If you live in New York City, you likely know of the Manhattan Special espresso soda. While it has Manhattan in the name, this drink is made in Brooklyn by Manhattan Special. The company makes the espresso soda in regular, diet, and decaf, along with some retro flavors for non-coffee soft drinks like sarsaparilla, vanilla cream, and black cherry.
It’s hard to find the beverage outside of the New York City area unless you order a case online or live near an Italian specialty market. The company created a crowdsourced Google Map with locations where people have found it in the past. The company’s guest book, where people have been posting about their love of the drink since 1999, has stories of fans struggling to find it after moving away from NYC. “I am glad to be back in the big apple where I can find a bottle on every corner,” wrote a relieved fan.
Some who live in or grew up in the region where it’s made and enjoy the soda have shared fond memories of it. On a Facebook thread, one poster reminisced, “I’ve been drinking that since I was 8. Maybe [because] I grew up in Brooklyn.” A lot of comments echoed growing up with this beverage; it appears much of its fandom comes from nostalgia, with some loyalists referring to it as “mother’s milk.” For some, it may be a popular vintage soda that people have forgotten about, but to those who grew up around it, it’s beloved.
What to do with a Manhattan Special if you can find one
People love it with ice cream, making a coffee float. On the company’s guest book page, someone suggests pouring it over espresso ice cream for a real coffee indulgence. Another commenter keeps it simpler: “Manhattan Special with milk is my morning ritual since I was a teenager and I am now 55.” Perhaps this makes it the original dirty soda!…