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Manhattan (cocktail)
Encyclopedia
A Manhattan is a cocktail
made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters
. Commonly used whiskeys include rye (the traditional choice), Canadian whisky
(simply called Rye in Canada), bourbon
, blended whiskey
and Tennessee whiskey
. The cocktail is often stirred with ice and strained into a cocktail glass
, where it is garnished with a Maraschino cherry
with a stem. A Manhattan is also frequently served on the rocks
in an Old Fashioned glass
(lowball glass). The whiskey-based Manhattan is one of five cocktails named for one of New York City's five boroughs
, but is perhaps most closely related to the Brooklyn cocktail — a mix utilizing dry vermouth and Maraschino
liqueur in place of the Manhattan's sweet vermouth, as well as Amer Picon in place of the Manhattan's traditional bitters.
It is one of six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury
's classic The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks
.
in the early 1870s, where it was invented by Dr. Iain Marshall for a banquet hosted by Jennie Jerome (Lady Randolph Churchill, Winston
's mother) in honor of presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden
. The success of the banquet made the drink fashionable, later prompting several people to request the drink by referring to the name of the club where it originated—"the Manhattan cocktail." However, Lady Randolph was in France at the time and pregnant, so the story is likely a fiction. The original "Manhattan cocktail" was a mix of "American Whiskey, Italian Vermouth and Angostura bitters
".
However, there are prior references to various similar cocktail recipes called "Manhattan" and served in the Manhattan
area. By one account it was invented in the 1860s by a bartender named Black at a bar on Broadway
near Houston Street.
An early record of the cocktail can be found in William Schmidt's "The Flowing Bowl", published in 1891. In it, he details a drink containing 2 dashes of gum, 2 dashes of bitters, 1 dash of absinthe
, 2/3 portion of whiskey and 1/3 portion of vermouth.
The same cocktail appears listed as a "Tennessee Cocktail" in 'Shake 'em Up!' by V. Elliott and P. Strong, copyright 1930 (p. 39): "Two parts of whiskey, one part of Italian Vermouth and a dash of bitters poured over ice and stirred vigorously."
, the Manhattan cocktail is a standard drink at almost every cafe restaurant, and 'get together' of locals. The story goes, that many of the people of Föhr emigrated to Manhattan during deep sea fishing trips, took a liking to the drink, and brought it back to Föhr with them. The drink is usually mixed 1 part (the 'perfect' is said to be half white/half red) vermouth
to 2 parts whiskey, with a dash of bitters, served ice cold, in an ice cold glass, or with ice and a cherry garnish.
or Canadian whisky
(both of which may contain no rye at all.).
The Manhattan is subject to considerable variation and innovation, and is often a way for the best bartenders to show off their creativity. Some shake the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker
instead of stirring it, creating a froth on the surface of the drink. Angostura
are the classic bitters
, but orange bitters
, Peychaud's Bitters
, and others may be used; using Fernet-Branca yields what is called a cocktail. Some make their own bitters and syrups, substitute comparable digestifs in place of vermouth, specialize in local or rare whiskeys, or use other exotic ingredients. A lemon peel may be used as garnish. Some add juice from the cherry jar or Maraschino
liqueur
to the cocktail for additional sweetness and color.
Originally, bitters were considered an integral part of any cocktail, as the ingredient that differentiated a cocktail
from a sling. Over time, those definitions of cocktail and sling have become archaic, as sling has fallen out of general use (other than in certain drink names), and cocktail can mean any drink that resembles a martini, or simply any mixed drink.
The following are other variations on the classic Manhattan:
. On the NBC
sitcom Will & Grace
, Karen Walker is also known to drink Manhattans. Along with Port wine
, Manhattans frequent many Jack Kerouac
novels, such as Big Sur
, On The Road
and The Subterraneans
. In the film Some Like It Hot
, set during Prohibition
, Marilyn Monroe
's character, Sugar Cane, makes Manhattans in a hot water bottle. Bart Simpson
's Manhattans were well regarded by the mobsters of Springfield on an episode of The Simpsons
. On the television series Home Improvement
, Tim Allen
's character occasionally ordered a Perfect Manhattan when in a bar or restaurant. On the "Reunion" episode of the television show 30 Rock
, Liz Lemon
attends her high school reunion and orders a Manhattan. When asked what kind of bourbon she wants, she becomes flustered (having only ordered the drink to show off how cosmopolitan she has become) and orders a white wine spritzer instead.
