Manhattan

The Manhattan is one of those classic cocktails that most people have heard of, even if they dont drink cocktails and even if they dont know what it is. I made my first one about 7 months ago when I was first getting into mixing drinks and I thought it was kind of gross. There is an important lesson here: precise measuring and specific ingredients make a huge difference. That first Manhattan I made had bourbon and either Angostura or no bitters at all. I now question if that is even a Manhattan at worst and at best its a bad Manhattan. In the past month or so Ive realized that I really enjoy a well made Manhattan. Also, its nice that you don't need soda or simple syrup or fresh fruit etc.

Manhattan

2oz Rye Whiskey
1oz Sweet Vermouth
few dashes Orange bitters
garnish with maraschino cherry

Chill a cocktail glass if you have time or freezer space.
In a shaker filled with ice, add rye, vermouth and bitters.
Shake and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Or just stir and strain.
Garnish with a cherry.



I made this with Redemption Rye, Carpano Antica Vermouth, Regans Orange bitters and homemade maraschinos. And it was so good. Don't be scurrd of those bitters, the orange is really crucial.


The cherries were unmeasured and needn't be. I had cherries that would go bad if not eaten immediately, so I put them in a jar, covered them with vodka and added a few tablespoons of sugar. They are not cloyingly sweet like "real" maraschino cherries. I like that. If you want to be real fancy and the cherries are nice enough, leave the stems on for a more elegant garnish.