The Manhattan is a bootlegger cocktail from New York, 1880s. Built on rye whiskey, served in a coupe, around 28% ABV. The Manhattan was first published in O.H. Byron's 1884 bartender's guide as one of two house cocktails of the Manhattan Club in New York.
What goes in a Manhattan?
- ·2 oz rye whiskey
- ·1 oz sweet vermouth
- ·2 dashes Angostura bitters
- ·Brandied cherry
How do you make a Manhattan?
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir 30 seconds until very cold.
- Strain into a chilled coupe.
- Drop in the cherry.
What should you know before making a Manhattan?
- Use real sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino). Cheap vermouth ruins this drink.
- Refrigerate vermouth after opening. It oxidizes within 30 days. A 'bad Manhattan' is usually flat vermouth.
- Stir, never shake. Shaking aerates the drink and clouds it. Stirring keeps the silk.
Where did the Manhattan come from?
The Manhattan was first published in O.H. Byron's 1884 bartender's guide as one of two house cocktails of the Manhattan Club in New York. Lady Randolph Churchill's son Winston was reputedly born hours after a Manhattan-fueled banquet at the Manhattan Club. The drink predates the cliche cocktail-naming convention. It is its own thing.
According to first published in O.H. Byron's The Modern Bartenders' Guide (1884).
What cocktails are similar to a Manhattan?
Common questions.
What is in a Manhattan?
Two ounces of rye whiskey, one ounce of sweet vermouth, two dashes of Angostura bitters, and a brandied cherry. Stirred over ice, strained into a coupe.
Rye or bourbon Manhattan?
Rye is the original. Bourbon makes a softer, sweeter version. The Manhattan Club's 1884 recipe specified rye.
Why does my Manhattan taste flat?
The vermouth is oxidized. Sweet vermouth is wine and goes off within 30 days of opening. Refrigerate it after opening, replace it monthly.
Should a Manhattan be shaken or stirred?
Stirred. Shaking adds air bubbles that ruin the silk-clear texture this cocktail is built around. James Bond was wrong about this one.