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters
Bitters
A bitters is an alcoholic beverage that is flavored with herbal essences and has a bitter or bittersweet flavor. There are numerous brands of bitters that were formerly marketed as patent medicines but are now considered to be digestifs, rather than medicines...
. Commonly used whiskeys include rye (the traditional choice), Canadian whisky
Canadian whisky
Canadian whisky is a type of whisky produced in Canada. Most Canadian whiskies are blended multi-grain liquors containing a large percentage of corn spirits, and are typically lighter and smoother than other whisky styles...
(simply called Rye in Canada), bourbon
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
, blended whiskey
Blended whiskey
A blended whisky is the product of blending different types of whiskies and often also neutral and near-neutral spirits, coloring, and flavorings...
and Tennessee whiskey
Tennessee whiskey
Tennessee whiskey is Straight Bourbon Whiskey produced in the state of Tennessee. This definition is legally established under the North American Free Trade Agreement and at least one other international trade agreement that require that Tennessee whiskey be "a straight Bourbon Whiskey authorized...
. The cocktail is often stirred with ice and strained into a cocktail glass
Cocktail glass
A cocktail glass is a stemmed glass which has a cone-shaped bowl placed upon a stem above a flat base. It is mainly used to serve cocktails. Its form derives from the fact that all cocktails are traditionally served chilled and contain an aromatic element...
, where it is garnished with a Maraschino cherry
Maraschino cherry
A maraschino cherry is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries such as the Royal Ann, Rainier, or Gold varieties...
with a stem. A Manhattan is also frequently served on the rocks
Ice cube
Ice cubes are small, roughly cube-shaped pieces of ice, conventionally used to cool beverages. Ice cubes are often preferred over crushed ice because they melt more slowly; they are standard in mixed drinks that call for ice, in which case the drink is said to be "on the rocks."Ice cubes are...
in an Old Fashioned glass
Old fashioned glass
The Old Fashioned glass, lowball glass, or rocks glass is a short tumbler used for serving an alcoholic beverage, such as whisky, with ice cubes...
(lowball glass). The whiskey-based Manhattan is one of five cocktails named for one of New York City's five boroughs
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
, but is perhaps most closely related to the Brooklyn cocktail — a mix utilizing dry vermouth and Maraschino
Maraschino
Maraschino .The liqueur's distinctive flavor comes from the Marasca cherries, and the crushed cherry pits lend an almond-like flavor to Maraschino...
liqueur in place of the Manhattan's sweet vermouth, as well as Amer Picon in place of the Manhattan's traditional bitters.
It is one of six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury
David A. Embury
David Augustus Embury was an American attorney and author of The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks , a classic encyclopedia of the 20th century cocktail....
's classic The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks
The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks
The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks is a classic cocktail book by David A. Embury, first published in 1948. The book is noteworthy for its witty, highly opinionated and conversational tone, as well as its categorization of cocktails into two main types: aromatic and sour; its categorization of...
.
Origin and history
A popular history suggests that the drink originated at the Manhattan Club in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the early 1870s, where it was invented by Dr. Iain Marshall for a banquet hosted by Jennie Jerome (Lady Randolph Churchill, Winston
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's mother) in honor of presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel Jones Tilden was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency in the disputed election of 1876, one of the most controversial American elections of the 19th century. He was the 25th Governor of New York...
. The success of the banquet made the drink fashionable, later prompting several people to request the drink by referring to the name of the club where it originated—"the Manhattan cocktail." However, Lady Randolph was in France at the time and pregnant, so the story is likely a fiction. The original "Manhattan cocktail" was a mix of "American Whiskey, Italian Vermouth and Angostura bitters
Angostura bitters
Angostura bitters, often simply referred to as angostura, is a concentrated bitters made of water, 44.7% alcohol, gentian root, and vegetable flavoring extracts by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. They are typically used for flavoring beverages, or food...
".
However, there are prior references to various similar cocktail recipes called "Manhattan" and served in the Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
area. By one account it was invented in the 1860s by a bartender named Black at a bar on Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
near Houston Street.
An early record of the cocktail can be found in William Schmidt's "The Flowing Bowl", published in 1891. In it, he details a drink containing 2 dashes of gum, 2 dashes of bitters, 1 dash of absinthe
Absinthe
Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as "grande wormwood", together with green anise and sweet fennel...
, 2/3 portion of whiskey and 1/3 portion of vermouth.
