The Manhattan Cocktail is an official IBA drink, one of the most famous alcoholic beverages in the world, made with rye whiskey, red vermouth, and a few drops of Angostura, a spice-based bitter with a characteristic bitter aftertaste. Making it at home is very simple, as long as you have the tools of the trade, such as a mixing glass, a large glass in which to pour all the ingredients, a jigger, necessary for measuring them, a bar spoon, the classic long-handled spoon used by bartenders to mix liquids, and a strainer, a sort of sieve used to filter everything.
Traditionally served with a maraschino cherry in a Martini glass, one of the most famous cocktail glasses also used for the Margarita and the drink of the same name, the Manhattan, due to its relatively high alcohol content, is perfect for sipping after dinner with friends or as an alternative brunch, best accompanied by savory snacks. Being a drink made using the Stir & Strain technique, the Manhattan is added with ice during the mixing process, but is then enjoyed without: the glass itself, chilled in the freezer, keeps it at the right temperature.
Manhattan Cocktail Origins and History
Legend has it that this famous drink, with its intense and enveloping flavor, was invented in 1874 at the Manhattan Club in New York City, during a banquet hosted by Jennie Jerome. It is said that she met Lord Randolph Churchill there, who would later become her husband and with whom she had the future British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. In reality, it is much more likely that this is just a legend, and that the cocktail originated in the city's bars as an evolution of the old whiskey-and-vermouth-based drinks.
As mentioned, the origins of the Manhattan are rather uncertain. One of the first references can be found in the book The Flowing Bowl – When and What to Drink, written in 1981 by William Schmidt, a famous Chicago bartender originally from Hamburg.
The Manhattan cocktail, famous throughout the world, has also been featured in iconic films such as Some Like It Hot and The Color of Money, starring Marilyn Monroe and Paul Newman respectively.
Common Variations of the Manhattan Cocktail
The Perfect Manhattan uses equal parts sweet and dry vermouth for a more balanced profile, while the Dry Manhattan replaces sweet vermouth entirely with dry vermouth, making it lighter and more aromatic. The Black Manhattan swaps vermouth for amaro, adding deeper, bittersweet complexity. A Rob Roy uses Scotch instead of rye or bourbon, giving it a smoky edge, while the Brandy Manhattan replaces whiskey with brandy for a softer, fruitier flavor.
Ingredients
How to Make the Manhattan Cocktail
Fill a mixing glass with ice cubes.
Fill a mixing glass with ice cubes.
Pour the ray whiskey.
Pour the ray whiskey.
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Add the red vermouth.
Add the red vermouth.
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Finish with a couple of drops of Angostura bitters.
Finish with a couple of drops of Angostura bitters.
Mix everything well with a bar spoon.
Mix everything well with a bar spoon.
Strain the alcoholic liquid and pour it into a very chilled Martini glass.
Strain the alcoholic liquid and pour it into a very chilled Martini glass.
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Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
The Manhattan cocktail is ready to be enjoyed!
The Manhattan cocktail is ready to be enjoyed!
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