cocktail_manhattan

The Classic Manhattan Cocktail Is a Favorite Whiskey Drink

• 3 mins
• Prep: 3 mins,
• Cook: 0 mins
• Yield: 1 serving

One of the finest and oldest cocktails, the Manhattan is truly a classic cocktail. It is a simple drink recipe that requires just a few ingredients. You can choose between rye whiskey and bourbon, though some drinkers still prefer a smooth Canadian whisky. There is no doubt, however, that this is one of the essential whiskey cocktails that everyone should know.

As with the gin martini, there are many ways that you can adapt the Manhattan to your personal taste. It has also inspired countless variations, but before you give those a taste, it's best to start off with the original. Even though it is an easy cocktail, there are a number of choices to be made and it all begins with deciding which whiskey to pour.

No matter how you mix up your Manhattan, you will find that it's an ideal drink for any occasion. It is perfect for a dinner party and pairs nicely with a great variety of foods. It's also a fantastic drink for a casual night with friends.

What You'll Need

• 2 ounces rye whiskey, bourbon, or Canadian whiskey
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• 2–3 dashes Angostura Bitters
• Cherry for garnish

How to Make It

1. Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice cubes.
2. Stir well.
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with the cherry.

Choose Your Whiskey

The original Manhattan was made with rye whiskey. However, there was a period of time in the 1900s when rye was not readily available or as high quality as the Manhattan requires.

During these decades, it became common practice to use a Canadian whiskey. When bourbon began to reclaim headlines in the last decades of the 20th century, that became a popular choice and was the newly preferred whiskey for a Manhattan.

The great news is that rye whiskey has made a comeback. Today we have a number of great ryes to choose from and we can once again get a taste of the original Manhattan.

That said, the choice is ultimately yours because it is your drink. For a sweeter Manhattan, go with bourbon. When you're in the mood for a dry and semi-spicy Manhattan, rye whiskey would be the choice. On those days when a smooth, soft Manhattan sounds good, pick up a bottle of Canadian whiskey.

Call Your Whiskey

When ordering a Manhattan at the bar, you may want to "call" your whiskey of choice. Most bars will have a house whiskey that they regularly use in the cocktail and it could be a rye, bourbon, or Canadian. You can always ask what they use and upgrade if you prefer something else.

Be as specific as you like. For instance, you could either ask for a Maker's Mark Manhattan or a Bourbon Manhattan (in this case you will get the house bourbon).

The Whiskey to Vermouth Ratio

The Manhattan is much like the martini in that it requires a base spirit (whiskey or gin) with vermouth. The martini uses dry vermouth while the Manhattan uses sweet vermouth.

This sweeter fortified wine works best with the majority of whiskeys. Yet, if you find the right whiskey, dry vermouth can be used to make a great drink as well. Woodford Reserve Bourbon is a great place to begin for your dry Manhattan experience.

Again, like the martini, each drinker will have their preferred ratio of whiskey to vermouth. The 2:1 in the recipe above is a good starting point and the most common mix for the Manhattan.

Many drinkers also prefer a 4:1 mix with just 1/2 ounce of sweet vermouth for 2 ounces of whiskey.

Play around with this to find your personal idea of the perfect Manhattan. It's also likely that this will change depending on the particular whiskey you're pouring.

Don't Forget the Bitters

Aromatic bitters have long been the preferred accent for the Manhattan and it should be considered a required ingredient. Since we use just a few dashes at a time, it can be easy to forget their importance. However, they are the finishing touch that brings cocktails like the Manhattan into perfect balance.

There are a number of new bitters available today and you might want to explore their effects on your perfect Manhattan mix. Fee Brothers' Whiskey Barrel Aged, The Bitter Truth's Chocolate, and Bittermen's Xocolatl Mole are all great options for experimentation.

About That Cherry

The cherry is the customary garnish for most Manhattans, though an orange peel or twist works nicely as well.

