Jacques Pépin's Simple Yet Elegant Cocktail That's Perfect For Weeknights

Jacques Pépin's tutelage of French food has been indispensable throughout the years, but in the past few decades, we've really known him to be a relaxed home chef who doesn't fuss much when it comes to cooking in his kitchen. Much of his inspiration is drawn from his own eating preferences. In a video he once posted to the Jacques Pépin Foundation Instagram account, he introduces viewers to one of his go-to drinks, called a reverse Manhattan.

As you can imagine, Pépin's drink is inspired by the classic Manhattan cocktail, which typically features a base of rye whiskey, and the addition of sweet vermouth and bitters — but in this case, the sweet vermouth is the bulk of the cocktail. Pépin starts by filling a glass with ice, adding a squeeze of lime juice, and pouring a generous amount of sweet vermouth in the glass. He finishes the reverse Manhattan with a tablespoon to a tablespoon-and-a-half (or however much your heart desires) of whiskey, stirs it briskly, and considers it finished. It's a drink he occasionally made for his wife back in the day, something the two would enjoy alongside meals.

The reason why the reverse Manhattan would be an easy drink to sip on during dinner is because its alcohol content is manageable in terms of intensity. Sweet vermouth, which composes most of the drink, usually has an ABV of about 14.5% to 22%, so it's like a glass of wine if not a touch stronger, and even though whiskey tends to be strong (40% ABV and up), a tablespoon of it isn't going to bump up the overall alcohol amount by that much.

Jacques Pépin advises making the drink heavy on the ice. The drink dilutes as the ice melts, so it's not necessarily going to taste as dense as a regular Manhattan. This means it'll be an easygoing drink to have with dinner. Spirit-based cocktails are strong on the palate, which is why you don't always pair them with meals, but a wine-based drink makes more sense to accompany your food. The reverse Manhattan would, of course, also make for a great summer patio drink if you're just catching a comfortable breeze in the backyard with some friends, too. We can leave it to Pépin to take a classic cocktail and turn it into something that's not only effortless to make, but enjoyable to drink — and would be suitably served with one of his recipes.