The same cocktail appears listed as a "Tennessee Cocktail" in 'Shake 'em Up!' by V. Elliott and P. Strong, copyright 1930 (p. 39): "Two parts of whiskey, one part of Italian Vermouth and a dash of bitters poured over ice and stirred vigorously."
Traditions
On the small North Frisian island of FöhrFöhr
Föhr is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Föhr is the second-largest North Sea island of Germany....
, the Manhattan cocktail is a standard drink at almost every cafe restaurant, and 'get together' of locals. The story goes, that many of the people of Föhr emigrated to Manhattan during deep sea fishing trips, took a liking to the drink, and brought it back to Föhr with them. The drink is usually mixed 1 part (the 'perfect' is said to be half white/half red) vermouth
Vermouth
Vermouth is a fortified wine flavored with various dry ingredients. The modern versions of the beverage were first produced around the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Italy and France...
to 2 parts whiskey, with a dash of bitters, served ice cold, in an ice cold glass, or with ice and a cherry garnish.
Variations
Traditional views insist that a Manhattan be made with rye whiskey. However, nowadays, it is more often than not made with bourbonBourbon
- Food and drink :* Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash* Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit* A beer produced by Brasseries de Bourbon* Bourbon coffee, a type of coffee made from a cultivar of coffea arabica...
or Canadian whisky
Canadian whisky
Canadian whisky is a type of whisky produced in Canada. Most Canadian whiskies are blended multi-grain liquors containing a large percentage of corn spirits, and are typically lighter and smoother than other whisky styles...
(both of which may contain no rye at all.).
The Manhattan is subject to considerable variation and innovation, and is often a way for the best bartenders to show off their creativity. Some shake the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker
Cocktail shaker
A cocktail shaker is a device used to mix beverages by shaking. When ice is put in the shaker this allows for a quicker cooling of the drink before serving....
instead of stirring it, creating a froth on the surface of the drink. Angostura
Angostura bitters
Angostura bitters, often simply referred to as angostura, is a concentrated bitters made of water, 44.7% alcohol, gentian root, and vegetable flavoring extracts by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. They are typically used for flavoring beverages, or food...
are the classic bitters
Bitters
A bitters is an alcoholic beverage that is flavored with herbal essences and has a bitter or bittersweet flavor. There are numerous brands of bitters that were formerly marketed as patent medicines but are now considered to be digestifs, rather than medicines...
, but orange bitters
Orange bitters
Orange bitters is a cocktail flavoring made from the peels of Seville oranges, cardamon, caraway seed, coriander and burnt sugar in an alcohol base. Some cocktail recipes which traditionally contained orange bitters may now exclude that ingredient because it has not been available for some time...
, Peychaud's Bitters
Peychaud's Bitters
Peychaud's Bitters, originally created around 1830 by Antoine Amédée Peychaud, a Creole apothecary from the French colony of Saint-Domingue, now Haiti, who settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1795, is distributed by Sazerac. It is a gentian-based bitters, comparable to Angostura bitters, but with...
, and others may be used; using Fernet-Branca yields what is called a cocktail. Some make their own bitters and syrups, substitute comparable digestifs in place of vermouth, specialize in local or rare whiskeys, or use other exotic ingredients. A lemon peel may be used as garnish. Some add juice from the cherry jar or Maraschino
Maraschino
Maraschino .The liqueur's distinctive flavor comes from the Marasca cherries, and the crushed cherry pits lend an almond-like flavor to Maraschino...
liqueur
Liqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
to the cocktail for additional sweetness and color.
Originally, bitters were considered an integral part of any cocktail, as the ingredient that differentiated a cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
from a sling. Over time, those definitions of cocktail and sling have become archaic, as sling has fallen out of general use (other than in certain drink names), and cocktail can mean any drink that resembles a martini, or simply any mixed drink.
The following are other variations on the classic Manhattan:
- A Rob RoyRob Roy cocktailFirst created in 1894 by a bartender at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City, the Rob Roy is a cocktail similar to a Manhattan. The drink is named for the Scottish folk hero Robert Roy MacGregor...
is made with Scotch whiskyScotch whiskyScotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...
. - A Dry Manhattan is made with dry vermouth instead of sweet vermouth and served with a twistTwist (cocktail garnish)A twist is a piece of citrus zest used as a cocktail garnish, generally for decoration and to add flavor when added to a mixed drink.There are a variety of ways of making and using twists. Twists are typically cut from a whole fresh fruit with a small kitchen knife immediately prior to serving,...
