July 8, 2008
Serving Up a Manhattan Special
The beloved Manhattan Special was featured in the NY Times yesterday as siblings Aurora and Louis Passaro are experiencing a new resurgence in popularity in the coffee soda specialty. The drink, which has been made in a Brooklyn factory since 1895, is now available online, but it's not always easy to find locally. It has been spotted in Inwood, at Manganaro's Hero Boy, Bruno's King of Ravioli, the Associated Supermarket on 14th Street and First Avenue, Faicco's Pork Store, and a few newsstands here and there. Let us know if you've seen it near you!
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You can pick one up at Parisi Bakery on 198 Mott (btw Spring & Kenmare).
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It must be made in the area, becasue all around Graham Ave in Williamsburg you can find it. every pizza shop and deli
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Better go buy one before Nanny Bloomberg bans it.
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It's made on Manhattan Ave. (hence the name) in the Italian section of Williamsburg.
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Pat's Salumeria on Liberty Ave and 112th St. (So. Ozone Park).
When I saw the bottles there as a kid, I was really baffled by it. I figured it was fancy stuff though because of the swanky grownups on the bottle. ;)
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"....is appearing in more stores, it's not so easy to find..."
Er, um, OK!
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Pane Peppe, a terrific Italian sandwich shop downtown on Greenwich and Chambers Street also has the Manhattan Special.
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Key Foods (at Prospect Ave and 11th in Windsor Terrace/Park Slope/Brooklyn) has got it as well.
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Does it taste good?
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tastes like coffee flavored soda
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Fernando's Focacceria in Carrol Gardens has it... ON DRAFT!!!!! If that's not a good enough reason for living in Brooklyn, fuggedaboudit!
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Greatest NY soda. But please, this story is SO ten years ago... back when drinking Manhattan Special really was cool.
AND WHAT'S WITH THE NEW PACKAGING? BLECCHH!
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Strangely enough, it exists at Giovanni's Italian Deli in Little Silver, NJ...for anyone else who's stuck working out here and needs the boost...
My parents used to buy this stuff for me as a kid. What were they thinking?
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Eli's Manhattan & the Vinegar Factory carries it as well, if you happen to be on the UES.
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I think they occasionally have these at Lee's Deli outside the Q train Avenue H station.
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sal's pizza on lorimer street. why not get a nice slice too, while you're there?
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If I wasn't making an effort to avoid eating crap I would still be drinking this.
Unfortunately it is little better than sugar-water.
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D&F Deli in Astoria on Broadway between 35th adn 36th street. Also makes amazing sandwiches.
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The gas station on 4th ave and Douglas in Brooklyn, plus the Pizza joint with the good slices right by the r train at Union and 4th. The deli that has the corner entrance at John st downtown also has it.
I keeps my eyes open to spies it, ya see...
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Mingia they still keep Focacceria's open after the Spitzer thing?
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Bagel Boy - 80th and 3rd in Bay Ridge.
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"Mingna" sorry for the mispelling.
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decades ago the grocery stores in chinatown had them. it was pricey then as I'm sure it is now.
it's not for kiddies, its very very sweet and not very carbonated. I see they changed their label.
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The Key Food at Atlantic Avenue and Clinton Street in Brooklyn Heights has it. Sounds to me like someone hired a publicist and distributor and is making a push.
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i used to live right across from the factory on manhattan ave in williamsburg. For a manhattan special and the best slice in town, hit up Carmines on Graham Ave b/t metropolitan and conselyea.
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It's definitely an acquired taste, but great in the summer when you don't want a hot coffee. In Jackson Heights at the Italian food store on 80th St. and 37th Ave. Also in Astoria at the Italian place up on 30th Ave. near 44th? 45th?
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last summer, when I saw that my supermarket (the Associated on 14th betw 1st & A) had it and that Trader Joe's had their own brand of coffee soda, I did my own side-by-side taste test (I love coffee soda, obviously). NO contest - Manhattan Special is far, far better. I think that it's probably the cane sugar - TJ's uses that crappy high fructose corn syrup. Search this out -it's really good.
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Time out here people. The beverage is made in Brooklyn and they call it Manhattan? HUH?
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Bleecker St. Deli on Bleecker right off of 6th Ave.
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Gothamist should work these responses into a map; I fruitlessly looked for Manhattan Special in 20 places last time I was in NYC.
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NYCSniper, maybe I missed something. What the hell does it have to be with being cool? I thought it was about enjoying a special treat that many of us have fond memories of, are glad to be able to get again, and to be able to share it with friends who didn't grow up with it.
It was a special treat for me as a little girl in Brooklyn-- it was an adult kind of thing, since it wasn't too sweet. It goes great with pizza. I didn't see it for about thirty years. Now I can pick it up at the Foodtown on McDonald Avenue.
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It's delicious, but last time I looked there was some nasty preservative in it. Maybe sodium benzoate.
That's why I stopped drinking it. But very tasty.