Spirit-Forward · Anytime · Winter

Remember the Maine

Rye with sweet vermouth, cherry liqueur and a small pour of absinthe. A Manhattan wearing perfume.

Base: Whiskey
Glass: Coupe glass
Method: Stir
Strength: 50% ABV

Ingredients

60 mlRye Whiskey1 swap
Bourbonmedium
Sweeter, rounder
22.5 mlSweet Vermouth1 swap
Any sweet red vermouthhigh
Brand-dependent
15 mlCherry Brandy Luxardo
7.5 mlAbsinthe

How to make

Technique

Stir · 20–30s

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

Pour the absinthe into a coupe glass and swirl to completely coat the inside.
Discard the absinthe and set the glass aside.
Add the other ingredients to a mixing glass and fill it 3/4 full with ice.
Stir until chilled, then strain into the glass rinsed with the absinthe.

Serve

Glass

Coupe glassAlso fine: Martini glass, Nick & Nora glass

Garnish

Garnish with lemon zest.Twist the peel over the surface first — that spray of oil is most of what you smell.

Taste & nutrition

50%ABV

155kcal

5.17Drinks

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

Year1930s

PlaceCuba / USA

Created byPublished by Charles H. Baker

A dramatic New Orleans-flavoured Manhattan variation, Remember the Maine mixes rye, sweet vermouth and cherry brandy with an absinthe rinse. It was recorded by Charles H. Baker Jr., who tasted it amid the turmoil of 1930s Havana. Its name recalls the 1898 slogan blaming Spain for the sinking of the USS Maine. Rich and aromatic, it is a cocktail with a story to tell.

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