Manhattan Recipe: How to Make a Manhattan

According to popular belief, the Manhattan drink was invented in the mid-1870s at the Manhattan Club in New York City by Ian Marshall. It was created for a banquet hosted by Jennie Jerome (Lady Randolph Churchill, Winston's mother) in honour of presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden. However, Lady Randolph was pregnant at the time, so the story is most likely fiction. According to another legend, a bartender named Black invented the Manhattan cocktail in the 1860s at a bar on Broadway near Houston Street. The original Manhattan drink included rye whiskey, Italian vermouth and Boker's bitters. Canadian whiskey was primarily used during Prohibition (1920-1933) for its availability. The cocktail first appears in Charlie Paul's American and Other Drinks and O.H. Byron's The Modern Bartender's Guide, both of which were published in 1884. Paul defines it as consisting of 3 or 4 drops of Angostura bitters, plain syrup, half a liqueur glass of vermouth, half a glass of Scotch whiskey and a lemon garnish. Byron specifies two distinct variants, one with French vermouth and the other with Italian vermouth. Another reference to the drink can be found in  William Schmidt's book The Flowing Bowl, published in 1891. Schmidt  stated that the drink includes 2 dashes of gum (gomme syrup), 2 dashes of bitters, 1 dash of absinthe, 2⁄3 portions of whiskey and 1/3 portion of vermouth. There is also a similar cocktail described as a Tennessee Cocktail in V. Elliott and P. Strong's Shake 'em Up! that includes two parts whiskey, one part Italian Vermouth and a dash of bitters poured over ice and vigorously mixed. However, the origins of the Manhattan drink remain unclear.

The Manhattan recipe includes Angostura bitters, sweet vermouth and bourbon. The Manhattan has a strong taste, with a bit of bitterness and herbal notes from the bitters and vermouth. The Manhattan is recommended for someone who likes vanilla or cola notes from vermouth and a strong flavour from whiskey.

What are the ingredients for a Manhattan?

Listed below are the following ingredients for a Manhattan.

• 60ml bourbon: Bourbon whiskey is a type of American whiskey that is produced from  corn mash.
• 20ml sweet vermouth: Sweet vermouth is a fortified wine flavoured with a variety of botanicals. It is also known as red vermouth or Italian vermouth.
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters: Angostura bitters are concentrated bitters made by the House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago from gentian, herbs and spices.

1. 60ml bourbon

It is necessary to add whiskey, such as bourbon, to a Manhattan cocktail drink because it creates a cooling, hot and prickly sensation when it comes into contact with the mouth. It has a pleasant roundness flavour that is mellow and gentle. Bourbon contains 40% alcohol by volume and 97 calories in a 1.5-ounce shot. The best bourbon whiskey to use for making the Manhattan cocktail drink is Woodford Reserve.

2. 20ml sweet vermouth

Sweet vermouth is necessary for making a Manhattan because it gives a subtly sweet and spicy flavour to the drink, with a hint of bitterness at the end. Sweet vermouth has heartier spice notes such as vanilla, caramel and darker fruits. Sweet vermouth contains 16-22% alcohol by volume. Sweet vermouth has 47 calories per ounce. There are many different brands of vermouth to choose from when  making a Manhattan, including Vermut Lustau, Punt E Mes, Carpano Antica Formula, Antica Torino Vermouth Di Torino, Cocchi Storico Vermouth Di Torino, Vermouth Routin, Contratto Vermouth Rosso, Cinzano Vermouth Rosso and Noilly Prat Rouge.

3. 2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Angostura bitters are necessary for making a Manhattan because they add a complex and bitter undertone. Angostura tastes bitter and spicy, with hints of clove and cinnamon.

2 dashes of Angostura bitters have 4 calories.

How to make a Manhattan?

Preparing a Manhattan has never been easier thanks to this recipe, so don't miss it and make the most out of your cocktail!

1. Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with cubed ice and stir until chilled.
2. Julep strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass.
3. Garnish with a cherry.

1. Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with cubed ice and stir chilled.

Pour the rye 60ml whiskey, 20ml sweet vermouth and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters over ice in a mixing glass and stir thoroughly until well chilled. A proper Manhattan should never be shaken, only stirred. Stirring is necessary for making a Manhattan because it ensures that the drink is diluted and chilled. It also preserves the spirits' weighty, silky texture and gorgeous amber hue in the glass.

2. Julep strain it into a chilled coupe.

Julep strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe. To strain the mixed drink, pour the drink by tipping the tin slowly over the serving glass. Straining is necessary because it removes the old ice from the mixing glass, which melts quickly, preventing the drink from containing too much water.

3. Garnish it with a brandied cherry or a lemon twist.

Garnish the cocktail with a brandied cherry or a lemon twist. To garnish with a brandied cherry, skewer the cherry and place it on top of the glass rim. Garnishing with a brandied cherry adds a boozy and sweet flavour to the drink.

What nutritional benefit can you get from drinking a Manhattan?

There are nutritional benefits when drinking 1 cocktail of Manhattan which includes 0.1% vitamin A, 0.3% Calcium and 0.5% Iron.  1 cocktail of Moscow Mule has 167 calories.

What are the different variations of Manhattan?

There are multiple variations of the Manhattan, including Bourbon Manhattan, Brandy Manhattan, Black Manhattan, Rob Roy, Brooklyn, Revolver, and Martinez. To variate a Manhattan, the bartender should use bourbon whiskey instead of rye whiskey for a sweeter Manhattan or use scotch instead of rye whiskey to create the Rob Roy (Scotch Manhattan). The bartender could also use other flavours of bitters. The Manhattan is similar to several other cocktails, including the Old fashioned, Monte Carlo, Suburban, Harvard and Fourth Regiment.