Name: Manhattan Tomato Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 very ripe large sized tomatoes, cored, cut into eigth size wedges; 1/2 red onion halved then thinly cut to half moons; 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons chopped parsley; 8 basil leaves, approximately, stacked, rolled, then thinly sliced; 3-4 tablespoons Manhattan cocktail; 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil; few pinches coarse kosher salt; few grinds cracked black pepper, plus more according to taste; Preparing the Manhattan: Into a cocktail glass stir together one shot glass each of whisky, sweet vermouth and water, stir

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Manhattan Tomato Salad

You’re in the midst of Happy Hour with still a Tomato Salad to prepare for the dinner, you decide to forgo the vinegar and add some of this cocktail instead. What cocktail were you drinking?

A Manhattan. One. One. And One. Whiskey. Sweet Vermouth. Water. That’s the recipe.

The Manhattan has always been “the” cocktail on my father’s side of the family. Prepared in pitchers year round at all family gatherings.

During the summer months, the Manhattan was a lovely way to get the party started after a long day at the beach, or as a relaxing way to soften the blow between those who regularly cheated at pinochle. I’m not naming any names but besides those now in heaven, they know who they are.

A little glug from those Pitchers of Manhattans also served as the perfect flavoring agent for the giant, ripe, juicy Jersey tomatoes sliced up into a big bowl with some onion and garlic then tossed with chopped fresh curly parsley which was generally the only type of parsley available in the age of the good timers, those fabulous relatives who really enjoyed their Pitchers of Manhattans, and a serving of Manhattan Tomato Salad with the dinner side.