Classic cocktails: The Metroplitan

Once in awhile, the opportunity to be brave and try something new (or rather, old) pops up, and curiosity rears it's head. I was skimming through some of the obsolete 'martinis' at work the other day, and came across the Metropolitan.  It isn't a martini in the sense that its some kind of 'Martini', but rather, that it comes in a martini glass. I know I know, semantics.

Regardless, I mentioned the Metropolitan to my bar manager, having seen it before. The name and recipe reminds me much of the Manhattan, of which I am admittedly a fan. It caught my attention for being quite similar the Manhattan and a brandy cocktail.

The recipe is as follows:

• 1 1/2 oz Brandy 

• 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth 

• 1 dash Angostura Bitters 

• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup (optional)

So I made my version without syrup. In a word, oops? Okay okay, maybe it wouldn't have made it better. Or perhaps the brandy of choice is to blame? We used 'Napoleon', since it's much cheaper than the other brandies we carry - all cognacs. I don't know much about brandy, as I mentioned earlier. I can't really say where the mistake was in this, if there was any mistake at all. I didn't like it, and sadly, neither did my coworkers. However, this hasn't put me off.  I've tasted a few cognacs which I did thoroughly, and while I would not like to mix down the flavor of a pricey cognac, I am still intrigued at the various possibilities of this cocktail.

Let me know what you think in the comments section! I would love some advice on brandy, if you can give any!