Bartender Yuri Barrientos with the Southington
Manhattan.
The Manhattan
16 Eden Avenue
Southington, CT
Tucked away on Eden Avenue not far from Southington’s Town Center, The Manhattan is a tapas restaurant, bar and lounge offering guests an escape from the ordinary. Opened in November 2019 by Owner Rob Sitz, the venue offers an array of craft cocktails, with a dozen Manhattans to choose from on an ever-evolving cocktail list. Guests will also find a variety of favorites and classics with a twist, along with select beer and wine. While the venue began as a speakeasy lounge outfitted with comfortable sofas and chairs, Sitz said he changed the concept once the pandemic hit and regulations made distancing guests a priority. The space is now a bustling, full-service dining room with tables and chairs, and Sitz said the changes ultimately worked out well. “We like what we’re doing now,” he said. “We have a little bit of a cabaret feel going on here, we do some live music, we do special functions all the time, private parties and receptions.” Sitz said he likes that the venue gives guests a taste of something different with its menu of Spanish- and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine by award-winning, four-star Chef, Fabian Contreras. “Our menu is usually not one where you could go home and make this food. That’s the nice thing about going out to eat here. We usually say if you come here, it’s like a mini-vacation, you eat some food you don’t normally eat and make yourself at home and we have great cocktails, great servers and bartenders and a great chef.”
Bartender: Yuri Barrientos
Cocktail: Southington Manhattan
Ingredients:
» 2.5 oz. Bulleit Bourbon
» 1.5 oz. Martini & Rossi Rosso Sweet Vermouth
» 2 dashes The Bitter Truth Orange Bitters
» Garnish: orange zest
The Southington Manhattan.
Method: Chill a martini glass by filling it with ice water. Add the bourbon, vermouth and orange bitters to a mixing glass over ice. Stir. Pour the ice water out of the martini glass. Strain the contents of the mixing glass into the martini glass. Top with orange zest.
General Manager Donald Spencer and Bartender Yuri Barrientos, along with a close-knit team of hospitality professionals, create the friendly and fun ambiance guests are looking for when they stop in after a long day to unwind with a great cocktail. The Southington Manhattan is one of the venue’s most requested cocktails. “We have a lot of Manhattans and they pick this one specifically,” said Barrientos. “I think it’s the orange zest that sets it apart.”
