Manhattan Drink Recipe

This recipe for a Manhattan drink gives you the most well-balanced cocktail. It has bourbon or rye whiskey, vermouth, bitters, and a cherry.

There are few things the men in my life (read: J, my dad & my brother) love more than a classic Manhattan drink or cocktail. The Old Fashioned used to be the drink of choice, but now it’s more…forget the ice, and serve it up with plenty of vermouth.

Apparently, it puts hair on their chest? Honestly, who knows what goes through their brains on a daily basis, but I do know one thing…my hubby can make a great cocktail.

This is actually J’s recipe. I had him write down what he usually does when he put on his fancy pants (aka his fave Nike sweats) on a Friday and makes these while we hang out at home (on the rare chance that we actually ARE home, lol).

All in all, this is a stout, well-balanced drink designed with serious bourbon lovers in mind.

What’s in a Manhattan?

A good manhattan always has the following ingredients in some quantity:

• Bourbon or rye whiskey – J usually opts for straight bourbon whiskey or rye whiskey. Quality is best here – we usually use Blanton’s, Whistle Pig, Bullit, or Angel’s Envy
• Sweet Vermouth – this is actually a fortified wine that’s flavored with different aromatics. You’ll also see it in martinis, it gives the drink great flavor, interest and balance.
• Aromatic Bitters – this adds additional flavor to the drink. You can get creative with bitters – we’ve had a wonderful variety with walnut bitters before!
• Luxardo (or real deal maraschino) Cherries – you can’t skimp on the cherries! Luxardo makes the original maraschino cherry, and they’re delicious. Rich, sweet and syrupy – J always adds two and saves one for me to sample 🙂

How do you make the cocktail?

You’ve probably heard the saying shaken or stirred when it comes to cocktails. The answer here is stirred.

You want to stir or shake strong drinks before serving them with ice to cool down the liquor so it’s more pleasing texturally and the water from the ice cuts it just a bit.

We like to use this crystal cocktail mixing set. It comes with a cocktail mixer and spoon. You want to add ice to the pitcher and swirl it around quickly with the long spoon until everything is chilled and mixed well.

Then, place the strainer over the pitcher and pour into a glass. This filters out all of the ice. Don’t forget the cherry!

How is the Manhattan classically served?

A manhattan is usually served up in a martini glass or couple glass. I happen to prefer the coupe glass. Serving something up means serving it without ice in a glass with a stem (like a Manhattan or martini) and on the rocks means with ice, which is how an old fashioned is usually served.

Love whiskey and bourbon? Check out how to make an old fashioned, a mint julep or an Irish mule!

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