If you opt for a cherry, think about making your own maraschino cherries because those bright red maraschinos found at the liquor store are not as natural as you may think. In the least, pick up a high-end maraschino cherry like those from Luxardo or grab fresh cherries from the produce section whenever you see them.

How Strong Is a Manhattan?

The Manhattan is not a light cocktail because it is a liquor-forward cocktail because it includes alcohol alone and is diluted with just a small amount of water during preparation.

Assuming that an 80 proof whiskey is used, the average Manhattan is around 30 percent ABV (60 proof). This is just slightly weaker than a straight shot of that same whiskey, so take it easy with this one.

Close Variations on the Manhattan

Again, we have a comparison to the martini here. Just like that cocktail, you can apply the same "dry" and "perfect" monikers to the Manhattan and you have even more choices on the base spirit.

• Dry Manhattan: Use a dash of dry vermouth and garnish with a lemon twist.
• Perfect Manhattan: Equal parts of sweet and dry vermouth. Garnished with a lemon twist.
• Rob Roy (aka Scotch Manhattan): Specifically calls for Scotch whiskey, typically a blended scotch.
• Metropolitan (aka Brandy Manhattan): Replace the whiskey with brandy.
• Southern Comfort Manhattan: Use Southern Comfort instead of whiskey to get a hint of peach.

More Variations on the Manhattan

The Manhattan has inspired countless cocktails over the years. You may also notice that many share only the whiskey in common with the original recipe. Just as the name "martini" is popular with fancy vodka and gin cocktails and ​"margarita" is a common choice for tequila cocktails, "Manhattan" has become synonymous with nearly any whiskey cocktail that's served "up."

• Bourbon and Blood: Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur is paired with bourbon and vermouth. A hint of tarragon adds a truly interesting twist.
• Manhattan 101: Fresh ginger and mint shine in this fascinating Manhattan and the powdered sugar is certainly a unique spin.
• Mile High Manhattan: Skip the vermouth and pour a vanilla liqueur along with Grand Marnier. It gets really intriguing when you add a little anise to the mix.
• The Rustic Manhattan: Apple whiskey and raspberry vermouth put an unusual twist on the original recipe and it is fantastic for autumn nights.

How to Make a Manhattan

Rye whiskey is a requirement.

Invented sometime in the late 18th century, the Manhattan goes toe-to-toe with the martini in terms of bold flavor, smooth delivery, and cultural lore. It is also a highly customizable cocktail, with various recipes calling for orange bitters, various vermouths, or even absinthe. During the Prohibition, the Manhattan was made with the only whiskey available, Canadian whiskey. Since those dark, dry times, bartenders have dabbled in Tennessee whiskey, whiskey blends, and bourbon. The proper way to make a Manhattan, however, is with rye whiskey, Italian vermouth, and Angostura bitters—stirred, not shaken. Garnish as you please.

Manhattan Cocktail Recipe

The classic cocktail, made with rye, sweet vermouth, and bitters.

• Yield: makes 2 cocktails

Ingredients

• 4 ounces rye whiskey
• 2 ounces sweet vermouth
• 4 dashes Angostura bitters
• Garnish: 2 Maraschino cherries

Directions

Pour the whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters into a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until outside of shaker is very cold to touch.

Place a maraschino cherry in each of two chilled cocktail glasses. Dividing evenly, strain the contents of the shaker over cherries and serve immediately.

Special Equipment

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Manhattan

The yin to the martini cocktail's yang, the Manhattan is one of the all-time great classic cocktails, a rich, sweet blend of whisky, vermouth and bitters that’s generally stirred into perfection.

About this recipe

Ingredients

The Singleton of Dufftown ® 12 Year Old

The Singleton of Dufftown ® 12 Year Old

How to make

Using a jigger, measure 50ml The Singleton of Dufftown Malt Whisky, 25ml sweet vermouth and a dash of angostura bitters into a mixing glass.

