz fresh lemon juice ?, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup ? with ice. Strain into a glass with ice. Slowly pour 2 oz dry red wine ? over the back of a spoon? to create the layered effect.

Cheers!

[Recipe from Cookie + Kate]