For a concrete jungle, New York City has a knack for yielding fruits of gold. From the Reuben sandwich to Scrabble and even hip hop, the city that never sleeps has also given the world its own range of signature borough cocktails. You may be more familiar with the chic Manhattan, but this notorious Brooklyn cocktail has its own story to tell, so listen up.
The Brooklyn was first stirred together in 1908 by Jacob Grohusko (ironically from New Jersey), who was the head bartender at Wall Street fine-diner Baracca (ironically in Manhattan). Legend has it that the restaurant’s owner and Brooklyn native, Victor Baracca, asked Jacob to craft a drink that would represent his hometown borough, which explains the name.
Taking inspiration from the Manhattan cocktail, Jacob swapped the bourbon base for rye whiskey and added maraschino liqueur and Picon Amer (a bitter orange aperitif from France). After Jacob published the recipe in his book Jack’s Manual the same year, the drink’s rapid rise in popularity was cut short in 1920 when Prohibition came into effect, almost wiping the Brooklyn from the history books.
Never one to call it a night, the cocktail re-emerged in Henry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930, and then again in the 2000s with a renewed modern momentum. Today, the cocktail has inspired a huge range of spin-offs, many named after iconic Brooklyn neighbourhoods. But that's no biggie. The OG Brooklyn remains the juiciest of them all.
