A Manhattan in dress clothes: bourbon and sweet vermouth deepened by a measure of Bénédictine, whose honeyed herbal backbone gives the drink a character all its own. Stirred cold and served up under a lemon twist, it drinks rich and quietly spiced, with a dash of Angostura and the bright citrus oil keeping the sweetness in line.
Garnish: Lemon Peel
Stirred · Coupe · Up
add
Combine bourbon, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, and Angostura bitters in a mixing glass with ice.
stir
Stir until well chilled and properly diluted, about 20-30 seconds.
strain
Fine strain into a chilled coupe.
garnish
Express a lemon twist over the surface and drop it in.
Cocktail historian David Wondrich, writing in 2009, dates the Preakness to 1936 and a contest at Baltimore's Emerson Hotel to choose the official drink of the first Preakness Ball. The winning recipe came from the hotel's head bartender, who survives in the record only as George. Both the ball and the cocktail borrowed their name from the horse race held at Pimlico every May.