Manhattan Tasting Notes & Serve Tips

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 cocktail 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 cocktail 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 cocktail. 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.

The Manhattan’s template is rather simple and shared by countless cocktails, 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 cocktails 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.

Often a divisive point among cocktail 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 cocktail’s creation. However, bourbon offers its own allure, and the cocktail has historically been made with both.

Rye whiskey will contribute the spirit’s spicier and more peppery notes to the cocktail, while bourbon will typically be a touch sweeter. As the sweet vermouth already adds richness and a rounder flavor profile to the cocktail, 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.

• 2 ounces rye whiskey
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• Garnish: brandied cherry (or lemon twist, if preferred)

1. Add the rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled.
2. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora or coupe glass.
3. Garnish with a brandied cherry (or a lemon twist, if preferred).