Manhattan

Ingredients

• 60 mlrye whiskey, ideally 45–50% abv
• 30 mlsweet red vermouth (Carpano Antica or Cocchi di Torino)
• 2dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
• 1dash orange bitters, optional

Garnish and glass

• 1brandied cherry (Luxardo or Amarena), on a cocktail pick
• 1coupe or Nick and Nora glass, frozen
• Hard, large ice cubes for stirring

Directions

1. Put the glass in the freezer at least 10 minutes ahead. A Manhattan is served up and undiluted by ice in the glass, so the glass has to do the work.
2. Measure the rye, vermouth and bitters into a mixing glass. The classic ratio is 2:1; a drier modern Manhattan runs 3:1.
3. Fill the mixing glass three-quarters full with big, dry, hard ice cubes. Wet or small ice dilutes too fast and gives a thin drink.
4. Stir with a bar spoon, keeping the spoon against the glass wall and moving the ice rather than churning it, for 25–30 seconds.
5. Watch the outside of the glass: when it is fully frosted and a drop run down the side, you are at roughly 20–22% dilution, which is where the drink is meant to sit.
6. Taste from the spoon. It should be cold, silky and just short of syrupy; if it still bites, stir another 10 seconds.
7. Strain through a julep or Hawthorne strainer into the frozen glass, filling it to about 5 mm below the rim.
8. Drop in the brandied cherry and serve at once, with no citrus twist unless you want the orange oil version.

Technique

• Stirred, never shaken. Shaking a drink with no citrus or egg aerates it, clouds it and destroys the heavy, glossy texture that defines a Manhattan.
• Vermouth is wine and oxidises. Refrigerate the open bottle and finish it within a month, or the drink will taste flat and stewed.
• Rye is the historical spirit and gives the dry, peppery backbone; bourbon makes a sweeter, rounder drink that many Americans now prefer.

Substitutions

• No brandied cherries? A maraschino cherry from the supermarket is a poor substitute; better to use a wide orange twist expressed over the top.
• Bourbon works in place of rye, but pull the vermouth back to 25 ml to keep it from going cloying.

Variations

• Perfect Manhattan, split 15 ml sweet and 15 ml dry vermouth, garnished with a lemon twist.
• Rob Roy, made with Scotch whisky in place of rye.
• Black Manhattan, with Averna amaro instead of vermouth.

History

Appeared in New York in the 1870s and is linked to the Manhattan Club; printed recipes spread through bartending manuals in the 1880s.

Frequently asked questions

What is Manhattan?

Manhattan is a cocktail from United States: rye whiskey stirred with sweet vermouth and bitters, garnished with a cherry. Appeared in New York in the 1870s and is linked to the Manhattan Club; printed recipes spread through bartending manuals in the 1880s.

How long does Manhattan take to make?

Manhattan takes 4 min of preparation and 0 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Manhattan?

Yes, within limits. No brandied cherries? A maraschino cherry from the supermarket is a poor substitute; better to use a wide orange twist expressed over the top. Bourbon works in place of rye, but pull the vermouth back to 25 ml to keep it from going cloying.

What is the most important thing to get right in Manhattan?

Stir with a bar spoon, keeping the spoon against the glass wall and moving the ice rather than churning it, for 25–30 seconds.