Woodford Reserve® and Esquire Search for the Country’s Best Manhattan Cocktail

September 16, 2013, Louisville, Ky. — With bourbon’s soaring popularity around the country, Woodford Reserve is kicking off its nationwide search for the country’s best Manhattan cocktail this fall with its Manhattan Experience bartender exhibition program.

From September 16 to November 15, Woodford Reserve and Esquire will host a series of bartender exhibition events in 30 cities around the United States. Bartenders will showcase their unique versions of the Manhattan cocktail during each of the Manhattan Experience events. Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris and a panel of judges will evaluate all bartender recipes to select each city’s Master of the Manhattan. From the winning recipes in each city, a total of six bartenders will then be selected to showcase their cocktails during the Manhattan Experience finale in New York City on January 13, 2014.

Participating markets include: New Orleans; San Francisco; San Diego; Los Angeles; St. Louis; Portland; Stamford; Savannah; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; Las Vegas; Pittsburgh; New York City; Milwaukee; Louisville; Detroit; Atlanta; Boston; Seattle; Cincinnati; Nashville; Orlando; Chicago; Denver; Hoboken; Phoenix; Annapolis; Indianapolis; Miami and St. Paul. For more information about the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Experience, please visit www.woodfordreserve.com/manhattanexperience.

“Woodford Reserve is a handcrafted bourbon with exceptional smoothness and is the cornerstone of a well-balanced Manhattan cocktail,” said Mia Simpson, Woodford Reserve associate brand manager. “Along with our partners at Esquire, we look forward to selecting the country’s best Manhattan.”

As the most complex and balanced of all bourbons, Woodford Reserve honors the spirit of crafting the ultimate cocktail. The perfect Manhattan, handcrafted with Woodford Reserve and its unique bitters, offers a modern twist to the classic libation.

Woodford Reserve Classic Manhattan
2 oz. Woodford Reserve
1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
2 dashes Woodford Reserve bitters (where available)
Garnish with a bourbon-infused cherry

Fill mixing glass or cocktail shaker with ice, add ingredients and shake or stir according to your own preference. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.
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About Woodford Reserve

Woodford Reserve is crafted at the historic Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky – the heart of thoroughbred country. Woodford Reserve is a product of the Brown-Forman Corporation, a producer and marketer of fine quality beverage alcohol brands such as Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Korbel, Tequila Herradura, Sonoma-Cutrer, Chambord, and Tuaca. For more information, please visit www.woodfordreserve.com. Please enjoy your bourbon responsibly.

About Esquire
Esquire, published by Hearst Magazines, is the most-honored monthly magazine in America. Over the past 15 years, it has won a total of 16 National Magazine Awards. Its Web site and e-reader applications have been similarly honored—Esquire won the first-ever National Magazine Award for iPad applications. In addition to its U.S. flagship, Esquire publishes 26 editions around the world. Follow Esquire on Twitter at @Esquiremag.

Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 45.2% Alc. by Vol., The Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, KY ©2013.