The Classic Manhattan Cocktail

The Classic Manhattan Cocktail

Until a few months ago, I didn’t believe I liked Manhattans. Give me a good Old Fashioned any day of the week, but Manhattans were out of my league.Truth be told, I hadn’t had one since college, and that was using God only knows what whiskey, and probably no bitters to speak of.

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So I decided, now that I was drinking Martinis with aplomb, it was time to go back and see if I could make a proper Manhattan and, even more importantly, actually like it.

Turns out, the Manhattan is a classic cocktail for a reason. It’s absolutely delicious. Potent yes, but balanced, the sweet vermouth and bitters perfectly melding with the whiskey.

 

 

For my tastes, I prefer rye all the way, and the two brands I have at home (George Dickel and Rittenhouse) both make a great Manhattan when combined with Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters.

 

The recipe couldn’t be easier.

The Manhattan

  • 50 ml Rye Whiskey
  • 20 ml Sweet Vermouth
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Pour the whiskey and vermouth into a mixing glass with ice cubes.
Stir well.
Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with one (or two) cocktail cherries.
Enjoy. ***Oh, and if you are using a jigger or something that measures by the oz, the proportions are 2.5 oz of rye to 1 oz of vermouth. It makes a slightly bigger drink than by ml, but it tastes just as good!

 

 

2 thoughts on “The Classic Manhattan Cocktail

  1. The Carpano Antica can make a manhattan too “vanilla.” Martini & Rossi is classic. Canadian instead of rye is less expensive and not as cloying as bourbon.

    1. boozyepicure@gmail.com

      Thanks for commenting! While I enjoy a manhattan with Martini and Rossi, I prefer the vanilla spice of the Carpano, although I agree that with bourbon it can be cloying. I’m definitely down with trying a Canadian whisky in the mix, although in Florida a spicy Canadian whisky is in the same price range as Dickel or Rittenhouse. Any brands you specifically recommend? And while I didn’t mention it in the post, a bottle of Old Overholt Rye makes a pretty darn good Manhattan too, and in my humble opinion, is the best rye value on the market.

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