Yes, it's the festival of lights—the holiday when Jews worldwide celebrate the Biblical story in which a tiny amount of oil miraculously became enough to illuminate the menorah in the Temple in Jerusalem for eight entire nights.In short, Hanukkah is a celebration of oil and fire, so if you'd like to join in the festivities, we suggest you make this Hanukkah Manhattan, stat.Sure, a bartender might make a show of it and set the whole shebang on fire, but you don't have to—in fact, you definitely shouldn't—do that at home. What you should do is whip out some bourbon and Spanish brandy, add a bit of vermouth, and stir the whole thing together with some bitters, (orange-flavored, if possible). Aaron Polsky of LA's Harvard and Stone knows this is just the thing to warm you up on a cold December night.
Then you can get down to the serious business of eating some latkes or sufganiyot—or not. One could just get wasted on these Manhattans, one night in a row or eight. That'll do.This first appeared on MUNCHIES in December 2016.RECIPE: Hanukkah Manhattan