Two weeks ago, when so many of you mentioned that a Manhattan was your fancy-bar drink of choice, I knew I had to correct a gaping hole in my cocktail education. You see, up until that weekend, I had never tried a Manhattan.
Online searching quickly overloaded me with way too many recipes. But with some help from lovely folks like Liz, I managed to narrow it down to three bourbon-based recipes we wanted to try.*
Team Manhattan!
The Classic Manhattan (aka the recipe on the side of the Angostura bitters bottle)
2 ounces bourbon (I used Bulleit)
1 ounce sweet vermouth (I used Noilly Prat Rouge)
Dash of Angostura bitters**
1 maraschino cherry
Directions: Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker; shake (or stir) gently. Strain into chilled glass and top with a maraschino cherry.
The Happy Sighs Manhattan (From Liz at Happy Sighs)
2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Splash of maraschino juice (the juice from the jar of maraschino cherries)
1 maraschino cherry
Directions: Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker; shake (or stir) gently until cold. Strain into chilled glass and top with a maraschino cherry.
Orange-infused Manhattan (adapted from Drinksmixer.com)
2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Dash bitters
1 twist of orange peel
1 maraschino cherry
Directions: Follow directions for other Manhattans. After pouring ingredients into glass, rub the orange peel around the rim of the glass and then twist it over the drink to release the oils. Discard orange peel. Add maraschino cherry.
All three were a hit in our house, and I like presenting the three together because it allows you to pick the Manhattan that best suits your taste. Personally, I wasn’t sure I’d like the bitters, but it turned out that the little bite of herbal flavor they add was exactly to my taste. I also enjoyed the slight hint of orange that comes from running the orange peel around the glass and giving it a twist, but if you don’t feel like fussing around with an orange peel, that step is skippable and you can just stick with the Classic Manhattan. Already tried bitters and know you don’t like them? Go for the Happy Sighs Manhattan, which is deliciously smooth and just a little bit sweeter because of that splash of maraschino juice.
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* Many Manhattans are made with rye whiskey, and there are those who insist that a rye Manhattan is the only “real” Manhattan, but at the risk of sounding like a rube, I’ve tried rye and I didn’t particularly care for it. It tastes strongly of anise — not my favorite flavor. I might be persuaded to try a rye Manhattan or an Old Fashioned the next time I’m at a nice bar, but I wasn’t about to buy a whole bottle.
** We actually had a bottle of this around but had never used it. I think it was left behind in our liquor cabinet by my husband’s former roommate, a fantastic cook and cocktail mixer with excellent taste.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of Manhattans made with rye either.
yay! i’m glad they were a success.
we have several kinds of bitters made by fee bros, and it’s fun to try different kinds of manhattans (and other drinks) with them. they actually have citrus bitters which make a pretty bang-up manhattan, probably similar to your orange one.
Thanks for posting this! I’m excited to try some different variations on Manhattans. I’ve only ever made the classic.
I do like mine with rye, but I’ve never tried one with bourbon. I like drinking my bourbon straight, and I just couldn’t bring myself to mix it with anything. I think the flavor of the rye balances out the sweetness of the drink.