I remember as a child walking to the K & K, which was the neighborhood luncheonette on the corner of Monroe & Market Streets, and purchasing an ice cold Manhattan Special. Nothing quenched the thirst on a hot summer day like a Manhattan Special, which was purchased for a quarter. The guy behind the counter would open the bottles for us and we'd take off - back to the park on Cherry St. to continue our games of Chinese jump-rope, Johnny-on-the-Pony, stickball, tops, handball, or just walking around the block a few times while sipping our soda and talking about the boys.I paid $1.39 for this bottle. One sip takes me back to NYC, any summer between 1965 and 1970. Even when we spent the summers in Long Beach, you could find a bottle of Manhattan Special in any deli in NY. Through the years it was difficult to find but now it's making a comeback in specialty stores and high-end food markets and can even be purchased online.
The espresso flavored soda will always be about NYC and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where it's still made today.
2 comments:
What does a Manhattan Special taste like?
Is it a root beer or creme soda?
I like your use of detail in this post.
Imagine if you will drinking a black espresso. now Imagine that wonderfully fresh bitter flavor sweetened with pure cane sugar. That will give an idea of the bittersweet nature of the Manhattan Special. The texture is of course the fizzy carbonation of soda. A truly unique flavor and one that for some needs to be acquired to be appreciated. It is certainly a trip through time when drinking a Manhattan Special and I highly encourage it!
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