Makers Mark Manhattan

Roxanne Waters Cheney, a retired Marine Corps Colonel, commissioned this painting through my Atelier Off Bay studio in Historic Beaufort, SC.  Her good friend and my fellow artist at Atelier, Jennifer Heyd Wharton, introduced us. It was so much fun to meet with Roxanne in my studio and sort through a box of very interesting objects and family heirlooms she had brought in to consider for the painting.  I was very excited when I saw the Hibiki Japanese bottle of whiskey. The bottle is so elegant and beautifully designed that I remarked to Roxanne, “we have to include this bottle in the painting!” and even more so as the distiller, Suntory, also now owns Maker’s Mark Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey.  We laid out all the whisky bottles, the barware and other objects on a table in my studio. Next, I asked Roxanne to rank them in order of importance and meaning to her.

After several configurations of adding, taking away and rearranging, we ultimately decided upon the Maker’s Mark and Hibiki bottles and other items you see in the painting.  Maker’s is Roxanne’s favorite bourbon, not only because she likes the taste, but also because her first bottle was a gift from her ceaselessly elegant [and forever young] cousin, Marc. Roxanne’s father, a mustang Marine, ingrained in her (by word and deed) that “it’s always five o’clock somewhere” … hence, the antique watch owned by the artist to complement the setup.  

Later in life, her father embarked upon a highly successful civilian career which allowed him the luxury of purchasing fine collectibles, including the heirloom shaker, pewter strainer, and Tiffany sterling bitters can and stir stick that appear in the painting.  And while her father’s drink was a very dry gin martini, Roxanne favors her mother’s adult beverage of choice: a Manhattan, straight up, with dirty ice on the side.  Finally, the sterling silver whistle was reminiscent of her parents’ courting days when Roxanne’s mother reenacted a scene from the film “To Have and Have Not” when Lauren Bacall’s character tells Humphrey Bogart’s character that he doesn't need to do anything else to get her attention “except maybe whistle."

We added a lemon, Bada-Bing cherries, a cocktail stainless steel glass and a bottle of Dolin sweet vermouth (for a pop of green and the vintage looking label).

Maker's Mark Manhattan (per their website)

Ingredients:

2 parts Maker's Mark Bourbon

1 part sweet vermouth

2 dashes aromatic bitters

How to: Combine ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass neat or on the rocks. Garnish with a cherry.

Still life scene uniquely created and painted from life by the artist,

Michael Reibel  www.mreibelpaintings.com