Spirit-Forward · Anytime · Winter

Manhattan

Rye stirred with sweet vermouth and a dash of Angostura, cherry in the bottom. Warm, smooth, and unchanged since the 1880s.

Base: Whiskey
Glass: Coupe glass
Method: Stir
Strength: 30% ABV

Ingredients

50 mlRye Whiskey1 swap
Bourbonmedium
Sweeter, rounder
20 mlSweet Red Vermouth
1 dashAngostura Bitters

How to make

Technique

Stir · 20–30s

Stirring chills and dilutes gently while keeping the drink silky and clear.

Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes.
Stir well.
Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Serve

Glass

Coupe glassAlso fine: Martini glass, Nick & Nora glass

Garnish

Garnish with cocktail cherry.Drop it in — it sits at the bottom by design.

Taste & nutrition

30%ABV

180kcal

2.08Drinks

StrengthSpirit-forward

Sweet to dryOff-dry

Estimated from ingredient amounts and assumed ABVs — not a lab measurement.

Good to know

Stir, never shake — it stays clear and silky.

History

Year1870s–80s

PlaceNew York, USA

Created byAttributed to the Manhattan Club

Whiskey, sweet vermouth and a couple of dashes of bitters, the Manhattan is thought to have emerged at New York's Manhattan Club in the 1870s or '80s. It is one of the earliest and most enduring vermouth cocktails, elegant and spirit-forward. Rye or bourbon both work, finished with a cherry. It set the mould that many stirred classics followed.

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