. Dry Manhattans were popularized by Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and the Rat PackRat PackThe Rat Pack was a group of actors originally centered on Humphrey Bogart. In the mid-1960s it was the name used by the press and the general public to refer to a later variation of the group, after Bogart's death, that called itself "the summit" or "the clan," featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean...
. - A Perfect Manhattan is made with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth.
- A Brandy Manhattan is made with brandyBrandyBrandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
rather than rye. - A Ruby Manhattan is made with portPort winePort wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...
rather than vermouthVermouthVermouth is a fortified wine flavored with various dry ingredients. The modern versions of the beverage were first produced around the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Italy and France...
. - A Metropolitan is similar to a brandy manhattan, but with a 3-to-1 ratio of cognac or brandy to vermouth.
- A Cuban Manhattan is a Perfect Manhattan with dark rumRumRum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
as its principal ingredient. - A Latin Manhattan is made with equal parts of white rumRumRum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
, sweet and dry vermouth, and a splash of Maraschino cherry juice, served up with a twist. - A Royal Manhattan is made with Crown Royal Canadian Whisky.
- A Tijuana Manhattan is made with an Anejo TequilaTequilaTequila is a spirit made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands of the western Mexican state of Jalisco....
. - A Monte Carlo is made with Bénédictine in place of vermouth
- A Soul Manhattan is made with Absinthe instead of Vermouth
- The Fourth Regiment is a classic (ca. 1889) cocktail that uses a 1/1 ratio of whiskey and vermouth, and uses three dashes of three different bittersBittersA bitters is an alcoholic beverage that is flavored with herbal essences and has a bitter or bittersweet flavor. There are numerous brands of bitters that were formerly marketed as patent medicines but are now considered to be digestifs, rather than medicines...
- orange bittersOrange bittersOrange bitters is a cocktail flavoring made from the peels of Seville oranges, cardamon, caraway seed, coriander and burnt sugar in an alcohol base. Some cocktail recipes which traditionally contained orange bitters may now exclude that ingredient because it has not been available for some time...
, celery bitters, and Peychaud's BittersPeychaud's BittersPeychaud's Bitters, originally created around 1830 by Antoine Amédée Peychaud, a Creole apothecary from the French colony of Saint-Domingue, now Haiti, who settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1795, is distributed by Sazerac. It is a gentian-based bitters, comparable to Angostura bitters, but with...
.
In popular culture
The cocktail has been referenced prominently in numerous films and television shows. Manhattans, along with cosmopolitans, were frequently consumed on the HBO television series Sex and the CitySex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
. On the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
, Karen Walker is also known to drink Manhattans. Along with Port wine
Port wine
Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...
, Manhattans frequent many Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
novels, such as Big Sur
Big Sur (novel)
Big Sur is a 1962 novel by Jack Kerouac. It recounts the events surrounding Kerouac's three brief sojourns to a cabin in Bixby Canyon, Big Sur, owned by Kerouac's friend and Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti...
, On The Road
On the Road
On the Road is a novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, written in April 1951, and published by Viking Press in 1957. It is a largely autobiographical work that was based on the spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends across mid-century America. It is often considered a defining work of...
and The Subterraneans
The Subterraneans
The Subterraneans is a 1958 novella by Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac. It is a semi-fictional account of his short romance with an African American woman named Alene Lee in San Francisco in 1953. In the novel she is renamed "Mardou Fox," and described as a carefree spirit who frequents the...
. In the film Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot is an American comedy film, made in 1958 and released in 1959, which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft. The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien and Nehemiah Persoff. The film is a remake by Wilder and I....
, set during Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
's character, Sugar Cane, makes Manhattans in a hot water bottle. Bart Simpson
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
's Manhattans were well regarded by the mobsters of Springfield on an episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. On the television series Home Improvement
Home Improvement
Home Improvement is an American television sitcom starring Tim Allen, that aired from September 17, 1991 to May 25, 1999. The show was created by Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra and David McFadzean. In the 1990s, it was one of the most watched sitcoms in the American market, winning many awards...
, Tim Allen
Tim Allen
Tim Allen is an American comedian, actor, voice-over artist, and entertainer, known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement...
's character occasionally ordered a Perfect Manhattan when in a bar or restaurant. On the "Reunion" episode of the television show 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
attends her high school reunion and orders a Manhattan. When asked what kind of bourbon she wants, she becomes flustered (having only ordered the drink to show off how cosmopolitan she has become) and orders a white wine spritzer instead.