Fill mixing glass with ice and stir with a bar spoon. Using a strainer, strain into a martini glass.

Using chopping board and sharp knife slice an orange twist and add on top of the drink, along with one cherry, to garnish.

Be a good host

Everyone loves a bit of finger food and designated drivers will appreciate some fancy soft drinks.

All About the Manhattan Cocktail

Perhaps one of the most famous of the classic cocktails, the Manhattan paved the way for other vermouth-fortified classics such as the Martini, the Martinez, the Rob Roy and the Bobby Burns.

Who Created the Manhattan?

The debate on exactly who, where, what, and how the Manhattan cocktail began has been running for decades. The most well-known story is that the drink was created in 1874 by Dr. Iain Marshall during a dinner party at the Manhattan Club in New York City, put on by Lady Randolph Churchill (Winston Churchill’s mother) in honor of presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden. Supposedly the drink was such a success that it lived on beyond that night and became the classic we know today.

Unfortunately, it appears this story can’t be true – as Lady Randolph was in England and pregnant at the time.

Others contend the drink was created as an homage to the “Manhattan” borough.

A third story comes from a bartender named William F. Mulhall who worked at the Hoffman House in the early 1880’s:

“The Manhattan cocktail was invented by a man named Black, who kept a place ten doors below Houston Street on Broadway in the [eighteen-] sixties—probably the most famous drink in the world in its time”

Regardless of the exact story, it’s likely this drink originated in New York somewhere around the 1880’s. It differed from its predecessors (and the original “cocktail” formula) by omitting the sweetener and adding vermouth. Depending who you ask, the Manhattan is considered one of the most famous of the “Spirit Forward” classic cocktails.

The Manhattan Recipe:

Just like any classic cocktail that’s been around a while, it seems like you never really know what you’re going to get when you order a Manhattan in a bar. (Once I received a Manhattan in an extra-large Margarita glass.) But for the most part you can expect to receive a cocktail with Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth and Bitters.

Also similar to other classic cocktails, there is disagreement on what is the true “classic” Manhattan recipe – but most will agree the following is pretty darn close.

• 2 oz Bourbon
• 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Not-So-Classic Manhattan Recipes

It’s not surprising that many variations of the Manhattan have come about in the 100+ years since this cocktail first appeared.

The following are some of the more common Manhattan variations:

• Rob Roy – Scotch is used instead of rye whiskey and aromatic bitters are replaced by orange bitters
• Dry Manhattan – served with a twist, a Dry Manhattan is made with dry vermouth instead of sweet vermouth
• Perfect Manhattan – equal parts of sweet and dry vermouth is used instead of just sweet vermouth
• Tijuana Manhattan – made with Anejo Tequila instead of whiskey
• Martinez – Gin is used instead of rye whiskey and orange bitters instead of aromatic. Dry vermouth and Maraschino is also used
• Fourth Regiment – this is also a classic that uses a 1/1 ratio of whiskey and vermouth, 3 dashes of bitters namely orange, celery and creole (Peychaud’s)

Drink what you Like

The controversy over what is truly the “original” Manhattan recipe is not likely to end any time soon, but its popularity can’t be a coincidence. I say find a recipe you like and enjoy it – this is a true classic that’s stood the test of time.

Just wanted to let you know: sometimes we mention and link to products or services that give us a small commission if you buy. I wanted to assure you that we only mention stuff we genuinely believe in! Thank you for clicking our links and supporting the blog!

About the Author: Julia Tunstall

Co-Founder and Editor of A Bar Above. Cocktail lover, drinker, appreciator. I write about cocktail recipes I like and other interesting topics related to bartending, cocktails and mixology.

