Manhattan

The spec

Two parts rye to one part sweet vermouth, two dashes of Angostura, stirred until the outside of the mixing glass frosts. Served up, no ice, so it has to be properly cold when it leaves the glass.

Rye is the default. The Manhattan was a rye drink first, and rye’s pepper keeps the vermouth from taking over. Bourbon works and makes a softer, sweeter drink; if you use it, you may want to pull the vermouth back toward ¾ oz.

The vermouth is most of the flavour. A Manhattan made with a tired, oxidised bottle of vermouth tastes flat no matter how good the whiskey is. Keep vermouth in the fridge once it’s open and use it within a month or so. If your Manhattans have been disappointing, this is almost always why.

Where people disagree

• Ratio. 2:1 is the modern standard. Older recipes go as wet as 1:1, and a “perfect” Manhattan splits the vermouth between sweet and dry. All three are worth a card.
• Bitters. Angostura is classic. Orange bitters alongside it are common; a dash of Peychaud’s makes it lean toward a Sazerac cousin.
• Garnish. A brandied cherry (Luxardo or homemade) is the standard now. The neon maraschino is nostalgic. A lemon twist instead of a cherry makes a noticeably drier-seeming drink.

Make it yours

The Manhattan is the drink most likely to end up with five versions on five scraps of paper: the one with the Carpano Antica, the one with the Dolin, the one where you tried a barspoon of cherry syrup. That’s normal, and it’s exactly the situation cards are for. Put the vermouth brand on the card, because “sweet vermouth” is not one ingredient.

The variation most worth keeping is the simplest: 2 oz rye, ¾ oz sweet vermouth, ¼ oz dry vermouth. Slightly drier, still recognisably a Manhattan, and it shows off a good rye.