Manhattan of La Jolla Newsletter | December 2025
Thank you for reading!
We are pleased to announce that Manhattan of La Jolla has received the Readers Awards for La Jolla for best and favorite Steak, Martini and Service!
COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH: THE NEGRONI
In our first two newsletters, we presented the histories of the Manhattan and Martini cocktails. This month we are featuring the Negroni cocktail. Like the others, there is some controversy involving the origin of the Negroni. We are going to discuss the most accepted version because it is the most interesting.
The story centers around an Italian nobleman, Count Camillo Negroni of Florence, Italy. The Count had left Italy in his twenties and traveled to America where he spent time as a cowboy in the west, a riverboat gambler, and a banker in New York. After returning to Italy, instead of ordering his normal cocktail, the Americano, he wanted something stronger, so he asked bartender Fosco Scarselli at Caffe Casoni in Florence around 1919 to replace the soda water with gin, thus creating the Cocktail to be called the Negroni.
Though some have questioned his noble title and the stories of his adventures, there is belief that it all is somewhat true. In 1928, an American journalist reported sitting with the Count and hearing about his American adventures. His family later founded a distillery to capitalize on the cocktail’s popularity.
Although there are a number of variations of the Negroni, we serve the classic version of equal parts Gin, Campari, Sweet Vermouth, and topped with an orange peel.
MUSIC OF THE MONTH: EDWARD GABRIELYAN
This month we are featuring Edward Gabrielyan who entertains with jazz piano on Tuesday nights. Edward is a twenty six year old pianist raised in San Diego. He studied traditional New Orleans jazz at Mission Bay high school, and went on to study all styles from straight-ahead to fusion and Latin jazz at Cal State Fullerton.
Through high school, college and on, Edward maintained a close relationship with jazz super stars, Mike Wooford and Holly Hoffmann whom he considers mentors. Edward has performed across the Unites States and overseas in Japan, but his favorite place to play is in Manhattan of La Jolla.
WINE OF THE MONTH:
Poggio Alle Mura Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva
Keeping with the Italian steak house theme of Manhattan, we are featuring one of our Italian wines, Poggio Alle Mura Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva, from the Mond Banfi Winery in Tuscany. In researching this wine, we found it has an interesting history. The site of the winery has a castle fortress dating back to the thirteenth century, with a significant Italian history. However, today it is owned by an American family. John Mariani Sr. started in the wine business in New York in 1919. His two grandsons purchased the winery in 1978 and named it Banfi after John Mariani Sr.’s aunt Teodolinda Banfi, who helped raise him in Italy before he came to America.
The wine is a Brunello that comes from the winery’s vineyards that zoning studies begun in 1980, have identified as the most suitable for Sangiovese. It is a complex and balanced wine with an intense aroma characterized by hints of plum, cherry, and small red fruits, accompanied by balsamic and tobacco notes. It pairs excellently with rich, structured dishes, but also with particularly savory delicacies as aged cheese and cured meats.
As the holidays are upon us, a gift certificate to Manhattan is a great choice for the person who is difficult to buy for!