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A Manhattan is two parts whiskey to one part sweet vermouth, with two dashes of bitters, stirred cold and served with a cherry. Recipes for it were in print by 1884, and it's still the drink to order when you want to taste the whiskey and feel a little dressed up doing it.
It's also easy to get right at home. The biggest fix for most home Manhattans is fresh vermouth, and there's more on that below the recipe.
In this piece: The classic Manhattan recipe · What makes a better Manhattan · Rye or bourbon in a Manhattan? · Why we use Pursuit United Triple Mash Rye · Two Manhattan variations · FAQ: Manhattan questions
| Makes | 1 drink |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Glass | Coupe or Nick and Nora, chilled |
| Garnish | Cocktail cherry |
Prefer it on the rocks? Strain it into a rocks glass over one large cube instead. A lemon peel in place of the cherry is the other common garnish, and it makes the drink smell brighter.
Start with fresh vermouth. Vermouth is wine with herbs and a little added spirit, and once it's open it fades like wine does. A bottle that's sat on the bar cart since spring is the most common reason a home Manhattan tastes flat. Keep it in the fridge, buy the smaller bottle, and use it within a month or so.
Chill the glass, too. Once the drink is served there's no ice in it, so the glass is the only thing keeping it cold.
As for where the name comes from, nobody knows for sure. The story you'll hear most puts its invention at New York's Manhattan Club in the 1870s, at a banquet thrown by Winston Churchill's mother. It doesn't hold up, since she was in France at the time. Another account credits a bartender named Black at a bar on Broadway.
Both work. Rye is the traditional choice, and the International Bartenders Association's official spec still calls for it. Rye makes a drier, spicier Manhattan where the whiskey pushes back against the vermouth. Bourbon makes a rounder, sweeter drink. If you go with bourbon, try ¾ oz of vermouth instead of a full ounce so it doesn't tip into sugary.
Pursuit United Triple Mash Rye is a blend of three rye whiskeys from two states. Pursuit United says it's sweeter than most ryes and credits the corn in its mash bill, so it has less of the sharp spice rye is known for.
That's useful in a Manhattan. Sweet vermouth already brings sugar, bitterness, and herbs, and a softer rye lets them settle in together. It's also a friendly first rye Manhattan for anyone who usually drinks bourbon.
It's bottled at 88 proof, a little lower than many ryes, so it dilutes faster. Stir closer to 20 seconds than 30 and taste. It's $50.
For a side-by-side, our rye and bourbon for a Manhattan page lists the bottles we'd stir with right now and what each one brings.
In bar language, "perfect" means the vermouth is split. Use 2 oz rye, ½ oz sweet vermouth, ½ oz dry vermouth, and 2 dashes Angostura. Stir, strain, and garnish with a lemon peel. It's drier and lighter than the classic, a good pick before dinner.
Stir 2 oz rye, ¾ oz sweet vermouth, ½ teaspoon of maple syrup, 1 dash Angostura, and 1 dash orange bitters with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube and finish with an orange peel. The maple rounds the edges without making it sweet, and the orange bitters pull it toward fall.
What is in a Manhattan? Rye or bourbon, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters, usually 2 oz whiskey to 1 oz vermouth with two dashes of bitters. It's stirred with ice, strained into a chilled glass, and garnished with a cherry.
What's the difference between a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned? Both are whiskey and bitters, stirred. A Manhattan is sweetened with sweet vermouth and served up in a stemmed glass. An Old Fashioned is sweetened with a little sugar and served over ice with an orange peel. The vermouth makes a Manhattan softer and a little wine-like; an Old Fashioned tastes more like the whiskey on its own.
Should a Manhattan be made with rye or bourbon? Rye is the traditional choice and makes a drier, spicier Manhattan. Bourbon makes a rounder, sweeter one. Both are correct. If you use bourbon, try ¾ oz of vermouth instead of 1 oz.
Should a Manhattan be shaken or stirred? Stir it. Everything in it is spirit or wine, with no juice to mix in, so stirring chills and dilutes it while keeping it clear and silky. Shaking clouds it with air bubbles and ice chips.
Want a different rye or bourbon to stir with every month? See the Whiskey-of-the-Month Club.