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Manhattan Cocktail

Ingredients (5)

• 2 ounces rye whiskey or bourbon
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes angostura bitters
• Ice
• 1 cherry in marasca syrup

• Calories 175
• Fat 0.02g
• Saturated fat 0.0g
• Trans fat
• Carbs 2.14g
• Fiber 0.17g
• Sugar 1.33g
• Protein 0.11g
• Cholesterol
• Sodium 1.44mg
• Nutritional Analysis per serving (1 servings)Powered by

Proportions for the classic Manhattan are two (sometimes three) parts whiskey to one part sweet vermouth, with a little aromatic boost from bitters. The drink is believed to date from 1874, created by a bartender at New York’s Manhattan Club. “Since New York was a rye town in those days,” writes cocktail expert Dale DeGroff in The Craft of the Cocktail, “the original Manhattan was made with rye whiskey.” Bourbon Manhattans are a thing in the South. For more Bourbon-based beverages, see also our old fashioned drink recipe

What to buy: Unlike the shockingly red maraschinos that top the kids’ sundaes, cherries in marasca syrup are chewy, dark, and free of food coloring. Look for the Italian brand Luxardo.

Instructions

1. 1 Place a cocktail glass in the freezer to chill.
2. 2 Measure the whiskey and vermouth into a mixing glass. Add the bitters.
3. 3 Add ice and stir until chilled, about 30 seconds.
4. 4 Strain into the chilled cocktail glass.

5 Drop the cherry into the glass and serve.

Perfect Manhattan

The classic mixed with sweet and dry vermouth.

• Share story:

One of the heavyweights in the cocktail world, the Manhattan is something of a twist on the Old Fashioned, most likely spurred by sweet vermouth’s arrival and ensuing popularity in the United States during the latter part of the 19th century. The too-good-to-be-true story surrounding this drink’s origins—that it was invented at the Manhattan Club for an event with Winston Churchill’s mother—is just that: a tall tale. There’s still some debate among cocktail historians, but current theories for the original recipe favor either the Manhattan Club (sans Churchill), or a waiter named “Black,” who worked in lower Manhattan in the 1870s. There are other cocktails named for each of New York’s boroughs, but none as enduring or popular as the Manhattan. The “perfect” modifier indicates a combination of dry and sweet vermouth in equal parts as opposed to the original Manhattan’s full measure of sweet vermouth.

Perfect Manhattan

from Punch (http://punchdrink.com)

Ingredients

• 2 ounces rye or bourbon
• 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
• 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Garnish: brandied cherry (preferably Luxardo) or a lemon twist

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass.
2. Add ice and stir well.
3. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with a brandied cherry or a lemon twist.

Editor's Note

We believe the Manhattan behaves best with rye (specifically Rittenhouse), even though bourbon has become its de facto base spirit over the years. Carpano Antica is the preferred sweet vermouth, but unfortunately it can be elusive, so in a pinch Dolin, or even Martini & Rossi, will work. If you’re a bourbon fan, Evan Williams is versatile and delivers the sweet simplicity most look for in the spirit. Lastly, Luxardo cherries are a luxury, but if you can find them, plop one in. Otherwise, go for a lemon twist.

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FROM AROUND THE WEB

A big YES on Rittenhouse and Carpano Antiqua for a classic Manhattan. I find if you want to go the Bourbon route, and use a lighter style like Evan Williams, a less intense Vermouth like Noilly Prat or (2/3 M&R / 1/3 Carpano) works well.

Perfect Manhattan

Sara Bonisteel at Fort Defiance

Here, the word "perfect" refers not to the quality of the drink (though we do love this version), but to the equal amounts of sweet and dry vermouth used to make it.

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month.

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Ingredients

1. • 2 ounces rye and bourbon whiskey
   • 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
   • 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
   • 2 dashes Angostura or orange bitters
   • Maraschino cherry or small piece lemon peel for garnish

Preparation

1. 1. In mixing glass or cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine whiskey, vermouth, and bitters. Stir well, about 20 seconds, then strain into cocktail glass. Add cherry or twist lemon peel directly over drink to release essential oils, and serve.

