The Manhattan has managed to remain one of the most popular co*cktails in the world for well over a century. A combination of whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters, and a maraschino cherry garnish, this drink embodies the classic, spirit-forward, and aromatic school of co*cktails.
Thought to have been first created around the 1880s, the Manhattan’s exact origins are a bit of a mystery. Many credible records place its creation at New York City’s Manhattan Club. One telling is that the drink originated with a guest of the club, Dr. Iain Marshall; others more dubiously claim that it was first mixed for Lady Randolph Churchill, the mother of Winston Churchill, who records show was not even in the United States at the time. Another story ties the Manhattan’s creation to a bartender named Black, who kept an establishment on Broadway south of Houston Street, though it’s hard to find corroboration on this theory as well.
Despite the inconsistency of the Manhattan’s origin stories, the co*cktail recipe itself has remained largely unchanged through most of its history. Though some early outliers exist—notably one written in 1915 by Henry Watterson in History of the Manhattan Club: A Narrative of the Activities of Half a Century in which the co*cktail is made with equal parts—a 2-to-1 ratio of whiskey to vermouth has long been standard.
The Manhattan is one of the most iconic and enduring examples of the spirit-forward 2:1 co*cktail. Unlike the Martini, which has seen its accepted proportions in constant flux since its inception, the Manhattan’s accepted specifications have largely resisted tweaks and popular whims.
Why the Manhattan Works
The Manhattan’s template is rather simple and shared by countless co*cktails, from the Old Fashioned to the Negroni—a base spirit combined with a sweet element and a bittering agent. Sugar acts to soften the spirit, reduce the heat of the alcohol, and create mouthfeel while bringing out the whiskey’s subtler aspects. A couple dashes of bitter reintroduce depth and accentuate the base spirit’s notes of oak aging.
The Old Fashioned is a great comparison point and the most stripped-down example of this template. In it, whiskey is paired with sugar, in the form of a muddled cube or teaspoon of sugar, with a few dashes of Angostura bitters. The Manhattan is almost identical, but simply replaces that teaspoon of plain sugar with an ounce of sweet vermouth.
To further break down the math, sweet vermouth tends to average 150 grams of sugar per 750ml bottle, which breaks down to about 4.5 grams per fluid ounce, or… one teaspoon of sugar.
Essentially, in a Manhattan, you’re taking the structure of the Old Fashioned from a spirit/sugar/bitter standpoint, but adding a bit more complexity with the sweet vermouth’s flavor and aromatic profile.
Simply put, there’s a reason the Manhattan has changed little since its creation, and why so many co*cktails are modeled on its 2:1 spirit-to-vermouth ratio. It’s been proven time and time again to be an ideal structural balance of each component.
Should a Manhattan Use Rye Whiskey or Bourbon?
Often a divisive point among co*cktail nerds, the use of rye or bourbon should really be a point of personal preference in a Manhattan. Rye is often touted as the traditional choice and said by some to have been the preferred whiskey of New Yorkers around the time of the co*cktail’s creation. However, bourbon offers its own allure, and the co*cktail has historically been made with both.
Rye whiskey will contribute the spirit’s spicier and more peppery notes to the co*cktail, while bourbon will typically be a touch sweeter. As the sweet vermouth already adds richness and a rounder flavor profile to the co*cktail, drier rye whiskey is often preferred to act as a counterweight. However, the right bourbon can function in the same way, and there’s enough overlap between the two whiskey styles (as well as variation between individual bottlings) for it to simply come down to taste.
In short: Use the type of whiskey you like best.
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Ingredients
2 ounces rye whiskey
1 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: brandied cherry (or lemon twist, if preferred)
Steps
Add the rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled.
Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora or coupe glass.
Garnish with a brandied cherry (or a lemon twist, if preferred).
Common Manhattan Variations
Since the Manhattan is such a bedrock template upon which so many co*cktails are based, it can be hard to break down every single derivative. However, here are a few of the notable Manhattan variations that have seen popularity over the years.
Bobby Burns: A Scotch whisky Manhattan that replaces the original’s bitters with Benedictine.
Martinez: Possibly a predecessor to the Manhattan (the timeline is murky), the Martinez is something of a cross between a Manhattan and a Martini. It uses a gin base and is sweetened additionally with maraschino liqueur, though an early 1884 recipe from O.H. Byron in The Modern Bartenders’ Guide explicitly says, “Same as Manhattan, only you substitute gin for whisky.”
Perfect Manhattan: A Manhattan that uses equal parts sweet and dry vermouth, rather than just sweet vermouth.
Monte Carlo: Like a Manhattan, but uses a half-measure of Benedictine rather than sweet vermouth.
Revolver: A more modern twist that substitutes coffee liqueur in place of sweet vermouth.
Rob Roy: A Scotch whisky-based Manhattan.
Waldorf: A Manhattan with an absinthe-rinsed glass.
Vieux Carré: This Manhattan-adjacent New Orleans classic splits the base spirit between rye whiskey and cognac, and is accented with Benedictine in addition to the standard bitters.
