Manhattan
Ingredients:
Serve in a Martini glass
- 2 shots bourbon or rye whiskey
- 1 shot sweet vermouth
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: 1 cherry
Preferred Equipment
How to Make
- Add all the ingredients to your mixing vessel.
- Stir & strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Add the garnish.
About
Originating in the late 1800s, the Manhattan is the grandfather to the infamous Martini cocktail and it’s one classics that every bartender should know. Legend has it a bartender at the Manhattan club created this drink when Jennie Churchill (mother of Winston Churchill) threw a party for her father’s friend, the newly elected governor of New York, Samuel James Tilden.
In his book ‘The Joy of Mixology,’ Gary Regan describes it as “Quite simply, when properly constructed, it is the finest cocktail on the face of the earth.”
From a bartender as influential and skilled as Regan, that’s quite a statement! As a non-Manhattan drinker, I disagree, but that doesn’t change how important it is to know how to make this cocktail well.
Manhattan Cocktail Variations
If possible, you should always offer your customer their choice of whiskey – the brand and either bourbon or rye. Feel free to experiment with different brands until you find something you love serving. This is also a great drink to experiment with different types of bitters. Start with peychauds & orange bitters.
It can also be made in a rocks / old-fashioned glass served over ice if your customer prefers.
A Dry Manhattan is made with dry vermouth instead of sweet vermouth using the same proportions (i.e. 1 shot) and a lemon twist instead of the cherry for the garnish.
A Perfect Manhattan is made with half dry & half sweet vermouth (1/2 shot of each), and both a lemon twist & cherry for the garnish.