Related Video

Nutritional Info

• Calories 360
• Carbohydrates 44 g(15%)
• Fat 1 g(1%)
• Protein 6 g(12%)
• Saturated Fat 0 g(1%)
• Sodium 3 mg(0%)
• Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
• Fiber 9 g(34%)
• Monounsaturated Fat 0 g

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Leave a Review

• 

Rye, not bourbon please. Canadian is a safe alternative but never bourbon. Experiment with the vermouth, right now I'm using Dolim, but I'll get a jug of Antica when I can afford it. Orange bitters and Angostura with good Luxardo maraschino cherries. Stir. Up or on the rocks.

These could be dangerous..they taste better, the more you have.;-) I used all rye, because I read the recipe wrong and did not have bourbon, but no complaints.

My mother tells me that one should only use lemon peel, never a cherry in a perfect M (and for that matter, only Rye). This, she says, is from my paternal great-grandfather (not her side), who was born about the same time as the drink, and learned to handle them before the 21st amendment; 38 years after he died, she still says his were the best she's ever had. My addition to the family secret: don't use ultra-cheap vermouth, pay the extra $2 for better stuff.

How sweet it is!

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5 Ways to Make a Manhattan

In which we acknowledge the recent surge in popularity of the 130-year-old drink, establish guidelines for making it, and offer a few ways to mess with the formula.

We don't have any hard numbers for you, but countless hours of observation lead us to believe that the manhattan is now being ordered more than the martini at good cocktail bars. The tricky part is that the martini worked as the Default American Cocktail because it's so simple. The manhattan, of course, is not so simple: There are four ingredients, not three. And adding a little more or a little less of any of the ingredients changes everything. A good manhattan can be every bit as good as a good martini (as heretical and blasphemous as that may sound to cocktail purists). A bad manhattan will always be much worse.

So, standards must be set — standards for the archetypal manhattan and for ways to beneficially adulterate the archetypal form. Here are five ways to make a manhattan. David Wondrich, Esquire's longtime drinking correspondent, on the precise way. It involves measuring, stirring, and paying very close attention. The other ways, not so much.

• rye or bourbon
• sweet vermouth
• Angostura bitters
• mixing glass
• ice
• twisted-stem barspoon
• julep strainer
• cocktail glass or coupe
• lemon or cherry

1 — The Right Way

There is a correct way to make a manhattan. It's mostly a matter of getting your mind right, although there is one physical skill to be mastered. Learn to make a proper manhattan and you will know how to create at least one flawless thing in this world, and the person you're making it for will know, and respect that about you.

Step One: Assemble Your Ingredients

The earliest unequivocal reference to a manhattan cocktail dates back to September 1882. It describes the drink as "a mixture of whiskey, vermouth and bitters." Such was the manhattan then, such it is now, such shall it ever be, world without end.

As with any item of scripture, however, there is room for interpretation. These days, rye whiskey gets the nod from cocktail geeks and bourbon from everyone else (save those heretics who call for Canadian). Bourbon appears almost as often as rye does in the old recipes, so they're both authentic. We find, however, that it's proof that matters the most. A whiskey in the 90- to 110-proof range makes a better manhattan than an 80- or 86-proof one. Proof being equal, we do prefer rye but will settle happily for bourbon.

The vermouth should be the sweet red kind. The bitters should be Angostura.

Step Two: Prepare Your Glass

Place the glass in the freezer for 30 minutes. We prefer the style known as the coupe or the old-style cocktail glass (pictured below), with its curved-in sides, to the V-shaped martini type, because they don't spill as easily. Whatever you use, it shouldn't be larger than 5 or 6 ounces.

Step Three: Measure Your Ingredients

Pour a measured 2 oz whiskey and 1 oz vermouth into a standard pint glass. If you're using a conical jigger to do the measuring, make sure to fill it all the way to surface tension. Add 2 or 3 dashes bitters — and by dashes we mean good, vigorous squirts, not drops. If the bottle is very full, the squirts should be smaller and you'll need 5 or 6.

