A Week Of Cocktail Burgers, Pt. 1: David Burke's Manhattan Burger
The Cocktail Burger Project that ran in Esquire originally began as the Manhattan (Burger) Project, where I got four of Manhattan’s finest burger chefs to make their take on my original (and, as it turns out, inferior) Manhattan Burger. After that ran in Robb Report in 2016 (it’s still there, but some of the text, including recipes, has disappeared into the ether), I decided to just keep running with it, cocktail by cocktail. After the PR team from Remy Martin got wind of it, I followed up Manhattans with sidecars — not the first cocktail that comes to mind when you think of a burger, but I had some amazing chefs turn out some mind-blowing creations. I wrote them up for HuffPost, where they’re still languishing somewhere.
But really, all those burgers belong in one place — namely, here. They also belong on your grill and in your belly. And given that summer has kicked off, there’s no time like the present to start experimenting. Especially because you’re probably sick of baking bread by now. So happy eating, happy drinking, and happy summer! May it be Covid-free for all of us.
My original concept for the Manhattan burger. I never wound up measuring anything, so if you want to replicate it, you’re on your own.
DAVID BURKE’S MANHATTAN BURGER
TV appearances, cookbooks, high-profile consulting gigs, and more restaurants than you can shake a stick at: It seems there’s nothing David Burke can’t do, and that includes making a Manhattan Burger. Every component of his burger has a connection to the cocktail: “What we did here is we made our own English muffin from corn, to go with the corn mash. You see the nooks and crannies in there? That’s going to absorb our caramelized onion and bourbon mayo. I also made ketchup out of maraschino cherries.” Old Forester bourbon (used because it was on hand; his favorite bourbon is Breckenridge, from Colorado) is folded into the dry-aged ground beef before cooking: “If you put it in the burger raw, you’ll have that perfume and aroma as you bite it. I also have the cheese [white cheddar] marinating in vermouth—we’ll flame it and then we’ll melt it.”
The master at work: David Burke creating his Manhattan Burger.
Burke plates his finished burger with an Empire State Building-shaped lavash cracker atop the bun, and garnishes it with breaded deep-fried maraschino cherries (which themselves should singlehandedly confirm Burke’s status as culinary genius). The burger itself is pretty brilliant, too. The flavors and perfumes of a Manhattan—from the corn in the bun to the vermouth in the cheese to the cherry in the ketchup—are all there. But while it’s delicious, it doesn’t taste anything like a Manhattan.
Add the cocktail into the mix, however, and the entire taste profile of the burger suddenly opens up like The Wizard of Oz shifting from black and white to glorious Technicolor, as the disparate flavors come into focus. Pretty amazing stuff.
Your Manhattan Burger may not look quite like David Burke’s, but it should still taste pretty delicious.
TO MAKE THE COCKTAIL:
2 oz. bourbon or rye, your choice
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (a lot of folks go with a 2:1 ratio, but I like mine more booze-forward) (if you want a perfect Manhattan, use 1/4 oz. sweet vermouth and 1/4 oz. dry vermouth)
1-2 dashes bitters (Angostura is a great go-to)
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with plenty of ice, stir, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. If you’re into garnishing your drinks, garnish with a cocktail cherry and an orange twist (lemon twist if you’re using rye).
TO MAKE THE BURGER (Serves 4):
Cook four ground beef patties (Burke uses a 50/50 sirloin/short rib blend) to desired level of doneness and melt two slices of aged cheddar on each. Place a dollop of caramelized onion aioli (recipe below) on each of the bottom buns (recipe below) and place the beef patties on top. Layer on lettuce, tomato, and “angry onions” (recipe below). Place a dollop of ketchup (recipe below) on each top bun to complete. Serve with fried Luxardo cherries (recipe below).
Manhattan Burger Buns
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fine semolina
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 3/4 cups warm water
Nonstick spray
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients except baking powder in a blender. Blend on high for 6 minutes, then add the baking powder and blend for an additional 4 minutes. Put the mixture into a bowl and cover the bowl with a towel. Let stand for about 2 hours. Drop dollops (about 4 Tbsp each) of batter onto a nonstick pan; cook all the way through, on one side, about 3 minutes. Makes 8 pancakes for 4 burger buns.
Manhattan Ketchup
Ingredients:
1 cup ketchup
1 shallot, minced
2 oz. bourbon
4 Luxardo maraschino cherries
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
Preparation:
In a small saucepan, sweat shallots in a teaspoon of vegetable oil until translucent. Add the cherries and bourbon. (Be careful: The bourbon will flame). Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend until smooth.
Caramelized Onion Aioli
Ingredients:
5 small shallots, peeled
1 tsp. canola oil
4 oz. bourbon
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. grainy Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
In a heavy skillet, brown the shallots in the canola oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add bourbon and allow to reduce. Add chicken stock and slowly reduce. Cook out the reaming liquid as the shallots soften. When shallots are soft and brown, blend with the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.
Angry Onions
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. cayenne
1 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Combine the flour, chili powder, paprika, and cayenne. Soak the red onion slices in ice water for 2 minutes; drain and pat dry. Toss in egg and dredge in flour mixture. Fry until golden brown and crisp. Season with salt and pepper.
Fried Cherries
Ingredients:
12 Luxardo maraschino cherries
1 cup fine bread crumbs
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
Preparation:
Dredge the cherries in flour, dip each cherry in egg, and then coat with bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown and crisp.