Classic
Manhattan
An 1800s NYC classic
Ingredients
- 60mlRye Whiskey
- 30mlSweet Vermouth
- 4 dashesOld Fashioned bitters
- —Cherries for garnish
Make it well
Stir
Directions
1. No citrus in this cocktail so we'll stir it with ice 2. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and top up with some ice 3. Stir fast for 30 seconds and try to move the ice as one with your spoon to chill effectively. Weird tip, a chopstick works perfectly to stir! 4. Strain into a Martini glass and garnish with as many cherries as you like
Taste
On the nose it's rich and spicy as the vermouth and rye mix. Toasted spices from the bitters follow. On tasting, it's so smooth and boozy, definitely a stiff drink. It's really mellow and relaxed, the rye and bitters provide baking spice notes that cut through the richness of the vermouth. Blended together it's almost chocolatey. At the end the booze-soaked cherries are an amazing treat!
Origin
A truly classic cocktail with mysterious origins, all that is really known about the Manhattan is that it was first created around the 1880s. It was allegedly mixed in 1874 at a Manhattan Club party for one Lady Randolph Churchill. However, this rumour was later disproved by the well documented life and times of her famous son, Winston, who was born in London around the time Lady Churchill was supposedly partying it up. Whatever its origin story, the Manhattan is a heavy-weight of the classic cocktail world and a must-try.
The bartender’s note