To get a stirred drink (see step five) truly cold, you've got to break up your ice cubes to increase the surface area in contact with the liquid. Put an ice cube in the (clean) palm of your left hand. Grasp a barspoon by the very end of the handle and snap the bowl against the cube, almost as if you were swinging a golf club. Repeat 4 or 5 times, and then crack and add a few more cubes.

Shaking makes it just as cold, but the drink ends up cloudy and topped with an algaelike layer of foam. Stirring leaves the drink clear and homogenous to the eye and, more importantly, silky and almost oily on the tongue.

The goal is to make the ice revolve smoothly without circling your forearm as if you were mixing cake batter or thrashing the spoon around the ice like a swimmer fighting off a shark attack. Your wrist and fingers are the only things that should move. This is easy if you're using a stirring rod or even the handle of a barspoon, but far more satisfying if you've mastered using the spoon as God intended. The trick to maneuvering the bowl of the spoon through the ice is to trap the shaft between your index and middle fingers, with the top of it resting in the notch between thumb and index. Then you use the middle finger to push it (counterclockwise) halfway around a tight circle and the index to pull it back. A smooth stir is one of the bartender's subtlest skills. Fifty revolutions at a minimum.

Slide a julep strainer, as the traditional, large perforated spoon used with stirred drinks is known, into the glass. Strain the drink into your chilled glass.

The standard maraschino cherry has been a part of the drink since at least 1891. The lemon twist was probably there for another decade before that. In other words, use whichever you like. We prefer the twist because of the fragrant and appetizing slick of lemon oil it leaves on the surface of the drink.

With a knife (old-school) or vegetable peeler, cut a 1 1/2-inch-by-1/2-inch swatch of peel, avoiding the white pith. Hold it skin-down between thumb and index finger over the drink and snap it in half lengthwise. Drop it in or discard, as you prefer.

2 — The Not-Wrong Way

1. Assemble your ingredients.

2. Acquire a glass — from the freezer or not.

3. Into a vessel larger than the glass, place some ice cubes. Also pour in some whiskey. Then half as much sweet vermouth. A couple dashes bitters.

4. Stir with whatever stirring implement you happen to have nearby.

5. Strain into the glass. If necessary, let your fingers be the sieve.

3 — Possible Adulterations

• Dubonnet or Lillet. Wine-based aperitifs and the like can work fine but must be approved on a case-by-case basis.
• Ruby port is nice.
• So are Italian amari.
• Madeiras and the sweeter sherries (not a fino, Manzanilla, or amontillado).

NOTE: You occasionally see a "perfect manhattan" on a cocktail menu. In drink-making, "perfect" always refers to the addition of equal parts sweet and dry vermouth. I can't recommend it. I find that dry vermouth clashes with the whiskey and makes an awkward drink; you may disagree.

4 — On the Rocks

If you pour the ingredients for a manhattan over ice, you do not then have a manhattan. You have something else. It's tasty, but it's not a manhattan.

5 — Blow It Up

Watch David Wondrich Make a Manhattan at Home:

Manhattan Cocktail

Employees Only, New York City This Manhattan reflects the recipe in America's first cocktail book, 1862's The Bon Vivant's Companion, by Jerry Thomas. It has a higher ratio of sweet vermouth to rye than the modern Manhattan. Plus: Cocktail Recipes

Ingredients

• Ice
• 11 ounces sweet vermouth
• 11 ounces rye whiskey
• 2 1/2 ounces Grand Marnier
• 16 dashes of Angostura bitters
• 8 orange or lemon twists

How to Make It

Fill a pitcher two-thirds full with ice. Add the vermouth, rye, Grand Marnier and bitters and stir for 30 seconds to chill. Strain into 8 chilled martini glasses; top each with a twist.