Ingredients
- 2 dashesAngostura BittersClassic aromatic bittersSubstitute: Orange bitters variant
- 1 ozSweet VermouthItalian sweet vermouthSubstitute: Carpano Antica
- 2 ozRye WhiskeyAmerican rye whiskeySubstitute: Bourbon acceptable
Instructions
- Add 2 oz rye whiskey, 1 oz sweet vermouth, and 2 dashes Angostura bitters to mixing glass
- Fill mixing glass with ice and stir until well chilled
Stir until properly diluted
- Strain into chilled coupe glass
Pre-chill glass
- Garnish with maraschino cherry
Technique Notes
Stir, do not shake. Dilution is the fourth ingredient here, and with only three components there is nothing in the glass to hide a cloudy texture behind.
Why the Manhattan Works
Sweet vermouth softens rye's pepper and dries spice without smothering it, and Angostura bridges the two by echoing the vermouth's botanicals while sharpening the whiskey's grain. Stir, don't shake: dilution is the fourth ingredient, and clarity matters because there is nothing in the glass to hide behind.
Discover more
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Classic International Standards
Eight standards across three continents: the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan, the Negroni and the Aperol Spritz, Lima's Pisco Sour, the Rob Roy, the Savoy's Corpse Reviver No. 2 and Detroit's Last Word.
Essential Bitters Cocktails
Ten drinks, and the bitter ingredient does a different job from one to the next. In the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan it is a seasoning, a couple of dashes to sharpen the spirit. In the Negroni and the Boulevardier it carries the drink. In the Sazerac it sets the flavour the rest of the drink is built around, with rye and absinthe behind it. In the Trinidad Sour it is the base spirit itself. Four jobs, one kind of ingredient.