DOTD For Thursday, September 11, 2025

A Drink To Celebrate A Great City

Today’s DOTD - Drink Of The Day - is the Manhattan Cocktail inspired by the island of Manhattan being “discovered” on this day in 1609 by Henry Hudson. Of course, today’s DOTD is also a nod commemorating the resilience & helpfulness of New Yorkers on this, the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

September 11, 1609 is reportedly the day Henry Hudson “discovered” Manhattan Island - which was news to the indigenous Lenape people living there that he also “discovered.” Hudson wasn’t the first European to set eyes upon the island, but he was the first to European to map it. His success in that effort laid the foundation for the Dutch colonization of the region, which led to them naming the Hudson River after him, as well as becoming the namesake of the Hudson Bay Company.

For all that success, Hudson’s initial goal was to find the mythical northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. While he sailed up what would eventually become the Hudson River as far as what is now known as Albany, he failed at his goal - mostly because he was off by a few thousand miles.

If Hudson had bothered to have asked the Lenape people, they would told him exactly where to go. While the area always changes, New Yorkers have always been the same.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’re going to need for this drink: